The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-04

governor, Joseph McKibbin moved that
the assessment of the st. Paul Gas
company be taken up. j. E. Cooley, as
chairman of the committee on fran
chises, submitted a resolution fixing
the assessment of this corporation at
100000, an increase of $125,000 over
the returns made by the Ramsey coun-
tY assessor.
State Auditor Dunn said this was a
fair assessment and the company had
no right to kick. There was no ap-
pearance on the part of the company
and as Chairman Spra que, of the board,
explained that the company would be
satisfied, the resolution was adopted by
a viva Voce vote.
The Minneapolis General Electric
company was next taken up. The COM
mittee recommended that the assess
ment be fixed as returned by the Min
neapolis board of review at $569,930. J.
E. Cooley, chairman of the committee,
said this was agreed to by the COM
mittee on the showing that the COM
pany had had it's assessment increased
every year since 1890, and in the last
two years had reduced its. charges to
consumers % per cent.
They Ignore Dunn. 4r
State Auditor Dunn said he disliked
to disagree w the committee, but he
favored increasing the assessment just
$4,000, which the county assessor had
added to the personal property of the
corporation, but which the Minneapolis
board of review had kindly stricken off.
I'm view of the increases made in
the valuation Of realty and household
goods" continued the auditor, lit is
incumbent on this board to make no
distinction between personal property
and corporation property. 1t is not
good policy for public service cor
porations to come in here and insist on
low assessment unless they want some
radical legislation at the next session
regarding taxes. The corporations were
allowed the use of the streets and were
not doing business for fun.
"The public expected those corpora
lions should pay taxes and if this was
not done the next legislature might
take the bull by the horns and do
something. An assessment of $378J600
on personal property would not hurt
the company a bit and would leave
this portion of the assessment of the
company just where the city assessor
of Minneapolis had fixed it."
Chairman Cooley, of the committee,
said citizens of Minneapolis had been
consulted and that the committee had
decided absolute justice would be
reached by leaving the assessment at
$569,930.
Dunn Fights Valiantly.
Auditor Dunn returned to the attack
by quoting the financial condition of
the company which, he said, at a true
valuation was $1,920,000.
Gan assessment of one-third of this
amount would not do any injustice and
make it something like the assessment
on other property in the state"
The auditor quoted from the decision
of the supreme court to the effect that
the true way to assess corporations of
this kind was on the capital stock and
bonded debt minus the amount paid for
real and personal property. This he
thought might be too high, but to di-
| vide the total Of capital stock and
bonded Indebtedness by three would be
abount the right assessment.
Joseph McKibben, as a member of
the committee, favored the report as
presented. He said:
1--WE should treat the public service
corporations fairly, and while we might
get a little political fame by attack
ing the corporations vigorously, this is
no place for such an exhibition"
Resents an Imputation.
Auditor Dunn said he had hoped the
question of politics would not be rails
ed in connection with the franchise dis
cussion.
81 believe in doing right" he said,
land in applying the same rule in the
! assessment of public service corpora
lions as you do in placing a valuation
on the farms in the state. You have
| assessed farms Of the state at one third
| their true value and why not do the
same with these corporations? Do not
allow the colossal figures of the corpora
ton to scare you. The rule should hold
good all the way through. Do the same
by the corporations as you have done
by the farmers. 1 know in my own
mind that l am right and don't care