Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-02-28

St1II treaty Uuderestimated by Tax
Com m ission-C oulm ission's Figures
OF Farm Vafues-They Fall Short OF
the Ccnsus Returns.
ISSUED in Behalf of Wisconsin Railways.)
In article number . we stated that the
estimate made by the Tax Commission Of
the true value OF the non railroad property
or Wisconsin was at least $1,000. 100000 too
low. In the present article and In several
or Its immediate successors shall point
out some of the most important OF the err
rors made by the Commission
In the report that has Just appeared the
Tax Commission on page 215 says: The
commission from the investigation Of facts
ana statistics covering n period of seven
years from 1895 to 1901, has ascertalned
and determined the true cash value Of all
the taxable property Of the state to be the
sum Of $1.5A ,3i6 COO" On the next page
or page 216 of It's report the commission
says: The lowest amount of the market
value Of the stocks and bonds of the rail-
ways of the state on the average Of seven
years llS9o-1SoD after deductions OF lands
ana collateral bonds, Is $217, s54 026." Hav-
ing given these two sumB the commission.
itself, presents and discusses these sums
IN such way that the reader will say,
the railway companies have approximate
" one-eighth of the property Of the state,
therefore they ought in justice be called on
10 pay like proportion of the taxes"
II the railway companies believe that
their property represents one-eighth Of the
property of the state they would be willing
10 bear one-eighth Of the taxes. But they
do not believe that S1,504, $4,000 fully rep
resents the cash value Of tho non railroad
property in Wisconsin nor do they believe
that their properties can any equitable
basis be valued as high as $21f, S54 ,o20.
III 1t Is possible to show that the taxable
nc NOM railroad property of the state exceeds
that the railroad properties are worth
$2l7 ,So4 ,026, the railroad companies can in
Justice only be expected to pay little
more than one-twclfth of the taxes
We will now show that very large part
OF the taxable non-railroad property was
entirely overlooked by the commission In
making It's estimates mad the property 1t
did find 1t greatly undervalued. The farm
Ing Industry will be considered first.
In discussing the value of farm property
we have the results of the national CEN
sus Of 1900 to guide US. The census re-
turns show very conclusiyely that the Tax
commission has a great deal of work yet
to do While it has succeeded better than
many ANTICIPATED In getting property ON
less degree escaped taxation its work along
this line is, however, but half done.
Let us now compare the value Of farm
property of Wisconsin as determined by the
Tax Commission with the census returns.
or course it will be remembered that the
valuations OF the census are for the year
1900: and that even the census enumerators
did not find all the property in the state.
The very first items compared show star
Ting variations. The census gives the
value on June l.. 1900. Of the 1882. 727
consin as $3.50, 542,6 $50. This equals an aver
age value Of $2G.1O per acre, and no fair
minded man will contend that this Is more
than the farm lands OF Wisconsin are
worth The census gives the value on June
l, 1900, of the buildings on the farms of
Wisconsin as St35,C04.97O. Adding the two
sums just given we find the value of the
farms and buildings on June l, 1900, was
$GSG,147, eco
The Tax Commission reported the value
In 1900 Of the 329S2,3 o7 acres of land in
Wisconsin. together With the value Of the
buildings on 1t as $6;;1.325.230 Village and
city land, regardless of whether or not 1t Is
subdivided into lots, is Of course not in
cluded In this item. This Is simply. the
value of the acre land outside of villages
md cities and Of the buildings upon this
land.
Those who have compared the census fig
ures and the valuations Of the Tax Com
mission, but have not examined the figures
closely have jumped to the conclusion that
the farm lands of Wisconsin are now as
sessed by the state board at very nearly
their full value. But such persons have
failed to note that the census returns only
cover the land of the state that Is already
In farms, or 19,S02,727 acres, while the Tax
Commissions figures cover the whole area
OF the state that is outside OF villages and
ciEes, or 80. 307 acres.
Now let us make comparison OF the
valuations of the Tax Commission and tho
returns DL lHe CENSUS aileF the IuItcF ny
ures have been supplemented by an esti-
mate of the value of the acre lands Of the
state outside OF cities and villages and not
found In farms; ana after NIL the values
have been brought down to 1862, the date
of the latest estimates made by the Tax
Commission.
CENSUS RETURNS.
Farm lands and improvements
other than buildings $500. $3.50, 542 GOO
Ten per cent for Increase In
In value from 1900 to 1902. 49,. b3,O54 269
Farm buildings $500. ......... 155, 604 $40
Ten per cent. for Increase in
value from 1900 to 1902. 80. 1850, 40T
IS, 119, $50 acres of standing tim
Der, ore lands, cut over lands,
etc. .......... ............ 131, 195, 800
Total .... ............ 1885,. o5S 228
TAX COMMISSIONERS VALUATIONS.
Tax Commissioners valuation of
the acre land of the state and
OF the buildings on the said
land was In 1900 .......... $500, So, go
Increase In value from 1900 to
1902, it being assumed that
country, city, village lands and
buildings have increased at
the same rate. ............... 10, 4O9,OS9
Total ........ .,......... S6'5, t54 8lS
These statements show that the Tax
Commissions valuations instead Of being
nearly as high as the census returns fall
short Of the latter by $212 223, GOT, when
the valuations are made to cover the same