The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-04
Twenty Per Cent. Ordered on Real
Estate by the County Com
missioners.
Bank Valuations Come Down One.
Third from the Amounts
Returned.
Range Cattle Will Pay at the Rate o
412.5O Instead Of e16-lnal-
vidual Cases

The county commissioners nave GEM
pleted their labors as board Of equaliza-
ton. and it only remains now to make the
levy. This will be done to-day. The CON-
missioners at their three meetings yester.
day, ordered the following general reduc-
Real estate. ...'................. 70 per cent.
Rsnxe cattle sis to So 3 n PER h cenf
There reductions will lower the assess
rent for Lewis and Clarke county by be-
tween four and five millions Of dollars.
County Attorney Nolan and the commits
sioners are of the opinion that under sec
ton five of article twelve of the constitu-
ton, the assessment on property within the
limits of the city of Helena will have to be
reduced in the same proportion for the pur-
poses of municipal taxation. The section
referred to says that '.Taxes for city, town
and school purposes may be levied on all
subjects and objects of taxation, but the az
sessed valuation Of any property shall not
exceed the valuation of the same property
for state and county purposes"
The commissioners came to the point Of
voting on the reduction of real estate and
bank valuations at their night meeting.
Commissioner Edgerton proposed to make
the reductions on real estate as follows:
twenty-five per cent. within the limits OF
the original TOWNSHIP of Helena; 70 per
cent. on that in Helena outside the original
townsite; and Is per cent. on that in Lewis
and Clarke outside of Helena. Commits
sioner Burns thought this too much Of re-
duction, and it was finally decided to make
it uniformly 20 per cent. on all three classes
of real estate. The resolution ON the SUBJ
ject sets forth that the board was satisfied
that this class of property is assessed at =
valuation out of proportion and greater rel
atively than any other taxable property. It
was in order to correct, equalize and adjust
the real estate with the improvements that
the reduction was ordered. In regard to
the assessment Of national and state banks
the board found that it was greater than
the actual money value, and out of proper
tion to that put on other taxable property.
For that reason they ordered the reduction
of 331s per cent. ON the total valuation re-
turned by the assessor. which represented
100 per cent. of the capital, surplus and
undivided profit.
A letter from the state board of stock
commissioners resulted in having the as
sessment on range cattle reduced. The
letter, signed by Granville Stuart, president.
and Russell b. Harrison, secretary of the
board, and received by the commissioners,
was rs follows: ''The state board of stock
commissioners having had under consider
alton the rate at which stock cattle are as
sessed in the various counties, wish to rep
resent to your honorable body that the rate
is too high; and in view of the continued
depreciation of cattle for several years past,
would respectfully request that You reduce
the assessable value of range cattle to $3.50
per head for the reason that cattle can be
purchased by the head at that rate at the
present time. This request is proper and
reasonable because of the misfortunes "a
III u AI~A u L.
fallen the cattle interest. The long cont
tinued drouth and the prevalence of fires
on the ranges have almost deprived the
cattlemen of any profit whatever. Trust
ing this demand may meet with favora-
BILE response, we remain, very respectfully,
yours, ETC."
During the discussion which followed
seen bill of sale of a band of range cattle
recently at $12. In view of this statement
and the request of the live stock assooia-
tion, the commissioners were satisfied that
range cattle throughout Lewis and Clarke
county is assessed at a rate above their true
being had to all their natural advantages
and other elements of value; they are as
sessed at $l5. and in our opinion, from thu
evidence presented before us they will not
and do not possess value exceeding 81:
per head" In consideration of these facts
anu IOE Lu0 purpose OF eQudllZlng ana aQ-
justing the values ON taxable properly the
commissioners ordered that the assessment
on range cattle be $12.D per head, instead
of $15, AZ returned by the assessor. Il il
stated that the other counties have assessed
the range cattle at $15 head.
There were several individual reductions
in addition to the general ones. The
largest was in the real estate of @. w. Cam
non. where reduction of 100000 was or
dered to equalize it with the surrounding
property, and because part of it is in litiga-
ton. Tho Helena Consolidated Water
company applied to have their assessment
reduced from $25O,OOO to $4,000. III,
latter they considered fair valuation. TIL,
request was granted and the $4,000 takel
of. The assessment on Cans & Klein'i
business building was reduced from $500
to 5000, on account of the interruption t,
the firms business by the improvement
they have been making. T. @. Power 4
Co.'S assessment in merchandise was raise,
to $4,000. A number of smaller cases wer
adjusted by the asse6sor.
With One Bloody Knife.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Oct. Sat New Albany
Ind, William Carrow, aged -, twitte,