The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-13
RAISED ITS VALUE
Arbitration BOARD FOUND IN FA.
v0R OF THE STATE.
PLANTS RETURNS TOO LOW
BOARD ADDED s2s6,5s5 TO THE AG-
GREGATE VALUES.

Savannah Profats Greatly by the
Award of the ArbitratOrs-P1ant
system Property I'm Savannah Was
Returned at Only &67 ,657-Arbitra-
tors Advanced IL 10 &42O,OOO-Thts
Means a Yearly Increase of 3d.
1OS.97 in the City's Revenues
How the Value Was Advanced on
other Property-PrOperty I'm cues
ton Did Not, by Any Means, In
cIude All owned by the Company
The board of arbitration that looked
INTO the matter of the value OF certain
parts of the Plant Systems property
made an award yesterday afternoon,
after having spent nearly week upon
the problems that confronted it. The
award was a very favorable one for
the state, as Controller General w. A..
Wright was sustained and the value
of the property that had been returned
at a low figure by the Savannah, Flor
ida and Western was materially adj
vanced.
The arbitrators advanced the valua-
ton $2S6,535 The aggregate value OF
the equipment, bridges, side tracks,
Savannah real estate and improve
ments and branch lines submitted to
the board of arbitration was returned
by the Savannah, Florida and Western
to the state at s1.67e,s25 1t was to the
value of this property as named by
the company that the controller gener-
al objected, and arbitration was de-
manded by the company when the con-
troller general refused to accept the
valuation. The board advanced the to-
tai valuation of the property to ST.
966. 800, which made the increase $685.
535.
Savannah has won a big victory over
the railway in the award of the board.
The Savannah real estate and improve
ments thereon, which includes the
eighty acres of terminal property and
the wharf property within the limits,
was returned at $67,657. The board saw
that this was not nearly commensurate
with its value. and the property was
assessed at $4,000. The advance was
largely due to the efforts of j. H. H.
Osborne. chairman of the Board of Tax
Assessors of Savannah, who inaugu-
rated the fight for the advance in the
valuation of the Savannah property of
the company.
The equipment of the property from
Dupont to cambridge was returned for
taxation at $751;, 1896. 1t was valued by
the board at 1854, 1908.
The equipment on the line between
Savannah and Waycross was returned
at $144,1sO. The board valued 1t at
$150,917.
The bridges from Savannah to Balm
bridge were returned at $42, $50 The
arbitrators valued them at $4,000.
The sidetracks between Savannah
and cambridge (9417 miles) were re-
turned at $1,000 per mile, or $1Ss, 740.
The arbitrator assessed them at 5000
per mile, or 1926, 425.
The branch line from Climax to the
Florida line was returned at 1925. 562.
The arbitrator valued it at $685.
The branch line from Townsville to
the Florida line was returned at $97,-
$50. The arbitrator assessed it at
$73,26o.
The branch line from Townsville to
Albany was returned at $497 $50. The
arbitrators said ii was worth $46S, 900.
The. branch line from Dupont to the
Florida line was returned at $257. ZOO,
which the arbitrators reduced to $231,-
$50.
1t will thus be seen that the only re-
auctions We're made upon the branch
lines. The reductions there, however,
were not nearly enough to offset the
advances that were made by the board
elsewhere.
Last year the arbitration was not so
successful, from the point of view of
the state. Col. Pope Brown then rep
resented the state. and Judge Roger
Gamble was umpire between him and
Hon. Pope Barrow, representing the
about 100000 less than the Plant Sys-
TEN had returned. The arbitrator for
the state this time was Col. T. C..
Crenshaw, chairman of the Eailrcai
Commission, who has yet to fail In
an arbitration case to advance the re-
turns. Hon. Pope Barrow again rei'-
resented the Plant System, and Judge
E. H. Galloway of Augusta was UNI
pire. He and Col. Crenshaw retuI ned
home last night.
The increase in the valuation of The
property within the corporate limits
of Savannah means that there will be
considerable addition to the city s
revenues. The city, under the law, has
to accept the states valuation OF the
railroad property within It's limits. For
several years there have been objec-
tlOnS raised by the city O1nclliS 10 Inc
low returns made by the Plant Sys-
TEN, but there seemed to be no wav in
which they could be advanced. Mir Z.
Osborne brought the matter 20 the at
tention of the Mayor very strongly
some nine months ago in his annual
report, and later made trips to Atlanta
TO lay the situation before the con-
troller general, whom he Impressed
with the showing that he made of the
value of the company's property within
the limits of Savannah.
The city tax rate is $145 a hundred.
AS the property was returned at $751;
657 and the board advanced it to $780,
900 in its award, the net advance was
S352,343, which, at the rate of $1.45,
means an increase of $5,10S.97 in the
city's revenues.
An all-day session was held by the
arbitrator yesterday. as they had re-
turned the night before from a trip
over the line. They went as far as
Chattahoochee Junction, to Pelham on
the Albany branch, to Metcalf on the
Monticello branch, and to Alexandria
on the Gainesville branch.
Arguments before the board were
made by Hon. F. G. duBignon and w.
L. Clay, Esq. for the Plant System,
while City Attorney S. B. Adams ably
advocated the city's cause.
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