Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-20
PRICE BASIS HIGHER
Allowance Made For Increased
Cost Of Materials For New
State Buildings
REMOVE LIMIT FROM LEvEEs
The Effect of This Act of the Lesisla-
ture Will be to Give the State Univer-
sity, State College, and Normal
School More Money for Building
Purposes Than Was Anticipated.

purposes Ihan was Antlcipateos
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 2o.-There is graft
fication in at least one quarter
because of the fact that the
assessors found much greater
value in real estate and per-
sonal property in Iowa for assess
ment this year, and that is among
those who are interested in the build
ing operations at the various state
educational institutions. When the
Legislature outlined what was needed
be approved the levies We're fixed at
just about what would yield the money
on the basis OF prices as they then
existed. Since then there has been an
enormous increase in the cost of ma
| terials and in all that goes into the
making OF great public buildings, so
that when 1t came to letting contracts
or buying materials for the new college
buildings, the funds were found made
quate. But at practically all three of
the institutions allowance has been
tmade for the evident fact that all val
ues have gone up and that larger sums
Will be raised by the fixed levies than
were anticipated by the legislature.
The buildings TO be erected or now un
der conract will not be larger nor finer
than was contemplated by the legis-
lators but they will cost more. The
/ fact that the legislature removed the
| limit from the levies makes all this
lpossible Whereas under the law as
it existed two years ago the sums
realized from the 1-tenth mill fixed
flevies for the State university and the
Estate College was limited, there is
now no limit on the realiZations from
the 2-tenth mill leyies for these in
tstitutions and none on the 1-tenth mill
llevy for the normal school The ac-,
7 ttual effect will be to give these in
| istitntions more money for building
tsyrposes than was anticipated by the
Legislators. The increase in values on
/ land and personal property alone will
| give to the normal school $500 a year
more and to each Of the others $1,000
a year more. To this will be added the
returns from the added value on rail-
road property and that of express. tel
egraph, telephone, freight lines and
| interurbans which is likely to be no
| linconsderable sum. The additional
money will all come in handy and the
trustees and regents will not be at
loss how to make use Of it all in the
new building operations that are going
on.
| Those county officials who are fiat
| terng themselves that by sending a
delegation to Des Moines to appear be-
| fore the executive council and make
a showing that their counties, no mat
ter what the others might be, We're
assessed absolutely right and that the
assessment is so perfect that there is
not likely to be any improvement, are
going to receive slight jar about the
time they hear from the finish of the
whole business. One of the things
which is causing some worry to the
state officials is that the equalization
Of values as between counties, IL it is
done honestly and fairly and as con-
templated by law, will have the in
evitable effect Of putting upon county
officials vast amount of extra work
in the way of figuring over all the as
sessments and causing them to rear
range their books. This Of itself viii,
cause good deal of complaining and
the state officials are not more anxious
than are county officials to bring up
on. their heads the wrath OF others.
But the prediction is here made that
there will be changes in the assessment
in not less than 80 per cent Of the
counties of the state. In short, there
will be some actual work of equaliza-
ton OF values as between the counties
something doing that will impress 1T
self upon the county officials with the
fact that there is an equalizing board
and that it is performing it's works.
The hearings have not yet been COM
pleted. This week the other corpor-
ations that are assessed directly by the
council may be heard. The Western Un-
ion Telegraph Company will have a
man here on Tuesday to talk about the
assessments of that company. The eX
press companies will probably not be
represented at all. The freight lines or
companies owning and handling cars,
will be heard some time during the
week, and several of them have signf-
fled the intention of being represented. |
These companies have never been tax
ed. They have never reported until
this year. A great deal of work has
been necessary to get them to report at
ALL 1t is evident they are going to
make an effort to resist the effort to |
assess and tax them and perhaps fight |
the matter in the courts. The state |
will have an advantage in that the state |
will undertake directly the collection of
the taxes, and may go out and seize a
freight car or two to make the taxes
good.
The coal bill of the state of Iowa for
the state institutions is becoming big
ger every year. At the state institu-
tons there is slight increase In the |
amount of coal consumed. but hardly in
proportion to the increase in business
done for the state is adopting new
methods and the very best machinery
and furnaces. But coal prices are
gaining rapidly. The state Is using, at
the various institutions, about 10000
tons of coal year. Last year there
was an increase of so cents a ton on