The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-01
COUNTY AUDITOR
WANTS TO BE SHOWN
Questions Powerof Board to Di.
rect Him 10 Place n. P. As.
sessment on Rolls

County Auditor e. c. Krahmer has
asked the state board of equalization
to show him authority for a compliance
with the request of the state board that
he place 100000 personal property
assessment against the Northern Pa
cific Railway company on the assess
ment rolls. The state board has re-
ferred the matter to the attorney gen.
eral for an opinion.
The item was Cancelled some months
ago from the Ramsey county assess
ment rolls on advice of County Attor-
ney Kane, after a conference with AS
SCISSOR Conley and committee repre-
senting the city and county govern
ments. The state board of equalization,
when it met, passed a resolution ask
ing the state auditor to request the
Ramsey county auditor to place the
assessment again on his assessment
rolls.
Yesterday Mr.. Krahmer wrote let
ter TO the state board of equalization
setting forth his position, in which he
asked that his attention be directed to
an authority for compliance with the
request. After referring to the resolu-
ton adopted by the state board, Mr..
KRAMER says.
kraFner Wants to Know
81 appreciate the Importance of plae-
ing upon the rolls all taxable property
so that the taxes may bear as nearly
equally as possible upon all the tax
payers, whether they be corporations
or individuals, and I would gladly COM
ply with the request expressed in the
resolution if felt that l had the au-
thority so to do.
The assessor of Ramsey county as
seSSed the Northern Pacific Railway
company 100000 upon its credits,
after receiving the return of that COM
pany of its taxable personal property.
That return is a matter of record
in Ramsey county, and shows that the
Northern Pacific Railway company has
debts and obligations exceeding by mil
lions of dollars its credits, and there is
no doubt that the return was absolute
ly true in that respect, for it is a well
known fact that the bonds and mort
cages of the Northern Pacific Railway
company amount to something like
$169,000,0 900 and its credits are less than
one-tenth of this sum, the statement
of the exact sum being set out in fig
ures in that return.
Under these circumstances the
Northern Pacific applied to the board
of equalization of Ramsey county to
have the assessment struck from the
lists This was carefully considered by
that board and by a committee ap
pointed, consisting of Mr.. Conley, the
assessor; Mr.. Moriarty, a member Of
the board of aldermen, and myself, and
we presented the matter to the county
attorney, who, together with his assist
ant, carefully examined the whole stu
uation, and after taking time to DELHI
crate upon the question advised our
committee that this tax could not be
collected, and the board of equalization
ordered the assessment struck from the
rolls.
Deficiency Would Be $4,000
SHOULD we place this amount upon
the rolls illegally and fail to collect the
tax thereupon, it will result In a de-
ficieney in our taxes of something like
100000.
Last years tax against the North
ern Pacific on similar credits is being
litigated. but at that time no return
of any kind or description was made
by the company. If that tax is deter
mined to be illegal, our deficiency will
be $4,000 more, and, on the other
hand if the litigation involved in last
years tax the courts indicate the law