Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-07-22
A GOOD INCREASE.
Taxable. Property Of the State viii
Reach Over 5000. .OOO. 600.

Reach Over 5000, ,0oo, 900.
Helena, July 19.-The state board
of equalization will begin its annual
meeting tomorrow morning at 10
O'Clock. The board is composed OF
Governor Joseph X. Toole, Secretary
OF State George M. Hayes, Treasurer
A. n. Barrett, Attorney General James
Donovan and Auditor ]. H. Calder.
head. 1t is known that two members
OF the board will not be able to be
present for the opening session. State
Treasurer Barrett is on his way 10
Helena from Baltimore, accompanying
the body of Mrs. Barrett, who died
there last Friday. The attorney gen.
eral has not yet returned from Aurora,
Illinois, where he was married on
Friday last.
There will be practically no bust.
ness transacted at the first session
of the board further than the fixing
OF the date on which the board will
hear the representatives of the rail.
road companies on the matter of as.
sessments for the year. The custom
has been for the board to give the
railroad men hearing and then make
the assessment, after which the rail.
road men are given another hearing
II they desire it.
Among the representatives of the
tax deputies of the railroads who are
expected to come to Helena for the
meeting are: G. s. Fernald of the
Northern Pacific railroad, r. A. Wilk.
inson OF the Great Northern, R. d.
Pollard of the Burlington, |. Parkey
Veazey of the Montana Central, J. B.
Evans of the Oregon Short Line and
Charles Schwartz of the Butte, Ana
conda & Pacific.
When the board comes :, examine
the assessment rolls for the various
counties 1t will find numerous items
that are inconsistent. For instance,
not hog, lamb, or ram is listed in
the returns from Custer county. In
Park county it will be noticed that
the value OF musical instruments is
greater by $4,000 than the bitches and
fumes in the county. And In Broad
water the returns will show that not
one mining claim has been filed on
or patented during the past year and
there have been no mining improve.
ments during this time. With reports
from four counties yet to come in
the assessment of real and personal
property in Montana this year reach.
es the splendid total OF $154,00O, 600
and 1t as regarded as certain that
counties yet to report will show fig
ures sufficient to run the aggregate
to little more than s200,000,O0O, TAX
ing into account the assessment OF
| railroads, which last year was in the
aggregate more than $32 100000 Barr
| ing the four counties referred to, the
exact figures shown in the assess.
ment rolls sent by the various as.
SCISSORS to Clerk J. j. Ryan of the
state board of equalization make the
total valuation OF real estate and per.
sonal property this year sl54, ,96l.
Last year the total was S136,760,504
| the increase as compared with last
year being $1S,020,257.
The counties where the assessors
have not yet reported are Fergus
Madison, Powell and Ravalli, which
last year showed total assessed valu
alton of s1S,759,973 Estimating that
the assessments in those counties will
not show a decrease. the total valu
alton Of property in the state reaches
$173,543,934. and this. with the rail
road valuation at the same figure as
last year would make the total for the
entire state more than s205. .000.0 900
Beaverhead's report, sent by assessor
A. s. Beardsley, was received today
by Clerk Ryan. II shows an increase
Of s394,792 over last years figures
Total assessment OF real estate and
improvements this year is s2.193. .405
and of personal property s2.056,553
a total of S4,249,958.