Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-29
WORK IS NEARLY DONE
Executive Council Will Attempt
to Close Business Next
Thursday.
Members Worked tremendously
and Have Done What They
Think Fair.
Much of Increase in Railroad
Assessments Will Go on
Branch Lines.
oecial to Times-Republican.

lSneclaI 10 l1l0eS-lle puDllCaIl.
Des Moines July 29.-The members
| of the executive council are letting the
present. ON Thursday the council will
inject and try to close up the business.
The assessment of railroad, telegraph,
telephone and express lines is TO be
Icertitied out on that day or as of that
date, and the work must be finished.
| The task has been very hard one and
the members have worked faithfully at
| he job. The mass of figures and sta
tistics which must be gone over and
palling. 1t may be said honestly that
the work has been done with entire
harmony at all times. The four MEM
bers of the council have worked togeth-
er freely and frankly and all the mat
tiers have been discussed by them at
meetings where all We're in attendance.
There has been no disagreement on any
question. The members all say that
they have worked simply and solely to
arrive at a just and equitable assess
ment. have not considered the political
phases of the question. have not tried
Ito favor any one company or to be I'M
just to any company or class of COM
panes. I'VE have tried to get at act
ual values said one member. 1--WE
have sought all the information posi-
BILE and have tried to weigh all matters
carefully. We believe we have arrived
at conclusions which are fair We have
not satisfied some of the representa-
tives of the railroads nor have we sat
isfied those who We're clamoring for
punishment of the railroads We have
simply done what we believe to be fair
and are willing to stand by the re-
suits"
All the members of the council are
pledged to secrecy on the work done
and no figures are to be given out until
the work is all done. Last year every
move made by the council was known
to the newspapers, every motion was
made public and the arguments of
members We're published. Nothing of
the sort has happened this Year All
that is known is that after the council
had gone over the figures and consid-
cred the arguments 1T was tentatively
agreed that the council should figure
to an increase of about s4000000 in the
railroad assessment. Last year the as
sessment totaled a little more than
S47 ,0O0O00 1t will thus be seen that
the assessment totals for this year will
be little more than $51,000.000.
a prominent railroad attorney, one
who appeared before the council to
n. ;,act irrr CT ta
belief Il day or two ago that the total
would be somewhere between S50.000.-
900 and S52.OOO.OOO. He did not believe
the council would go to the last named
figure, but might do so. He also stated
that if the assessment was not more
than S50,OO0,000 the railroad compa
MES would not feel very much hurt. He
believed. and the representatives of the
railroads generally believe, that the
assessment is already quite high
enough, but in view of the increased
and the betterments of some
of the systems, an increase was to be
expected.
How this increase will be distributed
is another question. A great deal of it
will go on the branch lines and COM
new lines. Some of them
to pay we'll in the past few
years. Something will be added to both
the Burlington and Northwestern, be-
cause both of these trunk lines have
made betterments the past year Or two
that has greatly increased their actual
value as property. But the council is
trying to distribute the burden as
eevnly as POSSIBLE This task is now
being done by the clerks. When the /
council meets Thursday the completion
of the work will be easy.