Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-16
. TAX HEARINGS ARE HELD
Executive Council Listens TO Ar.
guments by Railway Attorn.
eys on Assessments.
Try to Show That Farm Lands
Pay Less Taxes in Proper.
tion to Value.
Several Ways OF Estimating
Farm Values %. Other Side
will Be Heard.


Des Mones. July 16.-The assessment
hearing is on and the members of the
executive council, Messrs. Cummins
Martin, Merriam and Gilbertson. are up
against the problem of fixing in their
own minds the actual value of railroad
property in Iowa and stating definite
basis for the taxation thereof. In this
work the council will have assistance.
Some of those whose assistance has
been secured or has been volunteered
are Judge John l.. Stevens. of Boone,
who spoke for the Northwestern; Judge
George w. Sewers, of Oskaloosa, So
licitor for the Iowa Central: Carroll
Wright, Des Moines. Iowa attorney for
the Rock Island; Judge G. w. Carr, Des
Nloines, who spoke for the Milwaukee;
ex-senator w. j. Knight, Dubuque. for
the Illinois Central; Judge w. w. Bald
win. Burlington, who represents the
Burlington system: NJ. c. Woodruff, ST.
Paul. for the Great Western; Mr. Dud-
ley, of Chicago, assistant tax commits
sioner for the Milwaukee,; Frank p.
Crandon, Evanston, tax commissioner
for the Northwestern: and several 9TH
ers. The proceedings this year before
the board is a little differnt from that
of former years. The subjects before
the board We're divided up and one sub
ject was to be taken at II time and thor
oughly discussed. In this Way the MEM
bers of the board hoped to get better
results. The first topic taken up was
that of the relative value of railroad
property as compared with other prop
erty of the state. On this subject a
mass of Interesting information was
presented by the attorneys, of its accur-
acy and value the board will determine
later.
The method of proceeding to arrive
at the relative value of farm lands as
compared with their assessment was
simple and direct. Judge Stevens OBJ
tanned statistics direct from the county
records as to the selling price of lands
sold during the past six months. from
these he found that farm land is worth
at least $62 an acre. or if it be taken in
to consideration that only the cheaper
land is sold, the value is not less than
$40 an acre in the counties along the
Northwestern. Judge Carr had a diff
ferent way of getting at it. He pre-
sented estimates of value from good
men in counties along the Milwaukee or
scattered over the state. Here are the
estimates with the names of the per-
sons making them, showing their wall
uationS:
county auditor, $50.
Cerro Gordo county-C. A. Parker,
banker. $3.50; II. A. Merrill. banker.
S55; George w. Brett, banker, $50; S. b.
Duffield, county auditor. $50: James e.
Blythe. banker and lawyer, $50.
Chickasaw county-W. l.. Turner,
banker, $50.
Clay county-M. e. Griffin, real es-
tate, $50 and $50: William Barnes,
county auditor $50: C. G. Phelps. real
estate and auditor, $50; T.. kirkpatrick,
lawyer. SEQ.
Floyd county-George L. May, bank
er, $50.
Howard county-John c. Webster,
loans. $3.50.
Kossuth county-G. F. Peak. abb
stracts, $55 to S57.
Lyon county,. w. Ramsey real es-
tate, $50; S. c. Wold, ex-county record
er, $50.
Palo Alto county-P. V. Hand. county
auditor. $50.
Pocahontas county,. c. Thatcher
recorder, $3.50.
Sac county Charles Goodenow,
banker. $65: George +. Taylor. county
auditor. s65: Il. n. Bailey. banker, sos:
James w. Wilson, banker, sos; w.
jackson, banker. $65; Phil Schaller real
estate, S65.
Sioux county-D. Il. Gearhart, real
estate, $40: Andrew Ring, real estate,
s65: j. +. Ashley. real estate $40; Pater
Goebel. rea lestate. SOS to $72; A. Van
DerMeide banker, $65.
Winnishek county-E. j. Curtin,
banker. $50 to $50.
Shelby county-E. NJ Hertert. Sos.
cause the attorneys desired that the
council should have exact informa-
ton as to land values in Iowa as es-
llllHleu Dy competent PERSONS. JuuSe
Carr figured out that average per-
centage of the assessed value to
the selling prices or actual values as
given above in the several counties
was Il trifle over 54.
Judge Sewers. of Oskaloosa, present.
ID other figures in different way. He
had the counties along the line of the
Iowa Central. He referred to land
values in two of the counties, Jasper
and Mahaska. In Jasper county he
found by comparing reports of actual
sales with the assessment books that
The ration of assessment to sales was
rs per cent and the ratio of taxable
10 actual value 19 per cent. In Ma
naska county he showed that the ratio
IF taxable value to sales was 16 per
.ent. The estimate values in Mahaska
run from $50 to 500 an acre. The |
assessed value is sc per cent of the |
actual value OF the lands transferred |
1 large portion is now actually under |
cash leases at from $3.50 to $5.25 an
acre, thus these farms are bringing |
N a revenue of more than 10 per cent |
10 their owners. Yet the Iowa Cen
.ral, he said, Is taxed on basis of J