Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-18
couNTER sULLETIN No ?

In its screed Of Justification and ex-
aggeration the railroad tax bureau has
sought to startle the people of Omaha
and Nebraska by an alleged exposure
Of the systematic tax Sinking on the
part Of The Bee Building and The Bee
Publishing companies. In this delecta-
BILE work they INDUCED in their pro-
penslty for Juggling with figures and
dust-throwing.
Although the records of the county
and city tax departments are open to
everybody 1t was given out cold that
The Bee Building only paid taxes on a
valuation of 100000 and The Publishing
company on a valuation of $1,000. An
inspection Of the county treasurer's books
will show that at no time since 1890 has
The Bee Building been assessed for less
thar S65, 900. while other property, and
notably railroad property, was shrink
ing and shrinking in it's valuation, The
Bee Building was kept up from year to
year at that figure. and while The Bee
Publishing company incurred heavy de-
h'llN III lHt Nthlb 1COO ubu lCOi ~
tax assessments were kept up during
those years and then gradually raised.
Comparisons may sometimes be odious,
but at other times they are very in
structive. For the information of the
mendacious tax bureau let me cite a
few figures that speak for themselves.
In 1891 the Union Pacific bridge was
assessed for $125,0OO and the tax paid
thereon was $500. BY the year 1900
the bridge assessment had shrunk to
100000, and the tax thereon was $1,4S2.
In the year 1902 the Union Pacific bridge
was absorbed In railroad mileage and re-
turned by the company as sixteen-one-
hundredths of a mile assessable at $500
per mile, or $1,5S6.
In 1891 the county tax on The Bee
Building was $1,000, in the year 1900 it
was 81, 80, while the Union Pacific
bridge tax was $123 less. In the year
1901 the Union Pacific bridge was re-
turned to the city at a valuation of
$1,000, while The Bee Building was
assessed at $165, 900 for city taxes and
paid a tax of SIS, 120 as against 5000
for the Union Pacific bridge. In the
year 1902 the taxes assessed against
The Bee Building aggregated $4,000 and
the taxes assessed against the Union
Pacific bridge was $47.04!
The Bee Publishing company instead
Of being assessed $4,000, as was charged
by the railroad prevaricators, was $24,-
600 for the year 1901 and the aggregate
taxes $4,000. For the year 1902 The
Bee Publishing company's taxes will
amount to $720 and the railroad com
pany's bridge tax $47.O4. So much for
the Union Pacific bridge part.
The Burlington passenger depot,
freight depot, all other trackage and
transfer facilities, and right-of-way is
assessed at a valuation Of a fraction over
$1,000 for city purposes as against The
Bee Publishing company's plant at $24,-
600. The Fremont & Elkhorn assess
ment of it's depot, depot grounds, right
of-way, and other improvements within
the city limits are assessed for county
and city purposes at $4,000. The Pundt
residence, corner of Douglas and Seven
teenth streets, now owned by The Bee
Building company is assessed at $12,500
for city purposes and 5000 for county
purposes. The city tax on the Pundt
residence, 66x132 feet, which rents for
500 per month, is only $12 less this year
than is taxed against the entire Fremont
& Elkhorn terminal facilities, depot
grounds, right-of-way, ETC., worth at
least a million.
Perhaps the railroad computation bu-
reau can explain why these discrepan-
cies. For myself and for other tax
payers, the mystery Is as yet I'M
fathomed. E. ROSEWATER.