Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1894-05-03
OF STATE INTEREST.
recommendations to Asses
sors Made by State
Auditor Porter.
All Property to be Assessed
at Its True and Full
Value.

Value.
State Auditor Porter has issued cir
cular letter to auditors and boards of
commissioners Of the several counties of
North Dakota, urging assessors to follow
as nearly as practicable the valuations of
farm stock, range horses and cattle as
fixed by the board OF equalization last
August, taking the last equalization in
the respective counties as basis, The
valuations as fixed last year in the vari-
Gus counties throughout the state upon
this class of property were generally
satisfactory. Much work could be saved
all boards Of equalization and auditors 10
the making up of the tax lists and bet
ter and more desirable assessment made
if this we're done. Assessors are this
year required to view and to determine
the true and full value of each tract or
lot of real property listed for taxation.
Particular attention is called to Section
%, Chapter 132 of the revenue law, which
states that
"All property shall be assessed at it's
true and full value IN money. In de-
terminlng the true and full value of real
and personal property, the assessor
shall not adopt lower or different
standard of value. because the same Is to
serve as basis of taxation; nor shall he
adopt, as a criterion of valne, the price
at which said property would sell at auc-
tion or at a forced sale, or IN the aggre-
gate with all the property in the town or
district; but he shall value each article
or description of property by itself, and
at such sum or price as he believes the
sama to be fairly worth IN money. In
assessing any tract or let of real prop
erty, the value of the land, exclusive of
improvements, shall be determined; also
the value of all improvements and struc-
lures thereon, and the aggregate value
OF the property. including all structures
and other improvements. excluding the
valve 1T crops growing upon cultivated
lands"
Many assessors are of the opinion that
property should be listed at what it
would bring at a forced sale. This is
wrong. AT property should be assessed
at its true and full value. Much property
especially real estate, is not now 30
assessed. Tho increase in the assessed
valuation Of the state would tend to give
our state better standing abroad and
will add nothing to the burdens Of tax
alton. A certain amount OF money is re-
quired to be raised anyhow, and less IN
equalities are liable to occur under q
higher valuation.
The Washington correspondent OF the
Chicago News. Record has been examin-
ing the last census in regard to the dis
trlbution of wealth in the western por-
ton of the United States and finds that
Nevada, Montana. Arizona and the two
Dakotas are richer in proportion to pop
| ulation than the eastern states. He says
| the distribution of wealth ls very un-
even, the largest share being found
where there is the smallest population.
In the new states and territories in the
far west the wealth per capita is very
great. and IN the south it is very small.
Nevada, a great mining state, is the
richest, in comparison with it's popula-
ton, OF any in the United States. If it's
wealth were divided among .its inhabi-
tants each man, woman and child would
receive S3,941. Montana comes second
with $3,429 per capita and Anzona third
with So, 1853. The poorest state in the
union is South Carolina, where the av-
erage per capita is but S34S.
| The average OF property per capita in
the mining states is s2,25O, while in the
Gulf and Missiesippl valley states OF the
south it ls S5S3 and IN the South At
lantlc states the average is s579. OF the
middle and northwestern states North
Dakota is much the richest, having
81 ,S44 per capita, the remainder follow
ing in this order: illinois, sl,324; Min
nesota, $500; South Dakota, s1,293;
Kansas, sl,26l; Nebraska, 51,205; Iowa,
81 1856; Wisconsin, s1,OS7; Ohio, sl,076;
Michigan, 1901; Indiana. 1856, and Mis-
souri,, 1895.
According to the census it is found that
wealth is more equally distributed in
the agricultural than in the manufactur-
ing states. North Dakota, that
has been in the union barely
five years, ranks highest among
the agricultural states, even SUR
passing little Rhode Island, a great
manufacturing oenter-which heads the
list OF eastern states in the distribution
Of wealth per capita and is the richest of
the New England states-and such re-
puted wealthy states as New York and
New Jersey. The average OF property
per capita IN New York, New Jersey and
New England is but 81. .232 and in the
central and western states 1t is $l.129.
Leaving oat Of consideration the mining