Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-01-12

sor HeImbright.
The revaluation of real estate in the
city district of the county, under the
d%ecennial law, as made by Assessor
Helmbright, has resulted in very gen.
eral complaint on the part of owners
| of realty in the business portion of the
town, and it was stated yesterday that
there was a movement on foot having
for it's object the calling Of a meeting
to protest against the increased valua-
ton made. Several owners of Market
street property are very warm on the
subject, complaining that not only is
the new valuation an arbitrary one, but
that the assessment here is, in its gen.
eral policy, Numerically opposite to
that prevalent in Charleston and other
towns in the State, where the plan is to
| keep the land valuation down to a point
as low as possible, and to get it lower
at every opportunity. Here, they say,
the constant tendency is to increase the
| appraisement, and the resulting State
taxes are carried off to the capital and
applied to general State purposes, the
| people of Wheeling reaping 10 benefit
whatever.
Another class of those objecting con-
tend, with great force, that there should
have been a general reduction on small
residence property, much of which is
| assessed at nearly its full value, and in
some instances the figures for taxation
| are fully as much as the property would
sell for. This property, however, Is
| generally owned by men of no infiu-
ence, and they are compelled to pay
taxes, year after year, upon a vaiua-
ton grossly and shamefully out of pro-
| portion to those imposed upon their
| richer fellow-citizens. The law says
taxation shall be equal and uniform,
| and this applies to the State at large.
1t is very far from that in
Ohio county, or in this county as
| compared with the State, how
ever. and in the case of exorbltant
taxes upon residences the burden in
the end falls upon tenants, as the own
ers take it out in increased rents. This
latter is true in the case of business
houses also-the renters pay the own
| ers, and the customers of the firm pay
the renters in a higher price for goods.
In other words, the poor and wage
| earning classes bear the burden in the
end.
Enquiry as to Assessor Helmbright's
| method of fixing a valuation upon bust
| ness realty ELECTED the information that
in the retail district he made a uni
form valuation of so much per front
foot on the land, with a certain per-
centage of increase for corner property,
and then added the value of improve
ments in the usual way. This valua-
ton. generally speaking, is very much
higher than the rate obtaining during
the past ten years, resulting in an in
| crease in Clay district of S1,19l, 400,
~"
! and a total increase in six city districts
of over 81, SOC, 900. The increase in the
entire county, as the Register has here
| tofore pointed out, will be about $1,000
600. In the opinion of competent
Judges. this is out of all reason, and
| will not be warranted in equity by COM
| parison with any other county in the
State.
After the reports of the assessors are
! passed upon the recourse OF taxpayers
will be before the Board of COMMITS
sioners sitting as a Board of Equaliza-
ton and Appeals, and the coming ses-
sions of that body will probably be very
lively.