Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-12

then. Of the Burlington railroad at omahai
A.-The value was added. OF course. TO
the aggregate Of value end divided by the
lumber Of miles in the road and certified
to the counties according to the number OF
miles In each county.
Q.-Now, II you added the Omaha ter
minals to the Omaha a Southwestern,
which Is only nifty miles long, and made a
valuation OF $500 a mile, how do you ex-
plain II you took all the terminals in that
you assessed that part Of the road from
Plattsmouth 10 Kearney at S1O,5sO a mile
without any terminals Of that character7
A.-There is a vast amount OF business
done over that stretch OF road-over the
main line OF the Burlington.
Q.-More than there Is into omaha7 A.
l do not pretend to say that.
Q.-The equipment all belongs to the
Burlington, doesn't III Ayes, sir.
Q.-Now, II you look back over prior
years, didn't you And that the Omaha q
Southwestern was assessed at more than
$500 a mile before they ever built that
depot or made those extensive improve
ments down there1 Al didn't hnd those
facts. l have no recollection Of 1t now.
Q.-You didn't md It worth $3.50 a mile
In 1927 A.-No, l didn't find 1t. / didn't
look at It to see what 1t was assessed at in
1892.
Q.-Do you know when that depot was
builtf A.-No, l cam say positively. A
number OF years ago. though.
Q.-How long ago do you think7 A
Well, my estimate is 1t Is Ave or six years
ago.
ON 1897 or 1898? A.-Somewhere along
there. / suppose.
Q.-Can you tell us for how much per
mile the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy is
bonded? Al cannot.
Q.-Can you tell us how much per mile It
Is stocked2 Al cannot.
Q.ACan you tell us what It's stock is
worth? Al cannot.
Q.-Can you tell US what its bonds are
worth-its 81 per cent bonds? A.-No,
sir, / cannot.
Q.-Do you know what Its 7 per cent
bonds, some OF which are outstanding, are
WORTH A.-No, sir.
Odd you inquire to learn as to whether
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy stock had
all been sold and disposed Of In the mar
ket and at a nxed value? A.-No. sir; l did
not.
Q.-You don't know now what the value Of
that stock is, do you? Al do not know
No, sir.
'o.-You did not know when you made the
assessment of these different defunct cor
porations, known as the Burlington now
what the value per mile Of the Burlington
was, and you do not know now? ADO yor
mean with reference to it's stocks?
OIL mean its value. What II would sell
for in the market? Al do not know pos.
itively. In fixing the mileage of each one o.
those separate corporations that are oper'
ated by the Burlington road we endeavoret
to obtain the fair valuation in proportion t.
the rest OF the property in the state. Of
ratio OF assessment.
Q.-What l want to know is: before yol
can assess any property you first must as
certain what It is worth? Ayes. sir.
Q.-Now, I want to know from yol
whether when you assessed this road o.
these different little corporations consti
tuting the Burlington system, whether 20,
know the value perlmiie Of the Burlington
railroad or whether you can tell the cour
now what 1t would cell for for lash IN tn,
market7 ADO you mean the entire sys
temf
OIL mean the entire Syssem. That ie
the system In Nebraska. A.-No, sir, I d.
not know that in the aggregate.
Q.-Now, you assessed something up Il
the oxford & Kansas railroad, did you not
Ayes, sir.
Q.-You hardly assessed the franchise Q
that. did you? Al believe not.
ON fact, you don't know whether ther
is such a railroad in the state, do you? A.
I think there are a few miles OF It out In tn
southwestern. partaof the state. ,
Q-But you don't know? Al have neve
been upon 1t. 3.
Q.-But you knew that the road that
operating ell Of these and the franchis
that was earning all Of this money was tina
Of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincyf A.
l had reason to think so because
Q.-The fact Is, you travelled over 1t an
! had a pass over the entire system, didn
I your A.-Certainly I have. There is I
question about that.
Q.-Now. did you at any stage Of the pre-
I ceedings assess the valuable franchise
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy In an
respect? A.-That was not our intention
at the time.
' Q.-And you didn't do It? A.-No. sir.
Q:-Now. what did you allow for the fraI
I chise of the Atchison & Nebraska? A.
Just stated that 1t was not our intention
9 the time to make any assessment Of II
s franchise.
GAS a matter Of fact, you didn't asse
the value OF the franchise Of any railros
in the state in making this assessment, d
your
Mr.. White-I object to counsel askir
. a question OF the witness wherein he seel
to ascertain whether or not the value
|. the franchise of the various railroads
: the state has been assessed separate ar
apart from the tangible property. for II
reason that It is incompetent, ~irreleval
and immaterial, and for the further reasc
that under the law of our state the boat
is not required to assess the franchise
railroad companies separate and apa
from the tangible property. (overruled
A.-No. sir.
Off / understand you correctly. at Il
time you made this assessment you d
not even have the statement of the ear
ings OF the Burlington road for the pr
eeding year? A.-That is apparent fro
the record; yes, sir.
Q.-Now there is another matter l wal
to inquire about. You say you went ba'
and made some comparisons with pri
years7 Ayes, sir.
Odd you know, as a matter vital
: affecting railroad property. that on Il
25th of January, 1900, the railroads we
Of Chicago, including all OF these N
braska roads, the roads known as Il
Granger lines" perhaps, had increase
their freight rates on 240 articles of con
e merce in common use AZ per cent, and
8 WAS shown for the first time in their earl