The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-16

= The State Board of Assessors, Messrs
George Pottle, William c. Marshall, and
Otis Hayford, has just submitted its re-
port for 1897, to the Governor. The con.
Guiding pages Of the report which prac-
tically summarizes the whole, we repro
duce as follows:
The total amout of the real and person
al estate as returned is S2S1, &c., sol, an
increase of S3,51S, 147 above similar re-
turns for the year 1896. OF this total
valuation 77.13 per cent is real estate, and
% ~ per cent is personal estate. The
twenty cities Of the state return total
va-uation of 1929, $40, 800 of which 1928
per cent is real estate, and 26.N is per-
sonal estate. There are thirty towns with
valuation above 81 900 900 and total
valuation of $47, 09S, 762, of which 1857
onal property.
There are fifty-three towns with yalua-
tions above $500, 900, and less than 1000,
900, and total valuation of $50, 57l : 40,
of which 00.4 per cent is real, and 1876
per cent is personal property.
The remaining towns, all with valua-
tions less than $500, 00U, to a large extent
farming towns, without large villages,
and including plantations, return total
valuation of $6S, 1856, 009, of which 81 per
cent is real estate, and 10 per cent per-
sonala property. In extending this in
quiry still farther, and comparing county
with county, city witt city, and town
with town, we find more uneven pro-
portion of real and personal estate.
Under actual conditions which exist, this
Is, to a considerable extent, inevitable.
The Investigations by this Board, have
been mainly devoted to ascertaining, how
nearly, the returns of valuation Of the
real and personal estate, represent full
fair value of the taxable property in the
several cities and towns; and we desire
to express our appreciation of the candor
and consideration shown by the munich
pal assessors who have attended the meet
ings which we have held in all the
counties of the state, during the year.
They have rendered US valuable cssis-
tance, in the prosecution of our work.
Three hundred and eighteen of the cities,
towns and plantations, return higher
valuation OF real es jate than in 1896 The
total valuation of real estate is $217, 425, Ice
an increase of So, 995, 944 from 1896. Ap-
proximately 10000, of this increase is on
account Of property heretofore exempted
from taxation, and which appears this
year for the first time, in the taxable
lists; the remaining increase of Sc, 500, 600,
practically represents new buildings and
improvements.
While many increases in land values
have been made, on the other hand, there
have been numerous reductions, and in
effect one offsets the other. A deprecia-
ton in the market value of farms, is
quite generally claimed. 1t is not how
ever claimed, nor does it appear, that the
productive capacity OF the farms has
diminished. The low. prices of farm pro-
ducts which have prevailed in recent
years, have professionally produced a
depression in farm values; and have
affected unfayorably, every branch OF
trade and industry in the state. The
personal property returned amounts to
$64, 451 .635, a Reduction of $477, 797 from
the amount returned in 1896. Live stock
is returned on lower basis of values,
than in any year of which we have stats
tics; and the total value is 1,076, 7sS lesf
than in 1896. The deficient hay crop OF
1896, made it necessary for many farmers
to reduce their herds; with this fact fully
considered the number returned is more
than we could reasonably expect.
We append table showing the total
mum Der and average value of each class
as returned for the years 1896 and 1897.
A comparison will show marked increases
in some Glasses, and equally important
deere AGES in others, and a quite uniform
reduction in average values; with the
bountiful hay crop of the present year,
we can reasonably expect q marked In.
crease In all classes of live stock for the
year 1898.