Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-03-10
MONEY MUST BE TAXED.

MONEY MUST BE TAXED.
Tax Roll Shows S34. 4.05o in Cash In Berto
County; Bank Report Shows $3.50. .oI7
In It's Vaults.
j The commissioners court met il
regular session last Wednesda,
and transacted the followin.
special business:
Ia the matter of the assess
ment for the year 1908, ii ap
Pearing to the court thar the
same 10 very unequal, and Ii
many instances inequitable, prop.
erty being assessed from so be,
cent down to, in some instances,
20 per cent of its true cash value;
that the present condition is con-
trary to the letter and spirit OF
the law, and a great injury to the
country in depreciating its actual
financial standing; that by rea-
son of the system of low valua-
ton, we are forced by the rec.
ords to admit that Benton coun-
ty is without financial standing
and property at small value, ne
cessitating a high tax levy ia or
der to raise sufficient funds for
the maintenance of the county;
that the small taxpayer is carry
ing an unequal amount Of the
public burden, while, due to the
present system of under valua-
ton and the apparent inability of
the assessor to reach money,
notes and accounts, his more
wealthy neighbor is escaping
taxation; that the tax roll of
1902 shows that there was but
$34,o5o in money in Benton
county On the Ist day of March
of that year, while the published
report of the First National Bank
of Corvallis shows the sum of
$33o,o17.15 ON deposit in its
vaults alone at that time-or in
other words, ever 5000, 600 escap-
ing taxation; that Sec. 3o57 of
the Be1linger Code says: "And
said lands or town lots shalt be
valued at their true cash value. I"
tTrue cash value shall be held
and taken to mean the amount
such property would sell for at a
voluntary sale made in the ordin-
ary course of business also
Sec. 3o58: ''A11 personal prop
city not exempt from taxation
shall be valued at its true value
in cash, and it shall be the dHty
OF each assessor to value ali i'm
provements on claimed land |
within his county as personal
property also Sec. 3o67: lit
shall be the duty of the county |
assessors of this state, when max
ing their assessment for each |
year, to apply to the proper Of
hcers of every baHking institu-
ton or express company in his
county and procure a certified
sworn statement of the names of
depositors of money or other val {
uables, with the amounts of
or other valuables depos-
tied, attched to the names of each
depositor, for the purpose of as
sessing the same. +" cit is there
fore ordered that H. L. Bush, as
SCISSOR of Benton county, Oregon,
be, and he is hereby instructed
and directed to carry out the
provisions of Sections 3o57, 3o58
and 3o67 at pages Io4I, 1913
and 1o45 respectively of the Bel
linger Code. And if said assess.
er fails and neglects to comply
with this order and carry out the
provisions of said above-mention-
ed sections, the county court will
consider that he has failed to
properly perform his duties, and
will not receive his assessment
for the year 1908"
1t having been brought to the
attention of the court that Mrs.
Carrie Fossett and children were
n destitute circumstances and
hat they were desirous of going
% Tacoma, WASH, the clerk
was instructed to draw a warrant
or SIS in favor of Mrs. Fossett.
]. D. Wells was appointed