The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-09
A STORM BR[W WING
SAYS Mr.. BUSBtE
Two Remedies Suggested to
County Board.
A SQUALLY CONFERENCE
The Lie All but Passed Yesterday Afternoon
Mr.. Battle and Mr., c. N. Busbee
Declare Board Actions
Illegal.

Yesterday afternoon at three o'clock
before the Board of County Commission
ers appeared Messrs. R. H. Battle, Charles
NJ. Busbee, E. P. Maynard and
Julius Lewis to make a final pro-
test and complaint against the valuation
of property in Raleigh township and to
suggest remedies.
The hearing was rather a stormy one
from start to finish. 1t lasted from three
o'clock until nearly five. Two distinct
propositions were made to the Board, one
by Mr.. Battle and the other by Mr.. Bus
bee. Mr.. Battles proposition was that
all unimproved property assessed al
above Is per cent. increase over the last
assessment be reduced to 10 per cent. in
crease. Then property that had beer i'm
proved by new buildings or in other ways
could be separately assessed again.
Mr.. Bushels suggestion was as follows:
Raleigh real estate was assessed formerly
at $4,S00,000 In round numbers. The in
crease Is $1,60O,000, according to Mr. An
drews' figures published last Sunday. This
is an increase of one third. Take off 20
per cent. of this one-third increase, about
$4,000, leaving an increase of 81, 2S0, 900,
exactly 20 per cent. increase on the old
valuation. as against Az per cent. out
side of Raleigh. This would not satisfy
the property owners, he said, but they
would be willing to agree to it as COM
promise. rather than proceed to litiga-
ton.
Mr.. R. H. Battle first addressed the
Board. He said that all he asked for his
eli hnn of
ands of dollars, was that the valuation
of Raleigh township property be aggrega-
ted and Appropriated to the
other townships of the county. He de-
MED that more than two-thirds of Wake
ship. How could board equalze when
it did not know the aggregate amount
of the valuations in the township?
His clients presented the fact that a
mistake had been made in the selection
of the tax assessors. Two of them had
not given in any property at all for taxa
tion, and the third, by the courtesy of
his friends, had been allowed a reduction
on his property. That was an unfortunate
accident.
Reference to the minutes showed that
the Commissioners had ordered that the
OfQef. passed yesterday TeuuclHS Ine DIS
sessment on the property of Mr.. N. a.
Dunn be reconsidered and the matter be
postponed until p. M"
Mr. Battle then said he had calculated
the increase in the other townships of the
county. That of Raleigh he did not know.
it had never been computed. He con-
tinued:
Il say this Board of Equalization has
never yet been in position to do what
the law requires, as it has never known
the rate of increase for Raleigh town
ship. l have figures here that show the
average increase throughout the county
to be 10 per cent. and it is that high
on account of special lumber interests
and the new railroad
Mr. Battle then said that what they
asked was that the Board, in order to
prevent legal steps being taken, should
approximate the increase in Raleigh with
that of the other townships. He then
read his figures as follows: