The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-22

ready expired he believed the company was
assessed as high as it should be. He re.
the road as sufficiently high valuation on
a s~even-year franchise. MIR. Mason SAID
that the $4,000 added by, the county board
was unjust. and showed the commission
by figures that the Citizens company is
assessed at nearly twice as much a mile
as any electric system in the state:
Lines at other points. he said. are taxed
on from $1,000 to $1,000 a mile. the latter
being the highest amount. Evansville has
fo- taxation at sI1,OO a mile; Fort WAYNE
eighteen miles. at $SSss; Terre Haute
miles, at 1856. and Lafayette nine miles,
at 1888. The Citizens company, owns
in and out of Indianapolis, which is taxed
at $4,000 a mile. Two years ago, Mr.. Ma
son said. with an unfriendly board of re-
view, the. company's lines mad been valued
for taxation at 81, 250,0G0. A year ago that
amount was increased TO $1,62o,OOO. There
had been no appeal either year. and when
the present board raised them to 81. $4,000
they had not complained, though they felt
the addition Of $4,000 TO be unjust. The
in any way interested in the company and
some. possibly all. of them, said Mr.. Ma
son. shared the public hostility to the cor
poration. 1t had been assumed that former
assessments were right, and certainly the
commission cannot question their fairness.
This year, with all the burden of fran
chise troubles to carry. Mr.. Mason re-
garded the county boards increase as
without reason or consideration.
To back up his claim that miles of the
company's lines are merely streaks of rust
that should be in the scrap-heap, Mr..
Mason pulled out a complaint from a num-
Der of prominent residents OF lrvington,
detailing the. shortcomings of the service
and scoring it generally. In many places
In the city he claimed cars are running
over rails absolutely untitled for electricity.
Mr.. Dunn then told the commission that
he believed the Citizens Street-railr0ad
Company had been assessed relatively
He was willing, he said, to modify his APP
peal so that the road should be assessed at
40 per cent. of $3,500,OO0 or 81, 10000. This,
he said, was not much of an increase over
the county boards f1gureS-only 100000
and he thought it would be about a fair
settlement.
Somebody suggested that Mr.. Dunn
might profitably turn his attention to the
new City Street-railway Company, which
has a franchise, but no tangible property.
This franchise was regarded by some OF
those present as a fit subject for taxation.
Mr.. Dunn said he would look into the mat
ter, though he had a suspicion that he had
bitten off about all he could chew just at
present.
No action was taken by the commission
in the matter of the Citizens company.
Before adjournment, Mr.. Winters, as at
torney for the Indiana Natural and IL
Illuminating Gas Company, of Anderson, an
nounced that he desired TO dismiss the ap-
peal on the well assessment of that cor
p%oration from the Madison county Board
of Review.
The commissioners will be in executive
session all of to-day considering railroad
appeals. Tomorrow they VIII hold an
other open session, at which appeals will
be heard from the Evansville & Terre
Haute Railroad Company, Knox county;
Chamberlain, White county, and II. Rot
prmuna. Lake county.