The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-09
WORK OF THE ASSESSORS
AUDITOR OF STATE HART READS AN
INSTRUCTIVE PAPER.
The Reports of the Various Commit
ices Are Heard-Governor Mount
Unable to Preside.
The convention of the State Board of Tax


Commissioners and the county assessors of
the State adjourned yesterday afternoon.
The meeting was a very profitable one to
the assessors who manifested a deep in
terest in the programme. The most of the
assessors left the city at 4 o'clock. The
first paper read at yesterdays session was
by William II. Hart, auditor Of state. on
Corporate Property" He said in part:
'"Tithing and taxation antedate the ark.
Political economy in its phases OF study OF
taxation is a veritable kaleidoscope. The
organization of government, whether in
clans, or by the code, has always created
an expense account, and contemporary
with the executive factotum has been the
creation of assessment, receipt and dis
bursement. The tithing of a tenth for
state or church is a familiar incident Of
general history. TIL map of the world has
been more than once materially changed
through wars waged because of unjust
taxation. Columbia's crown was patterned
at the Boston tea party There is a
monotonous repetition in history of the OPP
pressions and taxations of grinding as
sessments. There is, and probably al
ways will be, a venerable partnership
the tax dodger-'to whom much has been
given'-with the secretiveness of the mlser.
The texeater. he whose ideas OF the public
treasury are nearly as riotous as the
pirates conscience on the high seas. In
the evolution that has marked the de-
~velopment of the progressive nations of the
world, with the betterment of government
and its closer reciprocity with the citizen,
there is more of equality and less of caste,
a steady trend in the direction of an
equable basis along the line of justice and
uniformity. Taxation is the Corliss
enginery of government, or apology for
government. from the tribal state TO the
higher attitudes of enlightenment. Unjust
or unnecessary taxation is robbery under
the guise OF Law. 1t is the one great
-,,A-
deavored to solve, that is ever present in
all the parliaments of the world, that is
In the serious thought of the true states
men, and serves as the fippant stock-in-
trade OF the crafty d~emagogue."
In conclusion Mr.. Hart said: with the
legislation this convention will recommend,
the sequestered personal property will be
unearthed. and the volume OF personal
property upon the duplicates increased mil
lions OF dollars The paper of Auditor
Hart was thoroughly discussed. the dis
cussion being led by Alpheus Compton,
assessor of Wayne township.
MR.. BUSKIRK'S PAPER.
Thomas B. Buskirk. of Paoli. a member
Of the State Board of Tax Commissioners,
read a paper on Telephones and Railroad
Property"
i1C SdAo was Slctl III III TIC
assessment of railroad property, and that
1t behooved the assessors to be very vigil
liant. He said the telephone was now rec
ognized by the courts as an instrument of
He said the state board should
assess the poles, line wires, transmitters
and all other instruments which consti-
tuted a part of the integral system of the
telephone company, and any real estate,
machinery, appliances or fixtures not spe-
officially used in the general business of the
company should be assessed locally.
The discussion of Mr.. Buskirk's paper
was led by j. r. Pope, assessor of Law
renee county. Intangible Property" was
the subject Of a paper presented by Mer-
rill Moores, assistant attorney general. His
paper comprehended the following topics:
Personal property outside the State, in
copyrights and trademarks, seats in
exchanges, debts and demands, good will
and franchises.
In the afternoon the session was devoted
entirely to the reports of the committees.
The committee on resolutions reported in
favor of the continuance of the annual
meetings, and also hat the district meet
ings held in the congressional districts
last year, be continued. The report of the
committee also Endorsed the appointment
of a legislative committee to confer with
the State Board of Tax Commissioners
and further recommended that all changes
In the TAX law De referred TO tnat COM
mittee. The committe to instruct the as
SCISSORS approved the instructions Of last
year. .ar4
Before adjournment Governor Mount an
nounced the appointment of the following
legislative committee: Assessors Kochner,
of Allen: STAFFORD. of Elkhart; Walsh, OF
Allen; Nabes, of Tippecanoe; Duncan, OF
Decatur; DERRICK, of Vanderburg; Morgan,
Of Monroe; Compton, Of wayne Holman
Mount, John c. Wingate, tax commissioner,
preside over the meeting during the great
er part of the day. After a vote of thanks
to the State Board of Tax Commissioner
the convention adjourned.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.
j. Spalding, of the committee on banks
anu trust companies, recommended that
the capital stock, surplus and undivided
profits be added and the real estate be de-
Quoted at it's appraised value. The assess
| ments on bank stocks should be placed on
banks, and not on individuals, the report
said.
The committee on bonafde Indebtedness
notes and mortgages recommended that nc
| person assessed be permitted to deduct
| from his personal property the value Of
| any note or account who will not give Il
the assessor the time when given and OF
maturity of the note or account. In max
1 ING OF OSltEllliiHS the value VI uOlSS ait
| accounts the nature OF the security anC
| the probability of payment when due
| should be taken into consideration.
| The committee on oil wells, gas wells anC
pipe lines recommends the following SEIZED
ule: Gas wells, abandoned, 500; with pres
sure TO 40 pounds. $500: pressure from 40 Il
IS pounds. $3.50; from 70 to 100 pounds. $500
pressure over 100 pounds, 500. OIL well:
| shall be assessed On the basis of $40 a bar
rel on it's daily capacity. This will brinf
| the assessment on some wells as high a.
| $1,000.
The committee on building and loan as
sociations reported that the late law, a:
construed by the Supreme Court, which
holds that no property is TO be listed fol
taxation to the association as such. and al
| stock OF the association is TO be listed t
| the owner of said stock at its true caSl
| value, was Just and ample. The committe
recommended that the law be strictly fol
lowed.
The committee on cold storage and ic,
plants, icehouses and ice recommended tina
fifty cubic feet of ice be considered a ton
and that it be assessed at 80 cents a ton
| Other property to be uniformly assessed.
The committee on stone Quarries an,
coal mines recommended that leased mine
be assessed as a leasehold, and that al
mined coal and cut nj quarried stone b
assessed at the local market price.
The committee on city w~aterworks, ga
companies and street-railway companie
reported that the value OF the stock of tn
companies should be considered by the as
SCISSORS and boards of review, and that a.
inventory of all tangible property. real es
tate and franchises should be made. TIL
value Of the property on a revenue basis
with a capitalization of their net revenue
on a 6 per cent. basis. should be ascer
tanned.