The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-07-31
DON'T WANT AN INCREASE.
Railroads Claim They are Paying
More Than Their Share

their tax commissioners and atto:-
neys, today told the state board If
equalization that it would not be right
20 increase the yaluati)l of the rails
and rolling stock of the rc.l'ls above
the figures fixed by the state hoard
last year as they believed the rail
roads are today paying more than
their share of the taxes. All of the
railroads have representatives here
and the conference or session will
take up two days. Some petitions
have been presented to the board by
citizens asking that the board ignore
the appeals of the railroads and raise
the valuations of the roads. More in
terest seems to center about the pres
ent session of the state board than for
several years and the annual pow WOW
with the railroad men promises to be
alive with interest, says the Herald.
The state board of equalization met
at 10 o'clock this morning in the gov
errors private Office. Governor
Toole, the chairman of the board,
presided. All of the other members
of the board were present: State
Treasurer A. H. Barrett, vice chair
man; Secretary of State G. M. Hays,
secretary; Attorney General Donovan,
Auditor Calderhead and J. J. Ryan,
clerk to the board. The board invited
the railroad representatives to appear
and the following gentlemen filed in
and took seats: G.B.Fernald, tax COM
missioner of the Northern Pacific;
Charles Swartz, tax agent of the same
road; r. A. Wilkinson, tax commits
sioner of the Great Northern; l.
Parker Veazey, Montana counsel for
the Great Northern; J. B. Evans, of
Salt Lake, attorney for the Oregon
Short Line; T. E. Brady, attorney
for the Great Falls & Canada; w. M.
Touhy, of the Butte, Anaconda &
Pacific. Others present were County
Assessor Larson, of Teton county;
County Assessor Charles Martien, of
Lewis and Clarke; Walter H. Little
of Broadwater county, and several
other citizens. r. M. Pollard, of
Omaha, attorney for the Burlington,
arrived shortly before noon.
Assessor Charles Martien has some
petitions from citizens living in Hell
ena. Marysville and East Helena
asking that the assessment of the rail-
roads be increased. These will be pre-
sented to the board later in the day.
Similar petitions have been received
from Broadwater county.
Chairman Toole announced that the
board was ready to hear from the rail-
road men. G. B. Fernald, the North.
ern Pacific tax commissioner, was the
first to speak. He briefly addressed
the board referring frequently to some
statistics he had gathered from the
reports of the assessors of the state
and pointing out wherein the rail-
roads, in his opinion, were paying
more of the taxes of the state today
than other property. Mr.. Fernald
contended that in ten years the valu-
alton of railroads in Montana had been
increased 105 per cent and that all
other classes of property for the de-
cade, including last year had increas-
ed 43 per cent.
He also made comparison be-
tween the valuations of Montana
property last year and this year.. He
said that property other than rail-
road had increased 81 per cent; real
estate 81 per cent; improvements on
railroad property, section houses, de-
pots, round houses, ETC., 14.5 per cent
he read figures to the effect that the
| valuation of the improvements on
lands this year was rs per cent less
than last year and that the valuations
of live stock per head had decreased
"A per cent. The valuation of cattle
had decreased 90 per cent, and sheep
81 per cent. The merchandise in the
stores of the entire state was assess
ed this year at $7.O43.O00. Mr.. Fer
maid contended that the goods in the
stores of five cities. Helena, Great
Falls, Anaconda, Billings and Nilsson.
la would amount to that valuation,
while the goods in Butte stores should
easily be valued at from fifteen to
twenty million dollars. He said the
valuation in the state of solvent
credits, bank stock and money on de-
posit in banks amounted to $4,181 900
After these figures Mr.. Fernald
said that in view of the low assess
ments upon other classes of property
he thought it would be hardly justice
to the railroads to raise their assess
ment over last year.
r. A. Wilkinson followed Mr.. Fer
nald.. Speaking for the Great Nor
thern properties Mr.. Wilkinson spoke
along the lines of Mr.. Fernald's re-
marks. He referred to the duty al