Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-11-20

The property facing on Pacific avenue,
between Tenth and Thirteenth streets Il
approximately paid more taxes than the
Northern tactic Railroad, yet the inn
provements on that property did not
cost as much as the car shops alone.
The railroad paid about two and a half
mills on the actual value of its holdings,
while the citizen paid thirty-five mills.
The truth is that the Northern Pacific
Railroad on its main track and side track
and right of way and Improvements on
right Of way, did not pay on valuation
equal to the cash value of its steel rails
piled up at the foot OF Pacific avenue.
This statement is true of all the railroads
in the state in every county in the state.
The MOI thern Pacific Railroad Company.
the Great Northern ami the o. r. & N.
own about twenty-five hundred miles OF
road in the whole state. The combined
value of these roads, including their ter
minals and excluding rolling stock, can
not be worth less than *175, 200, 100000.
Yet the whole property of these roads in
the state, excluding rolling stock, is
assessed at valuation of ST., 34S, 24S.00,
or about one eleventh of the estimated
value of the roads. As said above, this
amount would not purchase the steel
rails used by the road on the combined
trackage OF twenty-five hundred miles.
Is it any wonder that taxes on other
property in the state is SO large and so
difficult to pay? Can any one doubt
that if the railroads of this county paid
taxes on one-half the valuation Of their
property that the rate of taxes would be
reduced more than twenty-five per
cent?
The depot grounds commencing at
Fifteenth street, running to Twentieth
street, and between Dock street and
Pacific avenue, contain fifteen blocks of
land. Tie property Immediately around
this block of land is assessed on an aver
age of about $4,000 lot. If this land
were stripped of all railway improve
ments upon it and held by private ind:.
viduals, it would be assessed at about
100000. 1t would produce about $25, 900
in taxes. As it lays today, with the side
tracks and improvements upon it, it pays
$3.50 a year taxes, not one-fiftieth Of
what it would pay if entirely unimproved
and held by private individuals. The
Great Northern owns a block of land in
the southern rart of Seattle, on which it
has constructed brick building extend
ing from street to street and covering, l
am told, half block. This building is
divided into store rooms or warehouses
and returns monthly rental of approx
mately $4,000 a month. Last year this
property was asses ed as "side track
by the mile and upon the whole block Of
land and buildings, the company paid
three dollars taxes. Mr.. M. A. Gottstein,
OF Seattle, who has examined the matter
OF taxation in King county, informs me
that the Schwabachers paid S! $4,000
more OF personal taxes than the Columbia
& Puget Sound r. r. Co. did on their
property in King county, which company
operates tfty-four miles OF road and
earns four per cent interest on $l47 ,225
a mile; that the Pioneer and New York
blocks each paid 81 $50 more than the G
4 p. s. r. r.. that the Bailey block paid
$2,3l3 more that the Pioneer, New
York and Bailey blocks paid more taxes
than the N. P. Ry. Co. in King county,
which owns one hundred and one miles
OF main. line and forty-nine miles OF side
track in that county together with taxes
on rolling stock and buildings on right
of way. Instances of this xii might be
multiplied both in Tacoma and Seattle
and in every city where railway has
. its terminals and in every county
through which railway runs.
| CAN THE RAILROADS AFFORD TO Paw
THEIR SHARE OF TAXES? If THEY DID so,
In the first place, property is required
to be assessed in this state at its money
value, regardless of whether the owner
can afford to pay it or not. But as a
matter of fact, if the Northern Pacific
Railway Company were assessed at six
times the present amount Cor on about
one-half the value of the road) it would
not even cause reduction OF dividends.
In 1899 the Northern Pacific Railway
Company paid dividends on stock of
$34 ,45O per mile in addition to paying
interest on its bonds to the amount of
$50, sos per mile, besides its operating
expenses and purchase of new rolling
stock, two millions set aside for better
{ ment, its taxes, and in addition to all
this, reduced its stock and paid off bonds
to the amount of 1921 mile. 1t did
the same in 1900, besides reducing its
stock and paying off bonds to the amount
of 81 ,642 per mile. The same in 1901
and reduced it's stock and bonds $4,946
per mile. If the road had paid in each
. of those years six times the amount Of
l taxes it paid on its road.bed, right Of
way, side track and terminals and on
!. every mile of road from Duluth to Port