The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-18
Representatives OF Railroads
Make Pathetic Appeal.
Fear That Assessment of Com
panies Is to Be Raised.
VERY SMALL.
Intimate That Roads Are on
Verge of Bankruptcy.
Willing to Let Taxes Stand as
They Are.

The average person may think that
the railroad business is reasonably
profitable in Kansas at present. The
plain plug ordinary citizen who sees
the tremendous amount of traffic
which the railroads haul and hears
the complaints about the lack of cars
and motive power to do the business
which the roads have and who knows
something of the freight rates which
the railroads charge, doubtless thinks
that the railroad ought to be in a
fairly prosperous condition.
But al this is a mistake. If you
don't believe it all you have to do is
to listen to the statements made by
the tax commissioners of the railroads
to the State Board of Railroad Asses
sors, which Is in session today. Ac-
cording to the impressions given by
some of these gentlemen the railroad
business is on the verge of bankruptcy
in Kansas
But notwithstanding this, not all
the tax commissioners asked that
their assessments be lowered. Some of
them thought their roads could worry
along and still do business ifathe asses
sOrS leave them the same as last year
and do not raise them. The thing they
seem to fear most is q raise.
An assessment the same as last
companies all right, inasmuch as 9TH
er property was increased little mat
ter of $23,0OO.000, While the railroad
assessments were practically undis-
turbed.
Among the tax commissioners who
appeared before the. board today were
the following:
c. S. Sherwin of the Missouri. KAN
sas & Texas located at Dallas, Texas.
r. A. Brown of st. Joseph. repres-
enting the st. Joseph & Grand Island.
r. T. Booth of St. Louis, represent
ing the Frisco.
S L. Highleyman of st. Louis, rep
resenting the Missouri Pacific.
J. G Cooper of Topeka, represent
ing the Rock Island.
Z. T. Cartilage of Topeka, repres-
enting the Santa Fa.
NJ. Q. Woodruff of St Paul, repres-
enting the ChlcaEO-GfF eat W estern.
Mr.. Brown OF the St. Joseph g.
Grand Island thought that his COM
pany's bridge across the Missouri
river at st. Joseph was assessed too
! high. The Kansas part of it is assess
ed at $500 600, and Mr.. Brown thought
the whole bridge was not worth that
much. 1t seems, however, that the
Rock Island pays $4,000 a year for the
privilege of running its trains over the
bridge, to say nothing of the value il
is to the Grand Island. Mr.. Brown
said his road was in such bad condi-
tion financially that it is paying divi-
dends only upon the preferred stock,
but when Attorney General Coleman
asked how much of the S15,000,000 cap
italization was preferred, he said he
did not know.
An attorney for the Kansas & South
ern, the little short line in Pottawat-
onie county which runs down to WAst-
moreland, said his line had been aban-
doned and would run no more trains
It would shortly be ordered to be sold
to pay its Indebtedness, but he doubted
If anybody would buy it except for
junk.
| The county surveyor of Reno county
/ appeared before the board and report
ed about $4,000 worth of railroad prop
| erty which was not reported by the
railroad companies. 1t consisted of in
creased sidetracks, coal chUtes, and
other buildings.
5. L. Highleyman, Of the Missouri
/ Pacific, explained that this came about
/ because of the fact that when side
| tracks are heightened or shortened a
I few feet it is not sufficient to make a
change in the inventory for taxation,
and in the course of a few years, when
no new inventory is made up, the side
| tracks may have increased or dimin-
ished sufficiently to make some differ