Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-12-31
NEWS OF WISCONSIN.
q WEEKS RECORD OF STATE
HAPPENINGS.
Total Value of Taxable Property in
STATE Set al 81 ,OS4 ,6S7, 5SI-Govern-
ment to Pay State Large Sum of In
terest Money-Boy Instantly Killed.

According TO the returns of local assess
ors the value of all taxable property III
Wisconsin this year IS Sl.OS4, 6Si,oSl.
This is 1851. 596.419 less than the equal
lied value fixed by the State tax COM
mission recently sitting as the State
Board of Assessment These figures are
based ON returns received by the Secre-
tary of State from the various counties,
all of which have reported except Oneida,
and the figures used in that case are
those recently fixed by the State Board
of Assessment 0mitting Oneida County,
the returns this year aggregate Sl,UiS,-
799. 231. as against 81, 436,2S4, 600 recent
ly fixed BY the Board of Assessment for
the entire State The board assessed
Oneida County S5.SSS,350, and its re-
turns are not expected to differ much
from those figures. Last year the re-
turns of local assessors fixed the total
value of all taxable property in the State
at S746.O22, 932, which is about $33S,
6f4. $40 less than it will be this year, the
increase being about 80 per cent. The
State Board of Assessment last year
fixed the value of all property at $3.50,
100000. Judge \. S. Gibson, State tax
commissioner, said that the returns OF
the local assessors would considerably
decrease the rate of taxation of sleeping
car, express, freight and similar COM
panies whose property is taxed at the
average rate of taxation of all property
in the State. Revenues from these
sources will probably decrease between
40 and so per cent. As railroad COM
panies proper are taxed on their earnings
per mile of road, they are not affected
by the increased valuations. The State
Board of Assessment reviews the re-
turns of local assessors, and this year it
may, if it deems proper, increase these
assessments for State and school pur-
poses. The greatest beneficiaries of
these increased assessments will be COM
mon schools and local governments.
Big Sum for State.
Coz. La Toilette has received a report
from II. c.. Comstock. special agent for
the adjustment of claims held by the
State against the United States, who
has been investigating Wisconsin claims
for money for war purposes between the
years 1861 and 1863 The report says
that almost 100000 may be added to
the State funds from this source within
a reasonable time. In his report Mr..
Comstock says that the State has valid
subsisting collectable claim against the
United States for cost, charges and eX-
penses properly incurred in enrolling,
subsisting, clothing, supplying, arming,
equipping, paying and transporting IT'S
troops founded on the act of July -,
1861, amounting in round numbers 70
about 100000. The United States gov
eminent admits that Wisconsin expended
81, 165, 470.1S, all of which money had
been borrowed by the State ON bonds
bearing per cent interest. The account
ing officers of the Treasury Department
uniformly held that no State or individ-
ual was entitled to receive interest VI \
its claims against the United States, am
understanding this, to include interest
paid by the State upon its loans for war
purposes, no claim for interest has ever
been filed by the State of Wisconsin.
Contrary to this ruling of the Treasury
Department, the Supreme Court of the
United States held that such interest
charges were not to be considered as in
terest, but as a part of the expense prop
erly incurred in the raising of troops;
whereupon many of the States having
claims similar to our own filed with the
Treasury Department claims for this IN
screst upon their loans made for war
purposes. Therefore the 100000 inter-
est money will be paid the State in a
short iIAe.