The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-07-31
RAILROADS PROTEST AGAINST
STATE BOARDS VALUATION.
ONLY ONE is SATISFIED
Vice President Of Montana Railway
Company Says He Has No
Grievance.

Helena, Mont, June 30-Represen-
tatives OF six railroads in the state
today appeared before tne state board
OF equalization and, with one excep-
ton, all protested either in whole or
i'll part against the assessment OF
their lines as fixed by the board.
r. A. Wilkinson, tax agent for the
Great Northern, protested vigorously
against the raise in that railroads
assessment.
G. S. Fernald, tor the Northern Pa
cific, did not ask for reduction on
the main line assessment, but endeav-
ored to secure a reduction on a num-
ber of the branch lines. After lis
tening to the railroad men the board
adjourned until tomorrow morning.
All of the members of the board
were present this morning, with the
exception of State Auditor Calder
head, who is in Denver attending a
populist convention.
Northern Pacific Assessment.
Tax Agent Il. S. Fernald of the
Northern Pacific was the first to ad-
dress the board. He stated that he
would make no attack upon the main
line assessment, for he was of the
opinion that, the board was fully COM
petent to know what it wanted to do
and he assumed that it had done it.
Regarding the branch lines, however,
Mr.. Fernald asked reductions in sew
eral instances. The Bitter Root line,
he said, assessed at $12,o2O, is good
line, but that all of the freight carried
for the mines. Owing to the showing
made by this traffic he stated that he
thought reduction should be made
to at least $4,000 a mile, and that
$4,000 was enough. The Elkhorn, Mr..
Fernald said,. is not being operated
regularly at this time and he asked a
reduction in the assessed valuation Of
that. Regarding the Boulder branch,
the agent spoke OF the fact that the
company is using the Montana Central
tunnel instead of going over the hill,
and stated that he did not think the
company should be assessed for the
extra length of trackage over the hill,>
because it is no longer used. He asked
for reduction IN that instance. Since
June two trains each week have been
running on the Boulder branch, but
in September the number will again
be reduced to one. Mr.. FernaId'
stated that an assessment OF $1,69O
mile for the Red Mountain branch,
where only one train a week is run,
is too much, and asked the board to
reduce it, A reduction was also ask
ed for in the case of the Wickes
branch
Great Northern Assessment.
r. A. Wilkinson, representing the
Great Northern railroad, said that the
main line assessment is entirely too
much. He complimented the state
upon being the lowest assessed state
OF any other in the union, but stateu
that the state authorities had a fac
ulty of making the railroads pay more
than their share of that assessment.
Mr.. Wilkinson said that in states
where taxes were levied upon gross
earning basis and per cent IS con-
sidered as the proper rate. He said
that in Montana last year upon an
assessed valuation OF $12,8OO a mile
taking as basis the gross earnings
of the road for 1902, when they ex-
ceeded those of 1901 py $1,000 a mile,
the rate was AFT per cent, and that it
paid upon the assessment as made
this year would equal AT per cent on
gross earning basis.
A reduction was asked for on the
Barker branch, which was assessed at
s1,O25 a mile last year and at $1,127
this year.
He stated that arrangements had
been made to take up the rails and
lease the roadbed to the county COM
missioners of Cascade county to use
for highway. The Neihart branch
assessed last year at $4,000, this year
at $500, Mr.. Wilkinson said was too
much. There are only three trains
week on it, On the Red Mountain
branch, little more than mile in