The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-22
THE TAX VALUE
Of RAIL ROADS
Increase This Year viii Likely
be Small
taI.su nr TWIN kirNT tAiTFH
WILL Be FIXED NEXT WEEK
a Very Prosperous Year For the
Railroads.
HEARING IN TAX CASES AT WILMINGTON
Il is Understood That The Railroads viii Ask
For Extension Of Time. There May be
a Postponement Until After
the August Election.

The Corporation Commission will
next week take up the task Of fixing
the value of railroad property in
North Carolina for taxation.
For this purpose the Commission
will meet here next Wednesday and
will be in session several days. The
first day will be devoted to the re@u-
lar docket. Then the question of
taxation will be taken up, and two
or three days VII be required to dis
pose of ii.
After the tax value is fixed day
will be set by the Commission for
hearing from tle railroads any objec-
ton they may have TO the valuation
fixed. This day will be somewhere
between July 1ST and 10th.
All the returns from the railroads
are now in and are being compiled by
Clerk Brown so as to be in proper
shape for examination by the Commits
sionerS when hey meet next week.
IT will be remembered that the
Legislature at It's recent special SEES
sion so amended the Corporation Com
mission act as to make clear and be-
yond all question the power of the
Commission to tax railroad and other
property, as was originally intended.
The act as now amended reads:
"rhe said Commissioners shall de-
termine the value of each railroad,
rolling stock and all other property,
and the aggregate value thus deter
mined shall be apportioned, etc.
In view of the fact that the Com
mission only last year increased the
taxable value of railroad property in
the State some $10.000.G000, and the
question of the reasonableness of this
valuation is still pending in the courts,
it is pretty certain that very little
change will this wear be made by the
Commission in the value of railroad
and other property to be assessed by
il.
ii is a fact that the returns and
as for that matter. all the reports
made to the Commission since last
June-shoW that the past year has
been one Of phenomenal prosperity
for North Carolina railroads. But
this could hardly be used as fair
basis for taxation, as the next year
may be just the reverse.
OF course there will very naturally
be found by the returns. and other
methods prescribed for arriving at tax
values. some discrepancies and inc
qualities in present valuation, some
roads assessed for too much, possibly,
and others for too little. These inc
qualities will be corrected.
A question that will come before
the Commission for settlement at this
time. never before presented, is as to
how the tax on consolidated systems
of road shall be distributed among
the counties through which they run.
Some of the counties traversed by
branch lines. for instance. INSIST that
the railroad system should be taken
as n whole. it's valuation averaged
and applied to every mile alike. The
counties on the main line. however,
insist that this is unfair and would
deprive them of much of the tax they
are now receiving. for the benefit OF
counties having branch lines, many
of them Improbable.
This question has been presented
by counties through which the Attain
tic Coast Line (recently consolidated)
runs, and must be decided by the
Commission.
The taking of testimony in the rail-
road tax cases will be resumed tomor-
row in Wilmington, before Standing
Master James +. Shepherd. Some
two months ago the further taking OF
testimony was postponed, at the re-
quest of the railroads Now, it is I'M
derstood that the railroads will ask
for an extension of time on the ground
that this postponement was in the
hope that q compromise might be
reached. AS that failed. they think
they ought not to have the time
counted against them.
To this extension of time, if asked
the attorneys of the Corporation Com
mission will object, setting forth that
no offer of compromise had bsen held
out from their side. And they vii
probably request, if Judge Simontor
decides to grant the time asked. thai
all further taking of testimony bt