Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-05-21
TO MEET RAILWAY MEN.
State Tax Commission Gives It's First
Hearing Today.
Madison, May Is.

Madison, May Is.
The state board of tax commission
ers will begin the hearing on the sub
ject of railway taxation this afternoon
at 2:30 o'clock. in the senate chamber,
and it is expected that representatives
of the several railroad corporations
will present their views on the vari-
GUS questions propounded. The
principal object of the hearing is to
get railroad people and others to dis
cuss the principles ON which the mat
ter of railroad taxation should be
based so as to result in an equitable
distribution of the burdens of taxa
ton.
Chief among these questions is
whether the present system of levying
a per centage tax ON the gross earn
ings of railroad companies shall be
abolished and in it's place system
of taxation upon the value of rail
road property be adopted, so as to
correspond with the method of taxing
other property. If such is advisable
the commission also asks what means
can be best used to determine the
value of railroad property and it's pro-
portion to the other taxable property
of the state.
The commission also asks whether
there is any constitutional objection
to a plan of railroad taxation which
would have the total amount of rail-
1n4o cd NV Cto 10
board of assessors. Another ques-
ton is. if the present system is main
tanned, what made shall be adopted
to determine the percentage of gross
earnings to be paid to make the same
equal to the rate of taxation imposed
on other property.
The hearing which begins today
will be continued from day to day as
long as any person desires to be heard
on the subject. The commission de-
sires to avail itself of the opportunity
to get all the different opinions which
may be held on this difficult subject.
Some of the leading advocates of a
change in the method of taxation of
railroad property have been heard
from and say that they do not intend
to present any arguments to the COM
mission at this time. Judge Philo A.
Orion and Senator Whitehead are
among this number.
Everybody appears to be waiting to
see what arguments the representatives
of the railroad companies will present
and after that is determined it is likely
that there will be an appearance on the
part of the state or of the people SO
that both sides of the problem may be
laid before the commission. The mem
bers Of the tax commission are sup
posed to represent the interests of the
state, and they can call in the attor-
ney general if they choose to a., them
in their work. In fact this is al the
provision that is apparent at present
for taking care of the interests Of the
people.
It is reported nat the railroad peo-
pie are not prepared to present any
great amount of information just now,
as they do not know just what is re-
CURED. There is no doubt that they
are carefully watching what is going
on and will see that their inter
ests are we'll guarded. The railroad peo-
pie insist that they are already paying
their full proportion of the tax burdens
of the state if not more, and that while
they would not object to a decrease in
the tax imposed upon them they will
strenuously object to amy plan by
which their burdens shall be increased
The evident position of the corpora
lions is that the present system of a
tax on gross earnings is the most
equitable way of taxing railroad COM
panies, and they will probably antag-
onize any attempt to substitute another
system.
In at least one respect Fred w. At
kinSOn who bac hnon onnointod en-