Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-13
VALUE OF RAILROADS
CONTINUED from First Psse.)

way Of showing the earnings OF any sep
arate mile.
Denies Uhiust Taxation.
The assertion made by the railroads that
they had been taxed unius;sy was denied.
The report Of the auditor for 1902, Mr..
Rose said, showed that the Union Pa
ciac had 1000 miles of>main line, while the
net earnings were SAN a mile. This cap
italized at 4 per cent would make the value
OF the road $117,5D per mile for the main
line. Assessed a. one-sixth It would be
t1s,5ss; assessed az on~e-seventh, H4,sS7i as
sessed at o~ne-tenth. 81, $50. The board last
year assessed the main line at $500 per
mile and the branch lines at $500 per mile.
This, the speaker held. would make an av-
erage assessment OF the entire system OF
e6.427 per mile.
In discussing the bulletins issued by the
railroads last year, Mr.. Rosewater said he
could take the figures of the railroads and
show that twenty years ago they were as
sessed at more per mile, and there was less
mileage than at the present time. He con-
nded that the railroads OF today were
not to be compared ia value to the railroads
OF that day. They had increased in Waite
and at the same time their assessments
had been decreased in proportion.
Figures were produced 70 show the In
CEEhStu CaiHiuHb VI IN NhElohH TdiiTudue
over former years. He advised the board
not to consider the reports OF any previous
years.
That IL dcn every year" he said. Las
year the board worked on the report of
the year before. the year before that the
board worked on the report of the previous
year. DO the work yourselves and pay no
attention to what other boards lave done.
II will be the only way that taxes will be-
come equalized."
Compared with Land Values.
Considerable time was spent in the aft
ernoon discussing whether lands were taxed
on a less per cent of their value than were
the railroads. The board had secured from
the various county clerks q table of the
land sales which the board believed ex-
pressed the affirmative of the question. Mr..
Rosewater had also secured statements
from the various county clerks. and his
table covered land sales for a period of six
months on nearly all of the land that was
brought In question either by the speaker
or members OF the board showed the as
/ sessment on a basis of one-sixth of the
value OF the land. In some instances, how
ever, this was not true. That land in the
western part Of the state was assessed at
a greater per cent was not questioned, and
Mr.. Rosewater showed that one-haIf Of the
lands in the state taken as a whole, were
assessed on from one-sixth to one-seventh
Of It's value. The shrinkage in lots, he said,
was due In a measure to the many city
lots hat in former years were laid out in
cornfields and now were again cornields.
! Between the questions fred at him. par
ticularly by Mr.. Weston, regarding the
assessment OF land. Mr.. Rosewater got in
some good arguments against the records
| al -. a. IT, ~ AFAa.zA
that from 1889 to the present time there was
an Increase Of GO miles in mileage, and by
taking the same mileage tn the two years
a decline Of over SIX 900 in valuation.
No Distribution of Terminals.
He showed that the earnings Of the rail-
roads had doubled since 1886, and he held
that IL they vert assessed fairly in 1885
they should have their assessments mate
RALLY increased in 1902 The Burlington sys-
TEN. he said, sold for $685. 900 per mile. and
this valuation should be distributed
throughout the state, because Nebraska
roads were feeders for the system. And he
believed that the valuation should be dis
tributed along all the lines of the roads
and all branches. without. discrimination
of the Burlington system Mr.. Rosewater
said the distribution OF the value Of term
inal facilities had never taken place. AZ
a n example he took up the southwestern
which at this time Is fifty and one-fourth
q miles In length. In 1889 II was assessed at
SO, 400 per mile and now Is assessed at
$500 per mile. Up to 1895 the Burlington
had no terminal facilities. Mr.. Rosewater
said that $2,0O0,0Oo. at a low estimate, had
been spent In terminal facilities, while the
whole assessment was much-iess.
And the Elkhorn," continued Mr.. Rose
water, has issued a statement tina It had
spent $4,000 in improvements in South
Omaha. Where is IL? Instead Of there
being an increase there has been a de.
crease in the assessments. II this had
been taken into account it would give
Gage, Cas-, Saline and other countieS
more money, though Douglas would have
secured little"
Mr.. Rosewater expressed the Same
opinion OF the Union Pacific. THE whole
presumption that they are distributing the
value of the terminals is negative by the
records. Railroads should pay in proper
ton to their value and not according ta
other property"
He then called attention to the high as.
sessment of the railroads in Kansas and
showed that land was assessed as low as
, 90 cents per acre. He told of the agitation
OF the railroad taxation question through
r out the country and OF the increased as
t sessmen made in Minnesota, Montana
4 Michigan and other points; and he In
) sisted that there was no excuse whatevel
3 for railroads in Nebraska to be assessed
5 less now than they were in the SOS anC
early COS.
Weston ia Inqutsitive.
Considerable debate occurred during tn
address Of Mr.. Rosewater and the mem
bers OF the board, particularly Mr.. westoi
n Governor Mickey, displayed a grea
deal more OF an inauirtng mind than the!
did on the occasion OF the talks by tn
railroad attorneys. Auditor Weston. in par
ticular manifested a disposition to impress
Upon Mr.. Rosewater that railroads wer
being assessed on a greater per cent o
: their valuation than were lands. Frequent
. Mr.. Weston declared certain statement
made by Mr.. Rosewater were not accord
ing to the records, but in every instane
verihcation showed hat the statement
, did conform TO the records. Every httl
\ while A. w. s~cribner. the tax agent for tn
Union Pacific, was called upon to say