Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-01-14
ASSESSMENT REFORM
DISCUSSED
The Convention of County officials at the
Capitol Has Made a Decided Step To-
wards Equalizing Assessed Valua-
tions in the Territory.
PROPERTY OWNERS MAKING FALSE
RETURNS TO Be PROSECUTED

RETURNS TO Be PROSECUTED
| The meeting of the assessors, collec-
| tors, county commissioners and other
| county officials of New Mexico was
bers at the capitol. Every county ex-
| cept Bernalillo and Socorro was repre-
sented. Those present this forenoon
were: Chaves county, Mark Howell,
treasurer and collector; John c. Peck,
assessor; w. M. Atkinson chairman OF
the board of county commissioners.
| Colfax, John Hixenbaugh, assessor;
Harry Brainard, commissioner; A. e.
Burnam, treasurer; M. M. Dawson,
probate clerk. Dona Ana, w. E. Miller,
commissioner; II. Rouault assessor.
Eddy, Joseph T. Tanning, assessor; N.
w. Weaver, commissioner. Grant, w.
D. Murray, chairman of the board Of
county commissioners. Guadalupe, Joa-
quin Gutierrez, assessor. Lincoln, Sol.
c. Wiener, commissioner. Luna, Ed
ward Pennington, assessor. Mora, Ac-
orsimio Martinez, commissioner; Patri-
clio Sanchez, deputy assessor; Emilio
Ortiz, probate clerk: Bias Sanchez,
deputy sheriff: p. d. st. Vrain, deputy
collector. Mckinley, Stephen Canovan
assessor. Otero, o. d. Warnock and
William O'Reilly, county commission
;p ;Lo
treasurer. San Juan, D. J. Donovan.
assessor; c. Brimhall, commissioner.
Santa Fe, Fred Muller, collector: Eu-
genio Sena. deputy assessor; w. H.
Kennedy, chairman of board Of coun-
ty commissioners; A. Seligman, COM
missioner. San Miguel, Jose E. Esqui-
bel, assessor Sierra, Andrew Kelly,
assessor. Taos, Bias Salazar, assessor;
Hignio Sanchez, collector. Union, r.
P. Ervien, assessor. Valencia, Nabor
Mirabal, assessor.
President w. M. Atkinson Of Ros-
well, presided, and the secretaries, r.
P. Ervien of Clayton, and Bias San
chez, of Mora, were at their place. A
committee appointed at session
held last evening to present a plan Of
uniform values for assessments
throughout the territory reported. The
committee consisted of Jose S. Esqui-
bel, chairman: Andrew Kelly w. M.
Atkinson, r. P. Ervien, W. H. Kenne-
dy, O. D. Warnock, Sol. G. Wiener. w.
D. Murray, A. r. Burnam, w z. Miller
and Mark Howell.
It's report was adopted with few
minor changes, the most important of
which was the reduction Of the assess
ment for Mexican sheep from $3.50 to
81 per head made upon motion of Bias
Sanchez of Mora.
The report as adopted fixes the fol-
lowing values: Coal lands. ten miles or
nearer to railroad, $40 per acre; over
ten miles from a railroad, $40 per acre;
all improvements to be assessed separ-
ately; timber lands with merchantable
timber within Is miles from a railroad
SIS per acre, timber lands beyond the Is
mile limit, $1.50 an acre; grazing lands
81 per acre; irrigable and agricultural
lands to be assessed according to local
conditions; stock horses SIS per head;
saddle horses SIS per head; American
horses $40 and over per head according
to quality; American mules $50 per
head and over according to quality;
Mexican mules SIS per head; burros 50
per head; stock cattle south of the 35th
parallel of latitude $11 per head; north
s12 per head milk and dairy stock $50
per head; improved breeding stock $40
per head; improved sheep $1.5o per
head; Mexican sheep 81 per head; COM
mon goats 81 per head; improved goats
50 per head; national and other bank
ing stocks, surplus and undivided prof
its at go per cent of their par value and
all corporate stocks at go per cent of
their actual cash value. All other
property not enumerated on the same
basis that capital stock Is assessed.
The report concludes with:
Resolved, That in our opinion, the
decrease in the value Of property. as
shown upon the several assessment
rolls, was caused chiefly by the failure
of assessors of some Of the counties to
list considerable portion Of the prop
erty subject to taxation in said coun-
ties.
We therefore, recommend that boards
of county commissioners be urged to
procure the aid of the district attor-
neys Of the several counties in prose-
cutting delinquent officials for malfeas-
ance in Office and property owners who
fail to make proper returns of their
as to quantity and value.
The convention practically concluded
its business this forenoon. Considerable
caused by an attempt to
fix minimum value for patented min
ing claims, but finally the impression
prevailed that such claims are not as
sessable.
This afternoon, the convention Is in
conference with the territorial board of
The TOWN OF TUCUMCARI.