Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-15
in the markets Of the world, than 1t was
in 1890.
Change Not Explained.

In the markets OF the world, IMAM IL was
In 1890.
Change Not Explained.
Now in 1890 we had 5,157 miles Of road
and today we have 5.7O4 miles. In 1901 we
had, II l remember right, something over
400 miles more OF railways to assess than
we had in 1900, and yet the difference in
the valuations on these railroads was over
three and one-half millions. that is to
say, the assessed valuations OF the rail-
roads In Nebraska in 1900 was three and
one-half millions lower than in 1890, With
four hundred and fifty odd miles OF railroad
less than we had last year. Conceding
that there has been a huctuation in the
valuations Of city property, and we know
there has been a general %shrinkage, there
has also been an upward tendency, and
the railroads have had the very best Of 1t.
II there has been an advance in lands, and
we grant Il, their lands have also ad-
vanced. They have on each side Of the
track a right-of-way which has doubled
and trebled in value, as we'll as the farm
ers' land, and today, II they were to try
and get that same right-of-way that they
now have they would have to pay two or
three times as much for It. Take the Union
Pacific, for instance. 1t has changed its
Ihllb lIOm MY " eighty POhhu iolio ~
has put millions OF dollars into its road
bed and improvements and It is one OF the
best roads in the world; it is equal today
to the Pennsylvania, the Lake Shore or the
Michigan Southern, and the Michigan Cen
trail is assessed in the state Of Michigan
at $50, 900 q mile. Now, l wouldn't say
that our roads should be assessed at any
thing like that, but l am only calling at
%tention to the contrast. Assuming that
those two roads that l have mentioned
have double tracks and ours only a
single track you will find In the state of
Indiana the second track has been ap-
praised at an average Of about $4,000 per
mile and the first tracks are valued at
anywhere from five thousand to nifty or
sixty thousand dollars per mile. AS l
stated, Indiana perhaps has the most per-
feet system Of railroad assessment l know
Of. They assess every station, handcar
house, coal house; even the outhouses
appear on their lists. l have 1t right here:
Take Wabash county, Indiana, station, $500;
handcar, $40; coal house, $40; closet, $40;
Logansport. station, 1920; baggage room,
s75; freight house, $1,000; two handcar
houses, $40; car repair house, S25; yard
Offices, s25, and so forth. In jeffersonville
they have the freight house assessed at
SO, OO0; passenger station $780,; they as
sess the water tank $500.
Earnings a Basis.
~ have dwelt upon the radical differ
ences between the valuation Of twelve
years ago and last year to indicate that
even II no value is to be placed upon the
intangible property, which l consider all
wrong because. as you will note, the con-
stitution makes the roads report their
earnings, l mean the statute does-and the
statutes would not require the earnings to
be reported unless the earnings are to be
considered as an index Of its Intangible
or earning capacity.
The tangible property Of the roads is
assessed way below what 1t should be,
assuming that 1t were assessed proportion
ately to all Of the property returned. I
insist that property that is not returned
cannot be considered as an element by
your board. There might be millions, and
there are undoubtedly many millions Of
mortgages, notes and securities
Of every description not reported, but no
assessor can take that into consideration
nor no Board Of Equalization; all they can
take into consideration is the assessed val
uation of the property returned, and the
relative value of one class OF property re-
20 all other classes Of property.
e.: Sample of Discrimination.
II now desire to call the attention Of the
board to the marked discrepancy, or per-
haps you had better call 1t discrimination,
in the assessment Of certain parts OF the
Ave railroad systems, beginning with the
Burlington and Missouri River railroad.
road was originally chartered from
P~lattsmouth to Kearney. Kearney was It's
western terminus. Today the western
Of the Burlington road is Den
yer, and its traffic over the main line
passes westward from Hastings, not touch
ing Kearney; the road so far as It's earn
ing capacity is concerned is to all intents
and purposes as good west Of Hastings as
the Union Pacific is west Of Grand Island.
you will find that the assessment OF
the Union Pacific is uniform at $4,000 per
mile from Omaha to the western bound
airy Of the state last year, but the Burling-
ton line was assessed only at the first for
class rate of $40, $50 for a distance OF 1911
miles, from Plattsmouth to Kearney; that
portion of the road between Hastings and
Kearney doubtless is worth less, and l see
no reason why the extension of the main
line OF the Burlington road from Hastings
to the Colorado line should not be APP
praised at the same valuation that the
line from Plattsmouth to Hastings Is APP
praised at; that is. II 1t is just and proper
that the Union Pacific should be appraised
at the same rate from omaha clear to
Cheyenne county at one rate, the Burling-
ton should surely have the same appraise-
ment. You will note that the Elkhorn road
is appraised at q uniform rate from Blair
to the western boundary of the state, and
distinction is made no matter by what
the road may go.
Injustice lad Apparent.
at seems to me that this is an mex
cusable discrimination in favor OF one
system and against the other, and incl
~dentally does injustice to the state at large.
II the policy Of designating an imaginary
line or a connecting point for a difference
in assessment Is to hold good on one line
then you might with the same propriety
appraise the Union Pacific as far, we will
say, as Kearney, and then reduce It's rate
from there westward. pro rata with the
character Of the country and its trafhe.
Won will also have to do the same with