The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-12-29
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION.
Benton's Assessment All Right
No Raise In Valuations
Anticipated.

each Judicial district, who shall assem-
BILE at the state capitol on the first
Tuesday in December, annually, and
remain in session not to exceed thirty
days thereafter. The secretary of the
board complies an abstract of the as
sessment rolls received from the various
counties, into a tabular statement for
the use and guidance of the board dur
ing their deliberations. During the
session, one day is set apart for hearing
representatives from each county in
the state. Last Thursday was the day
assigned to Benton county, and the op-
porLunity was taken advantage of by
County Judge Hufford and Assessor
Alexander. The roll from this county
shows valuations on nearly all classes
of property to be greatly in excess OF
those in most other counties, and an
effort was made by our representatives
to secure a reduction, especially on
sheep, horses and agricultural lands.
In March Mr.. Alexander began the
work of assessing Benton county.
Times were good and sheep more cas-
lily worth $500 per head, and were SO
assessed. The price, however, during
the summer deprecated materially, and
now they are hardly worth $3.50 per
head. The same may be said to be
true of horses, and agricultural lands.
The average valuation placed on the
former being $36S6 and On the latter
$S.1s.
The combined valuation of property
in Lincoln and Benton counties Cor
1898 is nearly million dollars in ex-
cess of the 1892 assessment, which in
proportion, is probably the largest gain
made by any other county in the state
That Benton county's land is assessed
high enough is attested by valuations in
adjoining counties. The average yalu-
alton placed on agricultural land in
Lane county is $685. per acre; in Linn,
$10.3l; in Polk, $9.68; Benton, $S.1s.
Polk county, with nearly double the
area of Benton, shows 205, 1867 acres of
agricultural land, while Benton has
249, ,6S3 acres on her roll or 43,816 in
excess Of Polk. Polk's representatives
before the board were conspicuous for
their absence. They probably do not
anticipate any sweeping reduction in
their roll.
Representatives before the board
from many other counties would have
the board take their roll as a basis of
eqalization, and IN SO doing antago-
nized some members of the board By
charging that valuations in his county
or district were disproportionate.
Judge Hufford however, is more of
diplomat and instead of wasting his
time in senseless harrangue on the
foibles of some other county and it's
officials, he pursued altogether a diff
ferent sourse and made written
statement showing all the material
reasons why reductions should be
made on the assessed valuations of
certain classes of property in this
county. The statement showed that
last spring when the assessor began
his labors, property was more valuable,
or at least was in greater demand, than
it was subsequently during the year,
and the valuations placed on property
early in the season on the then ruling
prices were disproportionate with the
value of similar classes of property
some months later, but the assessor
was compelled, in order to make an
equitable assessment, to adhere to the
basis of valuation inaugurated by him
at the commencement of his labors.
On this ground he asked that the as
sessment be reduced on sheep from
$500 per head to $l.5O; on horses,
from $36.s6 to, $50. He also asked
for a reduction on agricultural land.
The valuations placed on other classes
of property did not appear out of pro-
portion, and the board were asked to
leave such items undisturbed. Judge
Hufford is of the opinion that some
concessions will be granted to the tax
payers of this county in the way of
reductions, and that an increase will
not be made on any class of property.
To many, the state board of equali-
zation seems a delusion and a snare,
and it may be they are. If, however,
they perform their duties as prescribed