The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-04-12
Chandler Measure Reported Out
in the House.
TAKES EFFECT JAN. /, 1901
Tax Commission to Be the Assessing
Board-Measure to be Made a Spe-
cial Order in the House To-day-Re.
peal of Special Charters Will Then
Become Effective.


Chambers ad valorem railroad tax
bill, amended so that the state tax
commission alone shall constitute the
assessing board, was reported out for
printing yesterday afternoon by the
committee on railroads, and the house
made it special order for to-day.
The bill is amended so that it will
not go into effect until Jan. /, 1902,
when the repeal of the special railroad
charters-the Michigan Central, the
Lake Shore. etc.-will have become eff
fective. If it were given effect at an
earlier date some of the roads for a
year would be paying specific taxes
while others would be paying ad valo-
rem taxes.
The bill provides for the assessing
of the property of railroad, telegraph,
telephone, express, sleeping-car and
fast freight line companies on the ad
valorem system.
Tuesday forenoon an important con-
ference was held in the attorney-gen-
erals office. Besides Atty.-Gen. Oren,
there were present Speaker Carton,
Rep. Chandler, Rep Dingley and Tax
Commissioner Freeman. 1t was the
consensus OF opinion that there should
be but one assessing board-the state
tax commission-and that there
should not be provision in the bill
for one-half of the members to assess
railroad property, and for the other
half to review the formers work; also
that the language of the amended
state constitution, as to assessing rail
roads, etc, should be incorporated in
the bill. Section IL OF article II of the
state constitution provides: THAT the
legislature shall provide an uniform
rule Of taxation for such property as
shall be assessed by a state board of
assessors, and the rate of taxation on
such property shall be the rate which
the state board of assessors shall as
certain and determine is the average
rate levied upon other property upon
which ad valorem taxes are assessed
for state, county, township school and
municipal purposes"
Speaker carton and the others con-
tended that if the corporations inter
ested do not like the assessment made
by the state board Of assessors they
can appeal TO the courts for relief
The present Chandler bill follows
the language Of the constitution rela.
tive to the average rate.
At a meeting Of the house commit
tee on railroads, held directly after the
conference in the attorney general S
office, Reps. Nevins, Gordon and Nc
Kay spoke in opposition to the plan to
have the state tax commission given
charge of tie work of assessing rail
road and other corporations property
under the proposed ad valorem sys
tenn. They wanted a separate board
the members 10 be appointed by the
governor. as provided for in Senator
Atwood's bill They contended that
there would be too much centraliza
ton of power in one board Of three
members, should the state tax commits
sion. in addition to having the super
vision of the work of assessing general
property in this state, be empowered
to assess railroad and other corporate
property.
But majority of the committee ia
vored the proposition to have the state
tax commission have exclusive charge
Of the work of assessing railroad prop
erty. The bill was amended so as tc
keep the lieutenant-governor the at
torney-general and the state treasurer
off the proposed state board of asses
sorS.
The motion carried Monday to brine
out the Palmer tax bill in the senate
yesterday was reconsidered and il
still remains with the committee.
Senator J. w Helme. the only demo
crat in the upper house of the legisla
ture. became exasperated yesterday
afternoon at attempts of outside re
publican senators to run his commit
tee on Traverse City asylum, and
formally resigned not only as chair
man Of that committee, but his mem
bership in all other committees.
President Robinson reluctantly &C
copied the minority senator's resigna
| ton. and said he would appoint nc
more committeeman.
The house spent three hours Tues
day afternoon in committee of the
whole on the Lowry-Ward mortgage
tax bill, which aims to prevent double
taxation of mortgages.
Rep. Kirk contended the bill would
| exempt mortgages from taxation. and
asked: "Why not exempt every in
debtedness and come to the Henry
George plan and have all the taxes
raised on real estate?"
Rep. Dincley said that while the bill
was not entirely satisfactory to him
he regarded it as a step in the right
direction.
Last evening the house. in commit
tee Of the whole, by a vote Of about 81
to ! 3. readily agreed to the bill. includ
ing the amendment relative to banks
thus indicating that it will be passed
on third reading to-day.
Cut the Price of Salt.
r11,