The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-03
TAXES ON REAL ESTATE
COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF La
Dor COMMISSIONER POWERS
In the Three Counties, Ramsey, Hen
nepin and st. Louis, 1t Is Found
That the Variation in the Value
of the Supposedly Wealthy and
Power Owners Is Less Than In the
State at Large.

Labor Commissioner Powers has
completed comparative statement Of
the assessment of real property Of the
larger and smaller owners in Ramsey,
Hennepin and st. Louis counties. This
statement is in line with similar table
published by The G | b few days
ago, having to do with the seventy-odd
counties of the state, exclusive of Ram
sey, Hennepin and st. Louis, which
disclosed the fact that owners Of I'M
improved lands were assessed relative
ly at a far higher figure than the own
ers of highly improved farm lands.
A perusal Of the corresponding sta
tisticS for the three city counties, CIV
ell in the table completed yesterday,
shows a much smaller variation in as
sessments Of this kind than among
the farming sections Of the state. The
report says:
Thus in 1885, in the three city counties, the
unimproved city lots, selling for less than
$1,000 each. werae assessed at $40 per cent
of their selling valuation, indicated by the
deeds or sale. The parcels of land selling for
sums ranging from So, 600 to s. 900 were as
sessed at 44.03 per cent, while thaose selling
from over $4,000 were assessed at 53.04 per
cent The parcels selling for less than $3.50
were assessed at G6 per cent, while those
selling for over $25, 900 were assessed at u.
There was no great difference between the
parcels selling for the greatest and smallest
amount. The variation IS between them
and those for the intermediate sums The
MANURE Of this variation makes it very prob
able that in the city counties the variation
shown in the tables for the relative assess
ment of vacant or unimproved city lots was
caused not by an error Partially of the
assessors but it due very largely to the vary
ing condition upder which the lands are
sol. The poor owner Of a single small lot
and the speculator with large holdings are
alike Ike e forced to sell their lands at greater
sacrifice than the man with average
sources the owner of the average-sized hold
ing Of unimproved property.
In the city counties we'll as in the rural
the improved city lots showed in 1895 wide
variation in the percentage of assessment.
Like the improved farm lands in the rural
counties the assessment presents a graded
series from the sales with lowest amounts
up to the very highest. This shows that in
the past the city assessors have allowed a
part of the value Of the most improved prop
owners were in the past Disseminated
against compared with the richer owners
or improved real property. This is true of
the smaller as we'll as of the larger cities.
Ihls inequality of assessment is not found
In st. Paul in the year 1896. That year the
great body Of sales both Of improved and I'M
improved real property was assessed at from
43 to 46 per cent of its selling value. About
20 per cent of the smaller sales of improved
and II per cent Of the sales of unimeroved
lots showed a higher percentage, but in near
ly all cases this higher percentage is shown
on the fact of the transaction to be due to
the sacrifice sale of the owners and not to
the error Of the assessor
The assessment of 1896 in st. Paul was
therefore an ideal one, so far as its ossesss-
ment of real property was concerned. as be-
tween the citizens of that city. AS equalized
by the state board, st. Paul was in that ytar
given heavier share of the state taxes to
pay than was its due. The average price of
land sold in the state was assessed at about
40 per cent of its recorded selling value.
In st. Paul in 1896 this percentage was 1878
or over 10 per cent greater than the aver
age. 1t was slightly larger than in Henne-
pin or st. Louis counties, and these were
both slightly above the average for the state
The rigid application of the principles and
methods of assessments introduced by Mr..
Seng in st. Paul in 1886 and at present en-
ployed both in ST. Paul and Minneapolis will
largely correct the inequalities of assessment
found in the past in all parts of Minnesota
and at the present time in nearly all the
counties of the state.