Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-01-20

a great responsibility, and | would ear
nestly recommend that you make such
a provision. to be paid out of the funds
received by the board, which will not
involve any direct expenditure by the
territory.
For the protection of our lands there
should be a law requiring the judges
of the district court to especially in
struct their grand juries to investigate
into the cutting of timber or other
depredations on school sections or 9th
er territorial lands, and making it the
duty of each district attorney to pros
ecute any such offenders.
Taxation.
While the assessed value of the ter
ritory has been increased during the
last year by 81, $50, 945.33, it is still far
below what it should be. The appar-
ent decrease in value in certain coun
ties is inexcusable, for it is a well
known fact that in all of those coun-
ties there have been during the past
year great and valuable improvements
which should have appeared in the
assessment rolls, and the inequality
between the different counties is most
unjust to those returning fair value.
The present law on the subject of
assessment Is ample, IL 1t were follow
ed by the officers whose sworn duty 1t
is to enforce these laws; but from To-
cal influence, ignorance, indifference
or some other cause, this plain duty is
violated in nearly every county in the
k.-r;far, ,a-r1tfno m urnot ipincti0p
to some counties and to some taxpay-
ers and a showing OF the value of the
territory which is unjust to it, and
makes a very bad impression abroad.
besides resulting in a much higher
rate of taxation for territorial pur-
poses than is necessary and with no
practical benefit to anyone; for it is
necessary to raise a certain amount of
money for territorial purposes, and a
low assessment produces a high rate
of taxation, while q fair assessment of
the property in the territory would re-
duce the rate of taxation at least ne
half. AS it seems impossible to get
the assessors to perform their sworn
duty, | would recommend that the
powers of the board of equalization
be increased, so that it may fix and
adjust values in the counties, as well
as between the different counties in
the territory. This board is composed
of gentlemen from every part of the
territory familiar with values and con
ditions in their respective districts,
and are not affected by any local inter-
est which would prevent them from
acting fairly. The power might be
given them to fix values for territorial
purposes only, leaving each county
free to continue the present ineffective
and ruinous system If 1t desires, but
at all events you should devise some
system by which the assessed value of
the territory as a whole should be
made to appear somewhere neal what
it actually is. The equalization board
has a full and complete report which
goes as a part of this message and
would invite your special and particu-
lar attention to the anne in this con-
nection. See Exhibit F..
In order to present this fully to your
body, | give the following abstract of
the assessment rolls of eacn county
for 1902:
(Here follows abstract.)
Travelling Auditor,
In ny message to the Thirty-third
legislative assembly, made a recon-
of travelling auditor" and also in my
message to the Thirty-fourth legisla
tive assembly, / renewed my recon.
mendation in the following words:
81 would also renew my recommen.
dation for the creation of an office tC
be known as travelling auditor or terri
torial examiner; the duty of such Off
Ger to be the examination of the as
sessment rolls, tax lists, collectors
and ~treasurers' accounts, and terri
torial banks, at stated OF egular in
~teryals, and establish and maintain
uniform system in each county for the
keeping of records and accounts. Thi:
Office has been most successful in wy
oming, where 1t has been in operation
since 1892, and the system has been
adopted in many other states with
great saving In money and labor to the
county and state officials"
again, at this time, recommend Ia
you this important measure. This of
fee was needed badly four years ago
was needed two years ago, and the
conditions as they exist today demand
more im~peratiyely than ever that the
financial interests of the territory b.
protected and the business OF the ter
ritory pertaining to the assessment o
property for purposes of taxation, tn
collection of taxes, m the keeping o
proper accounts with treasurers an,
collectors, be conducted in a business
like manner.
AS an economic measure, the sys
tematising of the public business G
the territory would work no hardshi
ON any intaraeta hnt wnnld Nithnu