The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-15

COMPANIES TELL TROUBLES TO
STATE TAX BOARD.
In Some Places Farmers Combine
Against Plants Operated by
City Men.

The State Board of Tax Commissioners
Is kept unusually busy. listening every day
to a dozen protests against assessments
made by il at the first session. For to-day
Secretary Frank Martin announces the fol-
lowing appeals: Appeal of the MOnon Rail-
road. to be presented by VIM. II. McDoel,
president. and +. c. Field. general counsel,
of Chicago, and A. J. 0'Reilly, of this city,
local freight agent: indianapolis. Green
wood a. Franklin (nterurban) Railroad
Company. by Secretary VIM c.. Irwin; the
North Vernon and Vernon Telephone Com
pany, by Secretary s. l.. Wright: kerlin
Brothers Pipe Line Company. represented
by the owners: Home Telephone Company
of oomfe by Joseph Moss. president;
the New York, Chicago 81 St. Louis Mick
el-plate) Railway. by +. 3. Carpenter, as
sistant general counsel; the Noble County
Telephone Company. by l.. w. Walker, sec
rotary; Produce Shippers Dispatch Com
pany: Chicago & Southeastern Railway;
American Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany Che BelD represented by Charles D..
NJ. Cole.
BY making the hearings very short the
board managed to get through with a great
many appeals yesterday and hold an execu-
- NRRhRh ~ 0E
Telegraph Company. represented by Attor-
ney Samuel O. Pickens of this city. de-
| clared that 139 miles of its line had been
assessed twice through an error. Mr.. Pick
ems explained that the board had assessed
this 19 miles separately when IL was in
cluded in the company's return OF its total
mileage.
The Home Telephone Company of Rich
mond, represented by Attorney A. c. Linde-
mouth, and it's president, Perry j. Free
man, contended that by comparison with
telephone properties in Anderson and Elk
hart it's plant had been assessed too high.
r. Il. Niven appeared in behalf of the
Thorntown Telephone Company. which was
assessed last year at $1,000 and this year
at $3.50. Mr.. Niven. a Thorntown banker.
is president of the telephone company and
said that the increased assessment was a
grieVous error. He asserted that his com
pany's income has been less this year than
last, while its expenses have increased.
He said the company is handicapped by a
cooperative telephone company formed BY
a number Of farmers in the county and that
the latter company fights the Thorntown
company tooth and %toenail' because the
city company Is owned by business men.
Charles NJ. Zion. representing the Leb-
anon Telephone Company, drew a picture
of distress that was almost identical with
that painted by MIR. NiVen, including the
competition with a farmers cooperative
| telephone company.
The Otterbein and Monon telephone COM
panies failed 10 have representatives pres
80 fHO
tests.
S. p. Sheerin. speaking for the New Tele-
phone Company and the New Long Dis
lance Telephone Company. urged that the
assessment of his companies ought not 70
be more than $4,000. I'm view of the bitter
competition they have and OF the expen-
sive improvements which they must fire.
quently install.
A. G. Lupton. a Hartford City banker,
and member of Governor Durbin's military
| staff, represented the Indiana Telephone
Company of Hartford City and its lately
acquired property. the Marion Telephone
Company. Mr.. Lupton said the Marion plant
Is in poor physical condition and will have
TO be practically replaced by "A new one at
| considerable expense. He said the net earn
ings OF the companies were comparatively
Insignificant.
c. e. Mills. speaking for the Jasper Coun-
~ Telephone Company. said that the COM
pany had made several errors I'm filing out
It's tax return and that perhaps the state
board had made no its assessment in part
at least on these erroneous statements.
He said II these mistakes were corrected
the company's net income would be ma
terially reduced, and asked that the board
cut down the assessment accordingly.
The Prairie Telephone Company, OF
Brookston, was represented by its secre-
tary. j. l.. Boardman. who said hat this
property was acquired from the Jasper
County Long-distance Telephone Company
and that IL ought not 10 be assessed any
higher than 1t was last year. The assess
ment fxet. by the state board liz $500, but
Mr.. Boardman said the figure ought TO be
not more than $500.
Joseph Allerdice spoke for the Indian
apolis Abattoir Company I'm the matter of
the assessment of its freight cars under
the law passed by the last Legislature.
He said that the cars had all been re-
turned TO the Marion county board and
assessed at $500 per car or $500 altogether
and that they ought not. therefore. be as
sessed again.