The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-30
FIGURES OUT AN INCREASE.
ARBTTRAToRS SAID TO HAVE Ex-
CEEDED AUTHORITY.

They Reasscssed Certain Lines and
Property OF shc Plant system
which Were Not In Dlspute-Con-
troIIcr General Claims There q,
an Increase Of stss.OOO over the
Original Retnrn-This. However, n
Less Than the state Claimed.
Atlanta. Ca, Sept. 2e.-According 10
Controller General w. A. Wright the
board Of arhitraiors recently appointed
90 settle certain differences between the
road and state in regard 10 the valuation
Of certain portions Of the Savannah. Flor
ida ana Western Railway. exceeded its
authority in that Il changed the values
OF some parts Of tho road about which
there was no dispute. Gen. Wright to-day
said:
The main line OF the Savannah. Flor
fda and western from Savannah 10 Balm
bridge and the Waycross branch from
Waycross 20 the state line. were returned
20 me AZ 1851 per mile. thought this
too low and assessed them at $1,000 a
mile. The arbtrators, IN making their
valuations, divided the line. placing a diff
ferent value on each Of these divisions.
From Savannah to waycross and from
Maycross 10 Dupont they valued u at sv'-
600 per mile From Dunpont 70 cambridge
and from Waycross 20 the state line they
valued the road at $500 a mile. The re-
turns OF side track. real estate and per
sonai property on the foregoing lines we're
satisfactory and were accepted. The
brunswick and Western division Of the
plant system was returned by the arhi-
traitors al s. go The side track was not
under dispute The Charleston and SaVan-
nah division Of the Plant system was as
ressed by me on It's main line al slV'-
oa II having been returned by the com
pany al 1900 The arhitrators valued II
a. s.. 500 the side track In this case was
also under dispute. The arhltrators nNed
tho value at s. 600 u had been returned
at 1900 and mad assessed II az H@O.
Properties Not In Dispute.
IAN other returns that Is those OF the
Gainesville branch. the Monticello branch.
the Albany branch, and the Junction
branch were accepted and have been on
ME IN my office since MAY 10. last. BY
some nfsapprehcnsiOn OF facts, the aroi-
rrptars appointed 20 settle the valuations
on certain other lines. also examined these
properties not in dispute, In some cases
Increas sing and ia other instances dccfeas-
ing the valuations that / had accepted.
OF course che return having been formally
presented 20 this Office and accepted. the
awards by the arbitrators are not binding
on the state.
There Is a difference between the val
uatlons as shown by the returns made
40 the state, aud the values fixed by the
arbitrators in the main track OF the main
line from Savannah TO Bainhridge the
main track OF the Waycross branch. the
main track OF the Brunswick and West
ern division. ana the main and side track
OF the Charleston and Savannah division.
BY reason Of che same misrepresentation,
notwithstanding there was no dispute. the
arbitrators reduced the valuation on the
side track OF the three nrst mentioned
lines 10 5000 a mile In che case Of the
Savannah. Florida and Western. this re-
duc.ion was from 1851. IN the case OF the
Waycross branch. from Tsa and tho
Brunswick ard Western from $500. None
OF these were w dispute. The returns
had been accepted and the matter was
closed.
"Thc aggregate increase over the re-
turns Of tho railroad leaving out the lines
that should not have been arbitrated
and were not under dispute. amounts 80
SisS.o00 IN round numbers These vaiua-
tionF are about $1,000 less than my as
Eessment. Had I accepted the awards
OF tho arhitrators In the cases where
there WAS no dispute as well as IN the
cases where they were called upon 20
settle the yalues. the state would receive
taxes on 100000. LEES than the sworn re-
turns OF che road showed was due"