The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-27
MORETAxON TALK
Switchboard of Assessors to Raise
Telephone Valuation.
No Changes to Be Made In
Railroads.
KANSAS CITY PROTEST.
Board Hears Complaints From
Delegation of Citizens.
KANSAS CITY PROTEST.
Object to Lowering Valuation of
Big Corporation Holdings.

The state board OF railroad assessors |
will make no material changes in the |
assessed valuation of railroad property
this year, but there will be substantial
increases in the valuation of the Mis-
souri, and Kansas Telephone; also IN the
property of the Independent Telephone
companies, of which there are now three
times as many as there were last year.
The present administration will not
follow the example of one of it's Populist
predecessors which assessed hand cars
at $500 and made the Union Pacific pay
the bill on that basis The board fixed
the valuation of hand cars at $40 but
bungling clerk added a cipher in trans
| cribing the record.
The board of assessors for the present
| administration has been hearing repre-
| SentatiVes of the railroads for several
| days and meets today to discuss Valua-
| tons.
| Thursday a delegation representing
/ the Mercantile club of Kansas City,
I Kan, appeared before the board and
/ presented the side of the controversy
| which Wyandotte county has been
| maintaining with the board since last
! year, due to the fact that the board OF
| equalization in Wyandotte county re-
t duced the valuation of the property Of
| the corporations in the county, the
/ Armours. and other big enterprises, so
that the state board of equalization COM
/ posed of the present state officers in
| creased the assessment Of the county
| so per cent.
This action created a storm of disap-
/ prevail in Wyandotte county and not
/ without cause because even then the
| large corporations escaped a large
| amount of taxation. However, the small
/ property owner was made to pay more
/ than an equitable share because an in
| crease of so per cent in the valuations
of his holdings made a large increase IN
the sum of money which he was COM
PEELED to pay into the treasury as taxes
[ When the contention Of the Mercantile
club was presented to the assessors by
| c.. w. McAlany, II was explained TO MN
! that the state board had been compelled
to act against the ridiculous showing
made by the county after the local COM
rnissioners had decreased the total val
uation, especially those values which
! concerned corporations
| When the state board made this show
ing the delegation expressed the unan-
imous opinion that the fault was at
] home rather than in the state house and
they have returned to Kansas City de-
ternined to require their local officials
to administer those affairs which per-
tain to taxation with a more reasonable
degree of justice to the poor man. To
bring this about the Mercantile club viii
work for a more equitable valuation and
| assessment of the corporation property.
AS usual the railroad men who have
appeared before the board Of assessors
| have figures to prove that the properly
| of one line is assessed at a higher rate
| than is the property Of the company
which they. represent
The Kansas City, Fort Scott &
Memphis line makes a total of the prop
erty owned by the company and then
ascertainS what valuation that creates
/ per mile of road This computation
! | completed the company multiplieS the
| number of miles in Kansas by that
sum. showing valuation per mile, and
/ thereby gives the state the advantage
, of the valuation of the entire system
The main line of the Union Pacific is
in Nebraska This company makes the
basis of valuation of rolling stock from
: that line and assigns to the Kansas line
whatever sum the earning capacity or
proportion of annual business IS shown
by the Kansas line ThlS method IS
vastly different from the methods en-
} pIoyed by the Memphis to arrive at the
same conclusion, so the two lines con-
tend that the basis OF assessment Is
not equitable.
Kansas City. kan, wants an increase
l of the assessment on side tracks IN
; Wvandotte county where there are hun
: dreds of miles of the track and where
: there are terminal facilities not enjoyed
j by the remainder of the counties in the
state
The assessors believe that the whole
t system is entitled TO the benefit of the
: terminal and switching facilities main
tanned in Kansas City, Kan, and the
valuation is so distributed that it ap-
1 plies in that way.
: Wyandote county wants the COM
g panies to pay a special tax for this
r privilege but the assessors can not see
: / II that way. Inc property IN hdASds
City is not valuable, so they claim,
/ except as it is connected with the lines
from other parts Of the state. By this
: theory the assessors believe that their
. method is more equitable than it would
9 be were the special levies made against
e the terminal and switching facilities.
1t is practically assured now that
: there will be no material changes in the
a | valuation of the railroad property of the
4 / state this year The total valuation this
[ / year will be practically the same as il
: was last year and the railroads will pay
d practically the same amount of taxes
E which they paid last year.