Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-08-02
UNEQUAL TAXATION.
Facts and Figures Which Prove Rank
Iniustice in Lnzerne County.
Inkhorn in wilkcsbarre Telephone.

anu fJpuTes " nlcn BrONe hank
Injustice in Luzerne County.
Inkhorn in Wikesbarre Telephone.
Judging from the fact that the funds
in the county treasury available for gen
eral expenses are well nigh exhausted,
and that returns from the 1897 tax levy
may not be paid in before the latter part
of September or October, it looks as
though the county commissioners will be
forced to borrow more money in order to
dcfray current expenditures. 1t is gen
orally known that the county is ut pres
cnt paying per cent interest on $780,
600 of bonded Indebtedness, besides
temporary loan of $l5,O borrowed from
local banks, to meet the largely increas-
ed expenditures of the county. This
condition of financial affairs in a county
having an estimated population of 275,-
600, and total assessed valuation of real
estate, as returned last year by the as
SCISSORS, of $27, 900, 900, is a positive evil
dence of the urgent need of an immediate.
readjuStmcnt of the present unequal
and unjust method of assessing taxes on
all kinds of taxable property.
From time to lime we have endcavored
to prove by authentic figures and plain
statements of fact, that taxes on ordin-
AIRY farm land, real estate, personal
occupations, etc, is already far too high
in this county in proportion to the tax
levied against valuable coal lands and
other other property, which has never
been assessed above per cent of its
actual market value. The mining and
railroad companies and the rich men
who own and control the coal industry
have for many years been permitted to
successfully evadc paying anything like
their proportionatc share of local taxa
tion in the cities, borOughs and town
ship whore their coal lands are located
This fact may be clearly understood by
a few significant comparisons bearing
directly on this subject
For instance, Luzernc county has
total area OF 926 square miles of improy-
ed and unmproved land. The actual
market value of taxable buildings and
lands-agricultural and mineral-has
been estimated at not less than $500,
100000. As stated above, the assessed
valuation of all the taxable real estate
in the county as taken from the sworn
returns made by local assessors is only
S27, 600, 900. On this valuation a tax
rate of nine and half mills is levied
this year for county purposes. Last
year the rate of tax levy in the county
was seven mills. This makes an in
crease of 35 per cent in the county tax
as compared with last year, and it is
safe to say that municipal and local
taxes in cities, boroughS and townships,
outside of the agricultural sections of
the county, have increased over last
year from 10 to % per cent.
Now, IA little calm inquiry must con-
vince any person who will give the sub
iect careful consideration, that there is
something radically wrong when, in the
face of general decline in the value Of
real estate, We find that both rents
and local taxes are increasing. We
have in Luzerne county many million
dollars worth of taxable property that
has never been assessed at more than
per cent of its actual value, while farm
lands and real estate are usually assessed
at from onc-fourth to one-lifth of its
market value. InaSmuch us the time is
not far distant when the taxpayers Of
Luzerne county-that is the wage work
ers, farmers and rent payers--will become
sufficiently interested in this subject of
unequal taxation to demand an inVcst-
cation, we therefore republish an alb
stract giving figures, showing to what
extent the owners of coal lands have
been exempt from paying their legti-
mate share Of local taxation. Readers
should carefully study these figures and
preserve them for future reference.
1t is estimated that the $1,000 acres of
coal land within the county contains not
less than l,4l0, 800, 600 tons of market
able coal. This vast amount of hidden
mineral wealth, if figured at only so
cents per ton, is worth $4G2 80 per acre
for each foot thickness of underlying
coal. This makes the actual value of
the $1,000 acres, with the veins an aver
age thickness of 20 $40 feet and allow
ing $50 tons per foot per acre, not less
than S709, $50 As has been re-
pcatedly shown the present assessed
value of this coal land is but IS per foot
per acre according to the estimated
depth or thickness Of unmined coal,
making the total assessed valuation OF
the 81. 900 acres only Sl2. 2G3 400. which