The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-09-26
MORE ON THE
ASSESSMENT
What the Carson Appeal Has
to Say In Regard to State
Board of Assessors

Carson Appeal, Sept. 25 The ac-
tion of the state board of revenue on
Wednesday last with reference to the
assessment Of railroad lands in Hum
boldt county Is significant and sug-
gestive in more ways than one. Since
the enactment of the law for more
uniform valuation of property for pur-
poses of taxation, and those Of the
last session for the reduction of tax
rates, the laws in question have been
constantly and bitterly assailed as be-
ing in the interest of the Southern
Pacihc railroad company. The most
absurd and groundless statements
have been made in support of this
view.
1t has been broadly charged tnat
the state board of assessors has per-
manently fixed the valuation of the
railroad at $4,000 per mile, while the
valuation of all other kinds of prop
erty will have to be raised from year
to year to offset the reduction in the
tax rate. Anything more directly at
variance with the truth, it would be
hard to imagine. In the first place the
board has not permanently fixed the
value of the road at any figure, but has
merely valued it for the year 1903 ana
! this at figures considerably above the
average of former years. Secondly.
the board of assessors has no power
( to fix the value of the road for more
/ than one year at time, and 1t has
! the same power with reference 10
other species of property. Thirdly, the
board has shown no disposition what
ever to favor the railroad, and it never
will if the people are careful in the
selection of their county assessors
VINO collectively make up the state
board.
The utterly preposterous character
! of the charge referred to is well ex-
emplified by this Humboldt county
matter. The assessor of that county
has shown the strongest antipathy to
these new revenue enactments and has
constantly favored the idea of keeping
the assessments as much as possible
in the hands of the individual county
assessors. He is now charged by the
district attorney of his county with
having grossly and wrongfully favor
ed the railroad in assessment of its
lands in that county, such lands be-
| ing valued by him at small fraction
of the value placed upon them in 9TH
e. counties for the purpose of taxa
tion. Moreover, the charge is made
that these railroad lands in Hum
boldt county have been listed by this
assessor at very much lower values
than lands of the same character own
/ ed by private individuals or other
corporations.
Perhaps the assessor can give 4
good reason for this discrimination
bus on its face 1t has an exceedingly
bad look. The board of equalization
OF Humboldt county passed the
charges over until the 5th of October.
AS soon as the attention of the state
board of revenue was directed to this
matter, a telegram was sent to the
county board of equalization urging it
to take action that would do justice
to the taxpayers of that county and
those of the entire state.
Here we have a conclusive demon
stration of the wisdom of the legisla-
4 tion under consideration. Had the
state board of assessors fixed the value
of these railroad lands and others
similarly situated, no such abuse or
injustice as the one charged in Hum
boidt county would have occurred.
Nothing can be clearer than that the
railroad company can control single
assessor much more easily than 1t can
al, of them collectively, when acting
under the eyes Of the governor, the
controller of state and the attorney
general If justice is not done In this
Humboldt county matter, 1t will not
be the fault of the state board OF
revenue, whose aim is to treat every
taxpayer with equal fairness.
Referring TO the above article the
Carson News remarks: The .-ppeal