The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-01-26

are assessed entirciy 100 n}Sh ana the
mineral lands too low
The clerk OF Allegheny county was ask
cd the same question. His answer was:
Farming lands on average. are assessed
at from so TO SIS per acre more than
mineral lands" The assessor OF that coun-
~ was asked the same question and made
a similar answer.
Low Moor.
The great Low Moor iron furnace Is
located near Clifton Forge, and eight
miles from Covngton. the county-seat OF
Allegheny. Adjacent TO these furnaces
are several tracts of mineral lands, az
eregating $500 acres. believed 10 be one
or the finest properties in Nirginia-pos-
siby one OF the finest OF the kind in the
United States. Quite a town has been
built up at Low Moor furnace on account
OF the operation OF these mines and fur
naces The average assessed value OF
this $500 acres. as near as we could as
certain. is about so per acre. including
buildings, mines. and everything They
stated their mineral output In 1891 TO have
been si09i6; capital invested In business,
$i069S. Many OF the owners are non
residents. not paying any income tax in
this state. The output OF these furnaces
is from i35 to 40 tons every twenty-four
hours. counting 80 days In the year. we
understand that they have been in con-
slant blast. day and night. for over ten
years.
Iougdaie Iron Furnace.
This property is also located in the
county Of Allegheny The company cperat-
ing II owns between 1000 and 5000 acres OF
land. the property being considered one
OF the finest IL the South. These lands
are assessed upon an average. including
everything mines, buildings, furnaces, etc.
at about So per acre. The clerk OF the
county was asked what amount Of tax
this company pays on mineral products.
His answer was: Nothing; they pay on
the capital invested, they have capital In
vested amounting 10 $4,000, upon which
they pay taxes" He was also asked II
the company paid any income tax. He re-
Piled; "One OF the members Of the compa-
ny lives in this county. and paid last year
an income tax on $ll5OO."
The Douthat Survey, in Bath County.
We proceeded from Allegheny 10 Bath
county ana examined the records there
Laige tracts of mineral lands in this
county are owned and held by non-resi-
dents and some by residents. IL 100 acres
part Of the celebrated DOuthat Survey
alluded to above. were assessed at 81 per
acre, while land in Allegheny county
embraced in the same tract, was assessed
at Sl75
\ lengthy statement is here made by
the committee. which in substance s.
about like the statements above concern
| ing other lands. The committee made
similar reports as to New Castle, Craig
| county, and Of Bote,ourt. Wise Taze-
well, Buchanan, Dickinson, and Wythe.
! Pulaski County.
! The report then says:
We visited Pulaski county and The great
! Cripple Creek mining country. At Pu-
4 laski City arc the celebrated Bertha Zinc
| Works. which. it is claimed manufactures
one-tw elfth of all the zinc made in the
world. The output is ten tons per day
| W. were infCi med that the price received
was $50 per ton, which makes the COM
pany do business of $3.50 per day
! Upon al investigation Of the commission
ers DECKS we found that this plant was
| taxed upon the assessed value Of So 600
! The greater portion Of the property is
owned by non-residents, who pay no in
come tax. We looked upon this as being
one OF the greatest Institutions i'm the
state, ard one of the most valuable enter
prses in the Commonwealth The COM
pany owns mining lands on Cripple creek.
and the tax on these lands is about the
same as on other mineral lands throughout
the Commonwealth
The ovrcrs Of mineral property. in va
IiOus sections Of the State. have made
complaint Of the great hardship that an
increase in valuation would be TO them
II such an increase is put upon the min
eral land, when the present law provides
that the assessed value should be placed
upon the minerals raised. This caused
your committee 10 secure from the Audi
tors Office reports from twenty-slx Of the
most prominent mineral counties i'm the
state The Information which we have
obtained from the Auditor is startling be
yOnd measure and shows that Of all the
mineral resources of the State of Virginia.
including the total coal output of the great
Southwest. together with the iron inter
ests of these twenty-sx counties the
Commonwealth only received during the
years 1891. 1892 and 1893, $Sl74S 1893 50,
and S903.Si. respectively
The three furnaces, known as Low Moor.
Longdale, and Victoria, the first two OF
which are situated in Allegheny county
and tho other In ROckbridge county, make
in the aggregate three hundred and sixty
five tons Of iron per day. The amount OF
ore required to make one ton Of iron is
about two and a half tens. The state
ment of the Auditor showed that in the
county Of Allegheny. in 1891. the assessed
value of minerals raised was 81, i6G; IN
1892 1t was s23 $50. The property books for
1893 have not been received. The Auditors
statement shows as far as Botetourt is
concerned, that In 1891 the assessed value
OF the minerals raised was 500, $50: in 1872
it was $5S, 052; IN 1893 il was $50 67j. In
Rockbridgc the assessed value of the
minerals rails ed in 1891 was nothing: in
1892 it was nothing and in 1893 it was
nothing. IN these three counties are To-
Gated the mines known as Low Moor, the
Rich Iatch mine, the Lonedale mine the
Iron Mountain mines, the Dolly Anne
mines The Dunlap's Greek mines. the
ROckD.iGsse Furnace mines ard the Buena
Vista mines, which have been continuously
" 0rkea for the past several years. The
Low Moor and Longdale furnaces have
been running continuously for ten years,
and the Victoria furnace for six or eight
?ears.
County Reports.
Augusta county reports nothing in 1891,
nothing in 1892. ard s. for 1893. notwiih-
standing the celebrated Carnegie manga
rose mines and also iron mines. that
shipped Thousands Of tons Of iron GRE TO
the Crozier furnace at Roanoke are in
this county.
Amherst reports nothing in 1891 nothing
IN lSy2. and nothing in 1893. 1t is known
that there are several iron mines in that
county from which shipments have been
mIde ia the last few years.
Amelia reports nothing for 1891, nothing
Tor 1892, ana nothing fer 1892 although 1t
Is known that mica mines have been in
operation there.
buckingham county reports nothing in
In .,,d III coo