Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-15
las 10 LAND VALUES.
Many Very Amusing Pleas Are
Made Before The Execu-
tive Council
D. w. NORRIS AIDS THE COUNCIL
Called Before the Executive Council! on
Assessment Question He Shows That
"sales" Figures are too High But
That Assessors Figures are Ridicu-
lousy Unequal.
Snecla. to Times. Republican.

Specia. to Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 15.-The hearing oil
special attorneys before the executive
council GA the lard assessment question
was about as amusing a performance
as eve. took place III the State house
To have heard their arguments would
have discouraged any man who pos
sessed Iowa farm investments. Such
hard luck stories from counties that
otherwise stand we'll in tine realty mae-
kets have never been heard since the
grasshopper days in Nebraska.
Adair was the first county called. She
had no representative. The governor
asked Secretary Martin if he would like
to say something for Adair but as tile
records showed that Adair lands Wee
valued by the local assessors at S33.t6
an acre and that the lands sold in 1872
We're assessed at 6S per cent of what
they were sold at. the genial old secr,.-
laFN nlOueSlly dSCllHSi
Allamakee had sent five county Off
Gals and they told hardluck story.
Their lands are returned at S2252, just
SLIP per acre higher than in 1901. This
means that If they We're properly a3-
sessed in 1901 the advance since then
has been only s4.4S per acre. After
listening to these gentlemen, we con-
Guided that Allamakee was Nigh y
bad place to go to and a hard place %
get away from. Just why one should
voluntarily stay in such a God-forsaktn
place is past finding out.
Blackhawk's representative was ell
tirely fair. He insisted upon 1t that tile
assessed value of s4s.50 w&s right, when
every man in the room knew it was TOO
high. He was wholly unable to eNplai n
the low percentage as compared with
the selling price, SO per cent.
Bremen was represented by Burton
Sweet. Sweet made qui.e speech. It
was meant for an orator:cal effort. Fle
said the assessed valuation of $41.b6
was right. ard attributed the low val
ue Of real estate in his county to rivers
and timber.
The gentlemen from Clinton said that
their lands, were assessed just right.
at $479S, and they told a hard luck
story too. They said they had too mut:h
water and. unlike Jones. they had no
creameries. Mosto of us thought Clinton a
pretty rich county until after 1i''' .
TO her representatives.
Fayette ais made pitiful appeal.
"Pitysta pools. old beggar' and thny
we're quite sure the assessors were right
when they agreed on s35.11 per acre
Jackson was very poor. Her assessors
had agreed on valuation of s30.66 and
her REPRESENTATIVES were actually indi,;-
rant at any one who might suggest
they were worth more. The county asi-
ditor was wholly unable TO explain. IN
answer to question put by Governor
Cummins, why the assessors had as
sessed the lands sold in 1902 at only -
per cent of what they brought.
The representative from kossuIh
thought their valuation WAS just right,
sS2.0T.and as the lands sold In 1907 were
only returned at 81 per cent of their
selling value, he thought this might
be explained by the fact that the lands
sold nearly all lay in the southern part
OF the county. Some of the members
of the council couldn't understand THIS
explanation.
Madison's representative caught borh
the council and the crowd by his good
nature. He thought the assessors got
his county just right at SGT, which was
reither too high nor too low, and he
prefaced his remarks by saying that II
he could feel assured that the council
would neither lower nor raise his coun-
~ he wouldn't say q word. ne also
that the low percentage as 20
selling values, rs per cent, was due 20
the fact that. unlike others, he had
failed TO .pick" his sales.
Buriill. of Oskaloosa, spoke for Ma
haska He painted a picture OF poor
old Mahaska that drew tears. The raw
ages of her three rivers and the aban-
donment of mining camps, owing to the
fact that the coal had been exhausted,
had left Mahaska in dreadfully poor
shape. He thought that tseir valuation,
S4G.I3, Was in proportion 70 nefgnboring
counties. Poweshiek is s46.40, Jasper
s5lS3, Marshall $5l.17 and Tama 1882
Rurrill couldn't get ullra these state
nents without bmshing. There seems
to be hope for Burrill.
The speaker for Monona said her
valuation, s30S6, was JEST right. He
explained her low percentage, 65 per
cent by saying that the purchasers in
1902 were suckers from Illinois, who
didn't know the difference between
black lands and choice upland gravel.
SO thew put the black lands on them at
a terrible price.
All of these gentlemen were asked by
Governor Cummins to point out way
by which these seeming inequalities
COULD be adjusted, but all insisted that
there were no mistakes. or If any. they
sre in the other fellows baiiiwick
ass essors had g!vea the matter much
thought. their verdi: Should stand. An
ether thought that 4 comparison with
the neighboring county was the proper
method-the council, of course, would
knew just as much about his county
as about the neighboring county, and
no more. The real problem puZzllng
the couE,eil. of how to arrive al fair
basis for equaiiZing assessments, was
not touched upon until Poweshiek was
called.
Poweshie'lS had sent u. w. Norris, of
Grinnell. who understood the land
business In a quick, rapid firing man
ner he discussed the assessment prob
lem with a Knowledge of land values
that was of great assistance to the
council Mr. Norris said: "Poweshiek
has no hard-luck story to tell. Neither
rivers. abandoned coal mines. floods,
grasshoppers nor populists have done
us material damage. You are here 10
eaualiZe land values. Are they right?