Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-04-27
TAKING OF TESTIMONY TO BEGIN
NEXT FRIDAY.
PROMISES TO BE INTERESTING.
REisONABLENESs OF JAaUINs LAW
RATES THE ISSUE.
Attorney General Boyle Thinks He
Has the stock Yards Company in
Corner-Tnx Assessments
to BE Used Against
the Yards.

Topeka Kas., April 26-tSpecialD Ihe
taking of testimony in the stock yards suit
to enjoin the attorney general from enforc-
ing the Jauuins stock yards law will begin
next Friday George w. Clark, who was
appointed special master by Judge Foster
10 do this work. will conduct the hearing
in Kansas City. Kas. 1t will continue more
than n week II is the intention OF the at
torneys to get through so that the special
master can report his findings TO Judge
Foster about the middle of May. There
was a story afioat tonight that the hear
ing would be prolonged for several weeks,
at the instance of the company, but the
friends of the attorney general do not be-
lieve he has entered into scheme of that
kind.
Attorney General Boyle says he expects
TO go right down 20 the bottom of the
matter, The only point left 10 be decided
in the case is as TO the reasonableness of
the fees named in the Jaquins law; in other
words, as TO whether enforcement of the
law would virtually confiscate the COM
pany's property. All other questions nave
been decided against the company. In de-
Gliding to appoint a commissioner to take
further evidence on this one point, Judge
Foster said that the present worth of the
company's property would be liked as the
basis of calculation, not the capital stock
of the concern.
The stock yards company is capitalized for
s7.3OO.OOO. The attorney general says he
believes he will be able TO prove that its
property is not worth anywhere near that
sum. He is now collecting evidence to
back him up in his fight.
The books of the assessors of the two
Kansas Citys will be placed in evidence to
show how much the officers of the stock
yards company claimed that their property
was worth when the assessors were max
ing the rounds. These officers. it is hoped,
were not among the list of tax jumpers.
The attorney general says he win show
that. according to these books, the property
is not valued at more than 100000 In both
cities, he says, he understands that prop
erty is supposed to be assessed at from
one-third to one-half its real value. In
fact, in Kansas City, Kas., where the
greater portion of the yards is situated, the
assessor last year assessed at what he
called full value. In that town the COM
pany paid about 200 in taxes, he says,
or on about s25O0OO worth of property.
Mr.. Boyle has also ordered a certified
copy of the deeds in the register of deeds
offices in Wyandotte and Jackson counties
showing just what the land on which the
yards are now located cost the company.
He will also have some real estate experts
10 show what the company's land is worth
now, even including the land taken in by
the vacation of Bell street, which il got
FOR nothing.
w. w. Rose, an architect, of Kansas
City, Kas., was wired tonight TO make an
estimate Of the cost of all the improve
nents made by the company. which are a
part of the yards. This will include the
various buildings. pens, fences. bridges,
viaducts, scales, in fact improvements of
every kind These estimates on everything
that belongs to the company will be tabu-
lated, and in that way the attorney gen.
eral expects to get at n fair estimate of
the value of the company's property.
Wouldn't it be joke on the company
If IL could not show more than s., 500, 900
worth of property?" said Mr.. Boyle to-
night. ''If IL shows that much under oath,
the assessors of the two Kansas Citys will
discover that they have been too low in
their estimates by about 81, ,00O If the
company shows that it actually has 1900,
600 invested in that property, what snap
that will be for the poor people who are
paying the burden of the taxes, especially
in Kansas City, Kas.! Gee. Whit 1t will
almost double the assessed valuation OF
that city, and cut the rate of taxes almost
In two. The company claims that three
Efths of its yards are on the Kansas side
Three-ffths of 81, 100000 is S4.3s0O0O. Let's
see; the rate of tax in Kansas City, Kas.,
is about per cent. According to that, the
Kansas side town would receive s2l9.0O0 an
nually as tax from the Stock Yards Com
pany. Don't you think there is some mis-
take about the company only paying about
$4,000 in taxes there? Why, that's $207, ,0O(
less than they should pay, by their own
way of figuring. If these tax figures are
correct, as 1 am reliably informed they are
/ want photograph of the man whom the
Stock Yards Company places on the wit
ness stand who will successfully harmonize
the claim that its property is worth $780,
600 with the one that it is paying it's por-
tion of the taxes