The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-13
TAX BOARDS DECISIONS
ASSESSMENT OF PROPERTIES IN
VARIOUS PARTS OF THE STATE.
Many Appeals Acted On-IndianapoIis
News Must Pay Taxes on
800 o


enters to-day upon it's third and last ses-
sion, which will continue ten days. During
that period the board will hear protests of
corporations against their assessments as
fixed at the first session. Frank Martin,
secretary of the board, said yesterday that
there is an unusually large number of APP
peals to be heard at the final session, owing
chiefly to the fact that the new laws passed
by the last Legislature give the board orig
inal jurisdiction in the matter of assessing
a number of kinds of corporate property
heretofore assessed by county boards.
Among these are street-railroad, inter
urban, pipe line and transportation COM
panies. Up to last night seventy-two no
tees OF appeal had been flied, being the
largest number I'm the history of the board.
In order 10 hear all of these appeals in
the ten days that remain more than the
usual number Will be docketed each day.
For example, the following will be heard
to-day: Indianapolis Street-railway Com
pany, represented by Charles N. Thompson
and Ferdinand Winter; the Broad Ripple
Traction Company. by Mr.. Winter; the In
diana Railway Company, by ]. Mem. Smith,
of South Bend, and Joseph B.. Healing, of
this city; the indianapolis Gas Company,
~ A"As = MIA
minating Gas Company, represented by
Samuel 7. Murdoch, of Lafayette. secre-
tary: Home Telephone and Telegraph COM
| pany of Fort Wayne. by it's secretary, VIM.
F. Moellering; the Cumberland Telephone
and Telegraph Company, by its treasurer,
F.. d. Webb. of Nashville. Tenn; Monon
Telephone Company, by its president. Jas.
T. Graves: the Mutual Telephone Company
Of Shelbyville, by its secretary, ). Is. Ham
ilton; the c., |. q St l.; Railway COMPANY;
by E. c. Field, Of Chicago, ITS genera general :
| Gas Company of indianapolis. represented
by VIM. A. ketcham.
The board gave out yesterday Its decl-
sions in a large number of corporate APP
peals heard at the first session OF ten days.
OF these, one of the most important was
the decision in the matter OF the assess
ment of the Union Traction Company tne
Anderson interurban) on its property In the
various counties through which its line
passes. The State Board decided to follow
the attorney generals opinion and assess
interurbans just as 1t does steam railroads.
Under this system Of assessment, the Union
Company's power house is assessed Dy the
State Board, and the contents, such as ma
chinery, utensils, etc., by the county poaro.
The Marion County Board dld not assess
the Union Company and the state BOARD
fixed the amount of it's asSeSSable property
in this county at $500. In Madison county
the board assessed the companyS property
at $143, Gle. deducting the value of the pow
| er house from the total assessment OF SSO4,-
| 600, made by the county board. The assess
ments in other counties are: Delaware, *5o,,
AIS; Grant, s45, 4S3, and Hancock, SScJ. In all
counties, except Marion, the values nxed
are the same as those contained In the re-
turns made by the Union Company. The
State Board accepted these returns.
| CRAWFORDSVILLE MASONS
The State Board upheld Chapter No. 10.
Royal Arch Masons, of Charlottesville, in
it's contention that the Montgomery County
Board of Review had no right to assess
money loaned out by it. because 1t is a
benevolent order. The assessment of the
Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany was fixed at 1850.
In deciding to allow the assessment of
the Standard Oil Company at Evansville TO
remain at $4,000 the State Board denied the
company's contention that bills receivable.
| payable at it's home office in Ohio are not
| assessable in this State. The same decision
was reached as to the same company
property in Marion county, the State BOARD
q hrming the assessment of SI1.6l5, liked by
tie Marion County Board.
The board sustained the appeal of the
New Telephone Company from the action or
the Marion county board In assessing 1t
500. 600 in addition to the assessment mace
bv the state board. The distinctly LOCAL
property of the company, such as Office
furniture and fixtures, was assessed at
81 ZOO and the franchise and capital stock
of the company were held to have been
included i'm the assessment made by the
state board at its first session:
Michael Grimmers appear from me as
property at Whiting, made by the Lake
Conntv Board of Review, was not sus-
tanned for lack of evidence to prove that
the company should have been given an
additional assessment on account OF new
buildings and that the assessment OF its
personal property was too low.
The Light, Heat and Power Company. OF
bloomington, which was represented before
the State Board by Henry Clay Duncan,
had it's appeal sustained and its assess
ment reduced by the state board from
$17,SOO to $1,000.
INDIANAPOLIS NEWS LOSES.
The contention made by the BAN OF
Corydon that deductions should be made
from its assessment on account of depre-
ciated notes was sustained ard a reduc-
ton made from sl16,5 SOP to 1913, 6s2.
The boards decision in the appeal of the
Indiana Bermudez Asphalt Company was
tlnged with humor. The company asked
that the assessment of s22,5 55 made by the
Marion County Board of Review be re-
duced. but in the hearing of the appeal it
developed that the company had omitted
to return 81. 400 of it's property, and the
state board not only sustained the Marion
county board, but increased the assessment
Of that tribunal by s1,400, making the to-
tai SO, 955.
The board sustained Frank McCray's
appeal and fixed the assessment of the
Indianapolis News at last years figures.
S4O0. 900.
Tn assessment of the Bank of Upton
was left at $22,5 45, the figure fixed by the
Upton county board.
The board fixed the assessment of $50
hand telephones and receivers owned by
Richmond at $3.50 per set. instead of SIS,
as decided by the Wayne County Board OF
Review.
rhe NoblasviIle Milling Company. by
sessment from S25, 600 to $4,000. The Pitts
J burg Plate Glass Company. of Elwood, Sc
cured a reduction from 500. 900 to $4,000.
A large number of appeals were dis
missed by the plaintiffs, and others by the