The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-21
RAILROADS LAST DAY
"a COMMISSIONERS HEAR UNION
RAILWAY COMPANY's PLEA.
County Attorney Brown Claims that
estimated-CIOse of Argument.

N1N
appeals from railroad companies were to be
heard. Mr.. AID C. Harris appeared for the
Union Railroad Company and argued
against the company's property being con-
sidered a terminal and it's value being over
estimated. He declared that il was a trans
fer company, rather than a railroad COM
pany, as it does not own a car, cannot
sell a ticket nor carry a passenger, al
though ii maintains a station where tickets
are sold for railroad companies and where
passengers transfer from one road to an
other. 1t is a railroad ommon, a public
enterprise. and therefore Mr.. Harris
thought that it should not be taxed as a
terminal. He then considered the Union
Railroad Company's relations TO the Belt
railroad. He stated that the Union Railroad
Company had leased the Belt track for the
length of 999 years and for which about
$40, 200 a year is being paid. The Belt is
also practically a transfer and therefore
not a railroad. Last year the assessment
on the Belt was almost s., 100000. In ex-
planning the real value Mr.. Harris said that
in 1891 Gen. Morris had estimated the value
at a little over $500 coo. In 1898 Messrs.
Mansfield and Perry estimate that the en-
tire plant, including right of way, could be
duplicated for $500, 0S2.
"Then," said Mr.. Harris, where is the
right to tax it s. 5000, 0OO-more than the tax
on the main tracks of the Vandalia in this
State, which is about s265, 600, and there
are seventy-five miles of tracks there. The
taxes on the Belt are nearly as much as
the rental"
Mr.. Harris next took up the property of
the Union Railroad Company proper. He
stated that it has but two tracks, running
f-o-a II ;lo~4v A--1A l. -t-o.+
with ar average right of forty feet, The
entire property of the company being but
ten acres. People who know estimate the
value of the company's property at $1,0OO,-
W0. The depot and sheds cost $4,000, the
land 100000 and new tracks. $1,000 max
ing an actual outlay of $4,000: Mr.. Harris
asserted that IL was not fair that this COM
pany be taxed for more property than they
actually possess. n commissioner sug-
gested that in 1889 and 1890 the company
had given the value of the Union Station
as $4,000 and had only been taxed on that
basis. but Mr.. Harris. could not see that
that was any reason for the present over
taxation as he termed 1t. The last point
made was that the present physical condi-
ton or the property is no better than 1t
was last year. Mr.. Harris wanted the rate
lowered.
Yesterday morning Arthur B. Brown, at
terney for Marion county, appeared before
the board TO reply to the atemen made
by President ingalls, last week to the
effect that there was no profits to be de-
HANOA IN maintenance VI III lld
apolis Union Railway and Belt railroad.
Mr.. Brown showed that during the eight
holder received ed'; si.2cS Jun on 10000 owe Worth SiH'o of
stock. The report of a railway manual
showed that in 1893 the net earnings of the
tended that this proved the value of the
road to be not less than S200,0 600 a mile.
The road is assessed by the State commis-
charged that President Ingalls, ATTEMPTED
to mislead the board regarding the condi-
tiOn of his interests hprp Ha chnvrp1 that
the last issue of Poor's Railroad Manual
reduced the value of the, railroad equip
insisted that the company could not ex-
plain this change except by the admission
of taxes. The Union Railway Company,
the attorney contended., owns the terminal
facilities of every road running into In
dianapolis. The attorney for the L., n. A.
& c.. Railway Company admitted to the
board that his road paid 100000. annually
for its terminal facilities in Chicago. He
thought that If these privileges were worth
10000 a year to each of the fifteen roads
Union railway from these sources would
be over a million dollars a year. Adj
$4,000. the value of the property. he
thought. would be at least ST.. 800. $50, esti-
mating the earnings upon a 8 per cent.
of the board TO the fact that when a few
months ago, the ~Logansport & Indianapolis
81 100000.
Godfrey Jaeger, tax agent OF the Lake
Shore railway, and A. S. Getzendanner, as
sistant general counsel, appeared for that
road. The Lake Shore representatives pro-
tested against the assessment of 1850 a
mile which was made last year. They
based their appeal upon the statement that
railway earnings have this year decreased
20 per cent.
The Chicago & Calumet terminal railroad
was represented by K. K. KNAPP. the COM
pany's tax agent. The seven miles of the
road in Indiana. are assessed at $4,000 a
mile. against which rate Mr.. Knapp pro
tested vigorously. G.. l.. Bradbury and at
torney John b. Cockrum argued briefly fol
the Lake Erie q Western railway.