Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-15


to call attention to. and that Il the char
aoter Of the machinery and equipmen
which at the present day is much superior
and more costly than II was. Five or sil
years ago the ordinary freight car had
capacity Of from ten to twenty tons. Their
are freight cars now that have a capacity
Of fifty tons. The locomotives OF six year.
ago we're pigmies compared TO those Of tn,
present day. and as / understand it. they
range in value from $4,000 TO SIS, 900; som,
may even be higher than that.
Now, let us see about these discrepan.
cies Just a moment, in order to show you
the remarkable differences between the
valuations: The Union Pacific values its
box cars at $50. The Omaha value them
at s275. The Union Pacific valued its ca
boose cars in 1895 at 800 and now at a
lower rate. The Omaha road at 1915. Flat
cars are valued at S45 by the Union Pa
cinc and at 5000 by the Omaha.
standard of value Necessary.
These remarkable discrepancies in val
uation suggest the necessity Of the board
fixing a standard OF value through expert
men that could give you a rational and
reasonable valuation.
Nov. l do not know whether the Omaha
engineers returned their equipment at what
they believed was It's present cash value
or whether the Union Pacific returned Its
equipment at what they believed to be
one-ffth or one-teHth OF its value, but at
any rate | cannot see how the board can
arrive at a reasonable appraisement OF
this property without finding out what
these properties would sell for in the mar
ket at the present time.
49, 49, -. 4grn1ttAna MA haun Tim
same remarkable discrepancies all along
the line, and surely the board must realize
that real estate or rights of-way have diff
ferent values In different counties accord
ing TO location. 1t certainly must be APP
parent that a side-trsck in the city Of
Omaha or South Omaha IL worth a great
deal more money than a side track in
Cheyenne county. The ground requisite for
q side-track or for a right-of-way is worth
thousands OF dollars in one place where
It is probably worth dollars in some Of
these out Of the way localities, and yet
the side .tracks are returned uniformly as
/ see at $1,000.
Indinna's Method.
NOW, l desire to call your attention to
the mode thai obtains in the state Of
Indiana, where l believe they have arrived
at a very equitable and just system OF
appraisement. You will find here county by
county. each county being credited with
the improvements that are located in the.
that different valuations have been
placed upon the various side-tracks and
different valuations upon the lands, &C
'cording TO the location. Side-tracks in
Indiana are valued all the way at from
81 1000 to 5000 per mile. Again they
make a vast difference in valuing the
tracks OF a union station or great railway
depot, to what they would out on the road.
The valuation Of the Union depot tracks
In Indianapolis IL. $4,000. 900 a mile and the
valuation OF the Jefferson bridge across
the Ohio river by. the Indiana board lie
81, 900, 900 per mile. There might be some
road that lie merely a streak Of rust. 1t
might run through some out of the way
place where there is no traf1c, and 1t
would be right and proper that the board
should exercise Its Judgment and assess
accordingly. But again, where the road
runs through e densely populated section
of the state you cannot say to me that the
depot grounds is worth, the same as 1t would
be In tie sandhlIls Take the Omaha road,
for instance. II appraises all its depot
grounds at $40 per acre from Omaha
north. with ths exception Of the Omaha
~Gtation$ Most OF the depots are located, in
osn andtf edoehab believe that anyseo OF
those depot, grounds could be purchased for
lsss than from one 70 three and four Rnn-
6red dollars an acre. Nov Took az its
apptaisernent. Take. for instance, the
Omaha station on Welr.ef street; 1t
has twenty eight acres Of land and It
returns II at this time for 5000 per acre.
For years 1t returned it at 500 per acre.
L have q certificate from the tax commits
sioner Of Omaha stating that the land
adjacent to the Webster street station is
assessed at $4,000 per acre and that repre-
sents 40 per cent of Its value. SO that at
20 per cent Il shouid have been $4,000 in
stead Of $500 per acre.
linton PaeInc Bridge.
TAKE the Union Pacific railroad at
Omaha, beginning with its bridge and go
Ing westward ana you will discover some
amazing discrepancies also. In the state
OF Iowa the two and Observation-Disclosures
miles OF the Union Pacific, which is exactly
what II returned. is assessed at 500, 900
per mile. and Iowa is assessed very low. I
have a letter here from Governor Cum
Minis Of Iowa, written only a few days ago,
In which he says that the iowa railways
ere assessed altogether too low and that
they are used by railway attorneys to bear
down the valuation In other states, but he
says the time is coming, although he can
not make a positive prediction when. as he
Is but one OF the members, that the railway
asseAsment In Iowa will be considerably
higher. Now then. on the Iowa side ths
Union Pacific Is assessed for It's mileage
AZ 500 900 a mile. Snd the bridge is as
sessed separately for 1884, 1000. The Union
Pacific has come before the board and
placed it's bridge across the Missouri and
Its main line 10 be assessed-if It is as
sessed according to last years estimate
At IS. 500 per mile. That would give Omaha