Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-07-18
.HEAR|NG ON RA|l-
ROAD ASSESSMENT.
Railroad Attorneys Say Land
Values Are Not as High
as They Should Be.
GOVERNOR DEFINES HIS IDEA

: f
Hon. f. r. Campbell and Henry Wallace
Appear for the Public and Argue for an
Increase In the Taxes OF Railroad Cor
porations.
Des Moines, July 16.-The executive
council met yesterday and commenced
listening to the arguments in regard to
the railroad assessments. Represen-
tatives OF railroads were present, in
GLIDING Messrs. Baldwin and Sturgis
O. the Burlington. knight and Carbut
Of the Illinois Central, Crandon and
Stevens of the Northwestern, Carr
and Dudley of the Milwaukee, Sewers
of the Iowa Central, Woodruff of the
Great Western. and Carroll Wright
Of the Rock Island. The hearing will
take several days and it is probable
that all the railroad companies will
be heard at the same time. Several
others will also speak. A representa-
tive of the business interests of the
state and particularly the shipping in
terests will be heard and also persons
representing counties. The board of
supervisors of Clinton county have
sent Mr.. Miller. an attorney, here, and
the county auditor of Hamilton county
has written for a date for himself
and members of the board.
Judge Stevens of Boone, opened the
discussion, speaking for the North
western. He laid the basis for his ar
gument by presenting reports from
many Of the counties along the North
western line being facts gathered by
county auditors from the records,
which showed the actual average sell
ing price of the lands which have been
sold the past six months in these
counties to have been about $50 per
acre He referred to the enormous in
crease in value of farm lands, and
said he believed the increase on Iowa
farm land had been 81 to $40 since
last September. While the statistics
were taken from the books showing
sales this year, yet great many of
the transfers were merely completion
Of sales made last year, hence the rec
ords do not show as high as land is
actually selling for now. Besides,
land sold on the market is not the
highest priced land, but the cheapest
land. He estimated the actual
selling price of land in these counties
to be not less than ST. per arce. Yet
the value assessed by the assessor Is
only $44 an acre. Similar statistics
were given in regard to live stock and
other property. AS for actual value.
not selling value, he contended that
1t would be nearer 500 an acre, and
at that price would actually be good
investment. In thirty years the actual
selling price of lands had risen 400
per cent, but the assessment value
had gone up but so per cent.
Judge Carr, of Des Moines, speak
ing for the Milwaukee, presented a
series Of affidavits from leading citi-
zens of ten representative counties
in northern Iowa, on actual value of
farm lands and assessed values. These
affidavits were from county officials,
bankers and business men. In Buena
Vista the actual estimated value OF
land was $50 an acre, assessed value
1851; in Cerro Gordo from $55 to
SCI, assessed $34.71; Chickasaw, $50,
assessed $32.06; Floyd, $50, assessed
1874; Clay, $50 to $50, assessed $50;
Kossuth $55 to $50, assessed $26.92;
Lyon $50. assessed $31.06; Sioux $40,
assessed $36.97; Shelby, sos. assessed
$34.18, and so on. Judge Carr stated
that taking the ten counties from
which he had received reports the
average assessed valuation was about
s. per cent of the averaged actual
value.
Addresses along the same lines
were also made by Carroll Wright, of
Moines; Judge G. w. Sewer. Of Oska-
bosa, and A. S. Dudley, of Milwaukee.
Des Moines, July 1.-THE hearing
on taxation before the executive coun-
ell was marked yesterday by the ap-
pearance Of Frank T. Campbell of
this city, ex-state railroad commits
sioner. in behalf of the public. Mr..
Campbell, in a vigorous speech that
lasted an hour and a half, strongly
urged large increase in the railroad
assessment. He is the only person
who has thus far appeared against the
railroads.
Another feature of the hearing,
which lasted all day, was statement
by Governor Cummins. in which he
defined his idea of railroad valuation.
He took the broad ground that rail
road property. as any other, is worth
Just what it will sell for and that in as
sessing the council had to take into
consideration those things that would
help to determine the selling price.
The statement of Governor Cummins
was regarded as OF no little 1mpor-
lance by the representatives OF the
railroads. as 1t Is the first time in the
course of the hearing that the governor
has to any extent defined his views.
He made it plain that he did not share
the views advanced by A. S. Dudley
of the Milwaukee that the maximum
value that can properly be put on a
railroad is the cost of reproduction.
Des. Moines, July 18.-At the hear
ing on taxation before the executive
council yesterday, w. w. Baldwin Of
the Burlington presented figures to
show that numerous large corpora.
tons in the state, not engaged in
manufacturing of merchandising, were
utterly failing to pay their proper
share of taxes. Not only were their
assessments too low, in his opinion,
but there was no attempt to comply
with the law that such corporations
shall make a return to the assessors
on the amount and value Of their cap
itRl stock.
Mr. Baldwin cited number Of cor
porations of Des Moines and of Bur-
lington that were assessed far too low
The Des Moines corporations that he
referred to particularly were the
street railway company, the Edison
Light company, the water company
the Slavery Hotel company, and sew
eral others. He said these corpora