The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-14
A KICK ON
ASSESSMENTS
Idaho Commissioners Have Sc
ance With State Board.
RATINGS WERE TOO Low
EFFORT BEING MADE TO MAKE
THE LEVY MORE UNIFORM.
Special TO The Rrrald.l

n OISE, Ida, Aug. 13.-The state
ID board of equalization was treated
to surprise at their meeting to-
day, when delegations OF county com
missioners from several counties put in
appearance and asked TO be heard on
the matter of railroad assessments.
The visiting commissioners had met
during the forenoon and organized by
electing w. w Bush of Kootenai coun-
ty as chairman of the delegation Mr.
Bush briefly stated that the delegates
present had been sent by different
counties 10 secure, If possible, more
equitable assessment of railroad prop
erty- In order TO bring the matter
properly before the board Mr.. Bush
presented a resolution adopted at the
commissioners meeting to change the
mode Of valuation in accordance with
a decision of the supreme court of the
( United States. The resolution reads as
! follows:
Resolved. That this committee insist
/ and demand that the state board of
I equalization fer the state of Idaho
! adopt and follow the rule laid down in
I what is known as the railroad tax
I cases. go L. S. SIS which saws. in mart.
1t is, therefore, obvious that when
] you have aseertained the current cash
! value of the whole funded debt and the
/ current cash value of the entire number
/ OF shares you have. BY the action Of
I those who. above all others. can best
! estimate it, ascertained the true value
I of road. all its property. its capital
/ stock and its franchises, for these are
/ all represented by the value of its
| bonded debt and all shares of its can
/ ital stock. Also
Resolved, That the state board OF
/ equalizati ton, in applying this rule for
/ the purpose OF computation. shall take
/ the average stock and bond quotations
I of the Wall street market for the pre-
/ ceding SIX months"
/ The theory was that the value of
( bonds and the value Of stock upon the
market should be added, and this would
I give the true value OF corporate prom
erty. This could then be pro-rated per
mile, as would appear TO be Just and
fair Railway representa- tfves were
called upon TO furnish the number of
J shares of stock. and the numbE- of
/ bonds issued by their several CORPORA
3 tons. Several commissioners addressed
] the board, each urging d material in
crease in railroad assessments
A Wolters of Blaine county said that
railroad property was not only as
sessed too low. but was plainly assessed
below the figures contemplated by the
legislature After the new law WAS
Z compiled the state board raised the
valuation OF al private property 50
\ per cent. but the Short Line Railroad
company was only raised p per cent =
In 1883 the state board should haze
RAISED all railroad property 80 per cent.
Z but Il was not done. and the state
board had neglected a plain duty. He
said IN three years the sum lost to the
state would amount 10 $50. go per year,
or $3.50. 600.
Attorney General Martin inquired OF
the speaker what value he placed, and
he said $4,000 per mile The board de-
Ilanded facts and figures 70 sustain the
claims made by the commissioners, and
adjourned until tomorrow