The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-16
VALUE NEVER VARIES
Of Railroad Property in Okla
homa Territory.
STATISTICS LOOKED UP
Figures Showing Railway
Valuations Separately

| Guthrie o. T., March 15.-(Special.) -Ihe
only class of property that shows no ap-
| preciable change in values in this terri
tory is the property owned by public cor
| poratons. On the assessors books pri-
| vate property in Oklahoma has increased
/ in value from s19, 900 to ,0o0 but
the values of property belonging to the
| corporations, either in years Of prosperity
| or in years of partial failure, or whether
! stocks were quoted up or down, this class
, of poperty never changes in value on the
books of the assessor. Not oonly does
| corporation property fail to advance in
company with private property, but it is
also exempt from the powers Of the ter
ritorial board of equalization and when
the board in 1895 increased the assess
ments 80 per cent against private property
and in some instances as high as Is per
cent in 1887, the corporations escaped as
slick as whistle. True in 1896 the Rem
frow administration sought to restore
harmony between assessments ofthe two
classes of property by almost doubling
the values of corporation property, but
the corporations went into court and pro-
cured an order from Judge Dale vacating
the assessment made by the board Of
railway assessors and commanded the
board TO make a re-assessment. At a sub
sequent meeting of the old board the old
valuations were made and thus ended the
first and only attempt to equalize as
sessed values between private property
and property belonging to public corpora
tions.
The returns made by the Atchison, To-
polka and Santa Fe railroad 10 the audi
tor for the year 1895 show that there are
in operation in Oklahoma 1853 miles of
main track between Arkansas City and
Purcell, which are assessed at $500 per
mile. This return does not indicate TWEEN
tyslx miles of main track in the Indian
reservation which under the recent decis-
ion Cf the Cnited ST. supreme court
would appear TO be sxable. and which
would increase the roads assessment al
most $50, GOO. On this division of the San
ia Fe are POSE miles of side track, assess
ed at $500 per mile. Rolling stock,
which Includes locomotives, baggage. ex-
press mail and freight cars, IN use on the
Arkansas Division, are valued by tie
company in the report 20 the auditor at
$!4, I9F.25. and tools, m 1ter.atsn for repairs
exc, at - ?47.0O.
On the Kiowa division Of the Santa Fe
the report shows 1850 miles Of main
track in operation and S29 miles of side
track. The former is assessed by the
board of railway assessors at So 900 per
mile and the side track at 81 900 per mile
The rolling stock on the Kiowa division
the company values at $13.662 and tools
and material at $991.0O. The buildings,
such as depots, section houses. etc, on
the Arkansas City division of the Santa
Fe are valued at $13, $40 and on the Kiowa
division at $S,495
The return made to the auditor by the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad
shows 1875 miles Of main track and u
miles of side track in operation, the for
mer being assessed a. s., 200 per mile and
the latter at $1,000 per mile. The build
ings belonging to the Rock Island within
the territory are returned at $12S55, roll
ing stock at 55.376.95. tools, repairing ma
terial, etc, at S2,2070f
The Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf rail-
way reports SO17 miles of main track and
eight miles of side track in operation
within Oklahoma territory, which the
board assesses at $4,000 per mile for the
former and $1,000 per mile for the side
tracks. Although having less than two
thirds of the mileage of the Santa Fe the
Choctaw returns the value of it's buildings
at 81, 800 as against the other roads s13.-
$40 Rolling stock on the Choctaw is
valued at SO 47O and tools, repairing ma
terial, etc, at $500.
The repOrt of the Hutchinson and
Southern railway shows 2193 miles of
main track in oklahoma and one mile of
side track, the main track being assessed
by the board at $1,000 per mile Build
ings are returned at $40 railing stock
$3.50 and tools and repairing materials at
$500