The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-06
present time. This table is as follow

1t will be noticed that in 1891 the val
uation as returned by the county clerk
was reduced by the state board about
! $40, 900, but it still considerably
above the present valuation. Comanche
county in 1891 still had boom values. Its
valuation gradually decreased until 1898
when the assessors returns We're $542,-
69S, which was raised by the state board
to SIG, 726. From that time the Valu-
alton has increased up to last year,
when it reached S633, ,S52 as returned by
the state board of equalization, mani
pulated by State Treasurer Kelly in his
desire to raise half million dollars
more state taxes than was necessary,
arbitrarily increased the returns of the
county clerk more than 100000, or to
81, ,O36, 1856.
The reasons for this f1uctuation in the
valuation are very apparent when one
looks at the population figures for Co
manche county. Back in 1888 at the
height of the boom Comanche county
had a population of 1886. 1t was about
this time that the old bonds were in lit
igation which resulted in the issuance,
in 1890, of the per cent issue which
were offered to the commissioners by
H. B. Kelly and refused.
Beginning with 1889 the population of
Comanche county steadily decreased
until about 1886 or 1897 when it was
less than 1900, or less than one-fourth
it increased to 1854, but since 1901 it
has not quite held its own. Last year
the population of the county was 1,671
and this year it is 1870. Today the pop
was in 1888, yet the state board of
equalization arbitrarily makes it's as
sessed valuation almost as large, al
though boom values were still in effect
at that time.
What Land Is Worth.
Messrs. Coleman, Burrow and Dayhoff
also give comparisons between Co
manche and the surrounding counties
on the assessed value per acre of real
estate. Here are these figures:
VALUE PER ACRE AS FIXED BY
STATE BOARD.
Comanche ---.. --...----------....-...---s 81 80
6laTh .----'-- e9
Barber -....-.-.-'-.-...-------. i-19
<iowa -.....--.--..'...'.--- l. 20 20
Pratt Z oo
Clark county lies Immediately west of
Comanche; Kiowa county is north,
Pratt county is northeast, and Barber
county is east.
The value of real estate depends upon
the value of it's products and the value
of its improvements. 1t is a well known
fact that Barber, ,Kiowa and Pratt coun-
ties raise large quantities OF wheat,
while Comanche and Clark counties lie
beyond the wheat belt. The value of inn
provements depends largely upon the
population, and all of these counties
have a larger population than Co
manche. The figures are as follows
Comanche -.....-. -.....-...-.-.-...---.- 1,6l0
Rarber - Observation-Disclosures. 6 651
Kiowa -. Observation-Disclosures. 3.403
Pratt d'tf1
1t will be noted that Kiowa county
has more than double the population of
Comanche; Barber has more than four
times and Pratt nearly five times the
population of Comanche. This shows
the relative density of population.
Where there are more people there must
be more houses and other improvements
on the land.
AS stated, the value of land depends
upon what it will produce. The COM
parative values of the principal crops
produced in these counties taken from
the report of the state board of agricul-
ture for 1903 are as follows:
WHEAT