The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-08-01
9lood River Glacisr.
FRIDAY, AUGUST ], 1902.
Some More ssGOod Suggestions .

Hood River, July 2s, 1902 Editor
Glacier In last weeks Glacier | noted
with Interest what Robert Kelly had
to say 20 the honorable county court
on the occasion of his retiring from the
office of sheriff. Your caption, Good
Suggestions is in the main deserved,
and what Mr.. Kelly has said is no
doubt strictly In accordance with the
laws of Oregon.
On the risk, however, of running
counter to all the legal talent in the
state, ! cannot but differ with Mr.
Kelly in his statement that "notice Of
the meeting of the board of equaliza-
ton should be published in every paper
in the county, and If the taxpayer fails
to appear and air bis grievances, should
he have any, to then entirely ignore
his future entreaties.n In my opinion,
which ought to be worth 25 cents a
yard to anybody, there is no reason
why the meetings Of the board should
be advertised In single paper. On
the assessment slips each taxpayer will
find plainly printed eit could be made
plainer) an extract from the laws OF
Oregon informing him that the board
of equalization meets the last week in
August. If he has any quarrel with
the assessor, he will have no one to
blame but himself If he does not appear
before the board and ask for redress.
But how Is ii with the great majority
of taxpayers who are in the habit oi
permitting the assessor on his rounds
to place fixed valuation Oh theil
.~vo,N.at. a t,1 a rs tx,fIff,.cv ~. lof ,aat
ut that Has ii come to this that every
property owner in the county mustsad
die his or her horse and ride to The
Dalles when the board meets and liz
around the hotels for a week to learn
whether.his property has been singled
out to be doubled, trebled, or quad
rupled in value?
If our peers who settle these matters
have reason to believe that certain in
dividuals have lodged certain assess
ment would it not be much cheaper
and better to notify such persons t
appear before the board and show
cause why their valuation should no
he raised? The officials comprising thu
board of equalization are all residents
of the county seat, and day could b.
set for hearing these complaints at any
convenient time. 1t hardly ought to b,
necessary to dwell long on the fact tina
the chief cause of dissatisfaction among
the taxpayers in this valley last yea
was because of the one-sided arbitrary
method which the board worked upol
few persons. The individual whom
they sent through the valley to revis,
Deputy Nickelsen's work merely sci
ected few victims in each school dist
riet and greatly increased their values
letting dozens of Others with propertl
equally as valuable 60 at the first as
sessed rate. This blow i'm most case
fell on the old and well-known settler
who have borne the brunt of taxation
and volunteer road work for the las
half generation or longer. If thes
highl values had been placed on al
property alike the whole county deb
could have been paid off and hand
some surplus left over to throw at th
birds.
The first intimation that anyone hat
as to what had been done came by wa,
Of tax notices sent out in February
Mr.. Nickelsen's work was as evenl
done as any assessment ever befor
made or ever likely to be made, am
an increase in values on all alike woul
have left no reasonable cause for com
plant. r. Il. HARRISON.