Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1903-02-07
GROSS INEQUALITIES.

equalization TO Governor Otoro Ia re.
plotc with pertinent examples cf yarla
t.oGs In asse smcnt and full Of recon
mendations Tor changes in existing
lawg The board has met semi.annual.
vs. and cndoayored 90 equitably adjust
The taxes complained Of, but at the out.
set ~ such work Is met with the ain.
Guilty that u can only act in cases
whore proper appeals are taken from
the different boards of county commits.
sIouor9. when Il Is apparent upon the
lace OF the tax rolls Of the different
counties. that the property rs not as.
sessCd IN that county in an equal and
uniform manner. and in no two coun.
ties are the valuations on the same
/ Kind OF property the same. For in.
stance. agricultural lands vary from 81
! cents valuation per acre IN Otoro coun.
] -. to Sl3S5 per acre in Taos county;
grazing lands from 20 cents per acre
/ in Taos county to s1.S5 in Dona Ana
county.
The total assessed valuation OF tine
/ territory subject TO tax in the year
/ 1902 Is S3s ,633 ,993, n net increase over
{ 1901 OF 81 .65G.9i5. The counties show.
/ ing increase Of assessed valuation are:
/ Lima. sll2.265; Sierra. $l53.065 Otero
Si6i 1922 San Miguel, $500 .42s: Santa
Fe. $229,3l9; Union, SCI .327; Chaves.
sl93,07s; Colfax. sSi772; Taos. si79.-
0Ss; Socorro, $4,000; Mora, sls.s93;
Dona Ana. s77s56; San Juan. 1857;
Eddy, s2OO,S29 Rio Arriba, s43.012;
Guadalupe. S2l2.15l. or total in.
81 ease OF s2,325,933
The counties showing decrease
arc:
Valencia. s3S.SS9; Lincoln. s2.419:
Grant. 1881, 500; Mckinley. 1921. 722:
Bernallllo, s124.265, or a total decrease
Of s66S, 9SS.
Chaves. Grant. Mckinley and Berna.
lilo counties alone sent in balanced
rolls accompanied by complete alb
s.racts as required by law. The rolls
from the other counties were more ~
less incorrect and some were in very
bad shape. They were incorrect not
only in the correct amount Of assessed
valuation. but in the extension OF ter.
ritorial tax levies. which for 1902 was
certified TO the different county boards
at 1899 mills, Santa Fe county return
ed rolls with the territorial tax extend.
ed at Is mills. Valencia at II mills and
Lincoln at 1929. In e,gh. counties the
summary exceeds the total OF the diff
erent classifications and in seven com
ties the total value of different classi.
cations exceeds the amount shown In
the summaries. Santa Fe and Rio Ar.
riba counties returned no abstract.
The report states that great deal
OF property escapes taxation. For ex.
ample. In 1901 Bernaillo county re-
turned on valuation of horses $4,000.
and. as compared with the returns of
other counties for that year, this was
very low. For 1909. the return OF Ber-
aalillo county on horses is $4,000, a |
falling of OF over rs per cent. The re.
port says: Either the stock has been
removed from the county. returned at
greatly reduced valuations or escaped
taxation"
Another evil which should be correc.
ted Is the placing OF different valua.
tons by county assessors and boards
OF county commissioners OF the differ.
ent counties on property OF like value.
To show how great this valuation is
the value per acre on agricultural land
as fixed in the different counties is
given:
Sierra, 1919; Guadalupe, SS.05; Dona |
Ana. s9.65; Bernalillo. not given; Col
fax. s5.06; Eddy, Sc: Rio Arriba, no
data; Taos. $13.S5; Mora, s9.47; Lin.
coin. sl012; Luna. $500; Otero, 81 |
cents; Chaves. $9O6: Mckinley. $1.64;
Union, not reported; Santa re, no
data; Socorro, sl0.25; San Miguel, |
SASS; Grant, sl0S6; Valencia, s2.1S;
San Juan, s11.92.
Valuation in different counties OF the |
same classes OF property. other than
lands, differ as widely. For example, |
Bernalillo county returns ZOO head OF
horses at IS pr head, while San Miguel |
county returns $3.50 head of horses at |
SIS per head. more than three times as
many at three times the valuation
The report refers to the action taken !
by the board to make raise on mer- |
ohandise. city and town lots last year
on account of the valuation being so
palpably unjust, unfair and inequitable |
and the decision by Judge Mcmillan
that the board had the right only TO
assess property belonging to railroads.
telegraph, telepone and sleeping car
companies and no power whatever to |
assess any other property except when |
acting on appeals from the action of
the boards OF county commissioners. II |
is recommended the board be given |
power to act as board OF review OF
the action taken by the several boards
OF county commissioners. The COM
missioner3 now review the action OF
the assessors and this board should |
review their action on behalf OF the
territory.
The report says 1T is a lamentable
fact that several OF the larger counties