Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-16
NAY CONTINUE TAX FIGHT
Real Estate Exchange Likely to Be Heard
From This Winter.
TELEPHONE COMPANY IS THE AerTATOS
ny Making Return OF Lower VaIua-
ton Than that compromised on
the Corporation stirs Up
old Contest.

Old Contest.
Thus early there appears on the horizon
OF possibilities another tax night against
the franchised corporations. The Nebraska
Telephone company has made a return TO
the city tax commissioner on it's personal
property Of sS7s.OOO as the real full value.
The compromise figure at which Il was
assessed last year was $4,000. as 40 per
cent Of the real value. which would show
the real full value to be S425,0o0. This
years return. then. is t47, 900 less than the
figure agreed to after last winters battle
and it is said that the Real Estate exchange.
having heard OF Il, proposes to organize for
systematic protest again. The matter Is
not fully closed, however, as Tax Commits
sioner Fleming states that, though the
schedule bearing the $S7s.O O0, total Is in lAs
ONCE, he has not accepted It. al
Fleming Clan to He Assisted.
Commissioner Fleming further said:
None of the other ~franchised corporations
has returned the schedule Yet. nor had L
intended that they should. 1. was my
purpose TO give TIE corporations their
schedules all at the same time and get
their returns at the same time; It was an
accidental oversight that the telephone com
pany was given it's blank before the others
were served.
81 don't know what the Real Estate
exchange may be planning, but shall
hope TO have public sentiment and or
ganization at my back again. There may
be need OF II in handling others than
the corporations. For the hrst time in
the city's history the assessment is to be
on the basis of full cash value and pro-
pose TO have no omissions in the return.
Will Prod in "A New Place.
For instance. l am going after credits,
bonds and shares Of capital stock. On
the schedule Of personal property there
appears as entry No. 26 a blank for moneys
other than Of bank, banker, broker or
stock jobber; as entry No. 81 a blank for
credits other than of bank. banker. broker
or stock jobber;' as entry No. 2S q blank
for bonds. stocks and state. county, city
village or school district warrants and
municipal securities Of any kind what
! ever as entry No. 30 a blank for shares
capital stock OF companies and ~associa-
tions not incorporated by the laws Of this
state except shares Of stock in national
banks
what He intends TO DO.
What I intend to do about these blanks
Is shown in the second section OF an In
formation sheet that am having the tax
men leaYe with each schedule. This sec
, tion reads: Ett,&. t.
The returns heretofore made In classes
of property enumerated under Nos. 26, n,
2S and % have not bean what they should
have been, judging from pubic bank state
is a great injustice to those owning only
other classes OF personal property and who
make proper rteurns or. to owners of
department is now in position to enforce, to
a reasonable degree at least the assess;
property under Nos, Is to 70. and the as
SCISSORS are specially instructed 20 pointedly
e5amine owners or Their 81 SseDre e yes as =
is the owners dutytta return such.
ut is not too early to begin the con
sideration Of the assessment matters"
Mr.. Fleming continued, 'as two-thirds OF
the 16, 900 schedules are out. The as
SCISSORS have sixty days for their WORK,
according to the state law, but only forty
according to the enactment OF the city
council. The members Of the Board of
Review have to be appointed on or before
November 4, and the board begins its sit
ting November Is. before which time the
assessors are supposed to be through. /
am quite. anxious to know who will be the
two men serving with me on the Board of
Review"
Telephone COmpany's Former Figures.
The commissioners books show that the
Nebraska Telephone company made a re-
turn to the city of $92. 800 last year: that
the Board OF Review raised that figure to
500, $40 and that after the exchanges tax
committee had carried its fight through
the courts the telephone people agreed ia
an assessment of $4,000 as 40 per cent
Of the fair cash value, though protesting
that such assessment was, In the language
Of Attorney Morsman. IAN outrage"
When the fact. that the company this yeal
decreases it's assessment by $47 200, figuring
on the basis Of full value, was called &c
the attention OF f. d, cWeAd. chairman o
the exchanges tax Committee, he sas
what wead Believes.
81 have not discussed with other mem.
bers the matter OF another Eight for equalit.
in taxation and am without authority tC
speak for any one but myself. but I GER
tainly think that they will wish to stan'
; pat for what is already gained unless 1
. sessment was really too high. All WI
wanted then was fairness and ! see M
reason why amy one. should be indtIeren
to that requirement now. ! expect our oil
committee to be discharged soon, perhapI
next week, and the residue OF the old fun
has. been paid back, or IS being paid back
: but / an quite SconAdent, that the nev
committee could got from the' icehtributor
j to II as much as was given last, year, an,
even more. for the public was with M 4