The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-07-19
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1901.
RAILROAD ASSESSMENTS.

equalization, instead of being com
PEELED to submit to the valuations the
various assessors of the state might
place upon it, as are other owners OF
property, are the railroads operating
in Montana indebted for the compare.
lively light taxes they are required
to pay. The state board seems to be
made up of complacent and obliging
desire to soak such corporations
common to most men finds no lodg.
ment. On the contrary, they appear
to be animated by the most kindly
and generous motives in their dealings
with the railroad companies, as is
evidenced by the small valuations
they put IN their properties. Take
the case of the Northern Pacific, for
instance. While that company has
bonded it's road at the rate of $35, 900
per mile, the board very considerably
and benevolently assesses it at IS, 81
per mile, and that, too, when the
gross earnings of the company are
given out at $780, 900, 900 annually.
Why the board sees fit to place such
a ridiculously small valuation upon
the company's property only it's mem
bers seem to know. The Gazette does
not wish to be understood as being
one of that class who are constantly
inveighing against the railroads be-
cause it is a popular thing to do. It
has no such feelings in the matter.
1t realizes that the railroads have
helped develop the state and have
done much to contribute to it's pros
perity and growth, but it also realizes
that what they have done was through
purely selfish motives and simply as a
business proposition. They were
primarily built as an investment prom
Using large and possibly speedy re-
turns and since their completion have
been operated on the same principles
that other large business enterprises
are operated, although their attitude
toward the public cannot be said to be
marked with the same liberality that
distinguishes other large corporations
doing business in the state and de-
pending upon the public for their pat
ronage. Truth compels the statement
that they have been anything but lib
eral or kindly disposed and only too
often evince a desire to make the
best of the advantage they possess
in being without competitors in some
certain directions to gouge the peo-
pie. To this charge the Northern
Pacific and Great Northern, if thew
are truthful, must of necessity plead
guilty. Both at all times have main
tanned rates which often must strike
tnose compelled to pay them as being
exorbitant and discriminatory. Their
treatment OF the people Of this state
is no better now than it has been in
the past. 1t is true that they have
reduced passenger rates several times
and also have made reductions in the
excessive freight rates they were
wont to charge during the earlier
years of their operations, but those
reductions were not made because of
any wish on their part to ease the
burdens of the people of the state,
They were simply business strokes
that could be made because of changed
conditions and consequently increas.
ing traffic adding to the earnings with,
out a proportionately large increase
in the operating expenses. Rates are
still very high when comparison is
made of the local and the through
rates 1t costs the Montana shipper
almost as much, pound for pound. to
receive a consignment of freight from
the east as it does his cogener on
the coast, and a ticket from st. Paul
to q Montana point costs as much as
does one emitting the holder to trans
%portation to some point on the Puget
sound, although the distance is only
about one half. In many other ways
the companies are continually showing
that they regard the people of inter,
mediate points as SO many gudgeons
to whom but lite consideration need
be shown. It is because Of this spirit
OF unfairness which the companies
have ever mapifested toward the citi.