Arizona silver belt. [volume] (Globe City, Pinal County, Ariz.) 1878-19??, 1905-07-27
EOUALlZlNG ASSESSMENTS

The assessors of the various counties
of the territory have evidently been
unanimous in opinion this year as to
the necessity of increasing the valua-
ton of property on the rolls. Ac-
cording to their lights they elevated
rates all along the line. lnasmuch as
the territorial board of equalization fix
ed railroad values and neglected to fix
them to suit the majority of the other
taxpayers, they deemed it their duty to
send the mining end of the seesaw high
enough to establish the desired equil-
ibrium.
The impression got abroad that the
railroads were being unduly favored by
the board and, as taxes must be raised,
and it was not polite to advance lie
tax rate-or to increase the burdens of
the small taxpayer-the easy road was
taken; charge the mines up with the
difference.
Then the county boards of supervisors
revised the assessors list with the eff
feet of causing still further increase
in many lines. The cattle men came in
for their share and city property was
boosted quite per centage over last
years valuations and the list was
scanned carefully in the effort to raise
all possible revenue and little was
put on, here and there, wherever it
was thought justifable.
Result: Many ridiculous increases in
mine and smetter valuations We're not
sustained by the supervisors; the cattle
owners think they got the worst of it
and there is much dissatisfaction which
will be duly vented when the supervis-
orial boards meet again in August.
The facts are these, as near as we
are able to judge from figures quoted
in contemporary journals from all over
the territory: the railroad assessments
generally speaking are dispropor-
tionately low and very inconsistent, one
road with another; cattlemen will hard
ly find fault with their assessments for
this year in view of the many years
past in which they well know their
herds were undervalued; city realty has
only been assessed an equitable portion
of the advance in sale prices current
this year throughout the territory; the
shelters and mines will be advanced
generally according to their ability TO
pay from earnings; many have volun-
tarily increased their returns to the as
SCISSOR and none will question a proper
tomato and equitable advance. The
grand kick of the mine interests was
against being called upon to bear their
own just burdens, and in addition those
which the people felt should have been
charged to the railroads.
Cochise county's roll will stand at
approximately 50, OO0,0 900; Graham's as
s'ssor proposes to request the territor-
ial board to sustain his figures on the
mines of the Morenci district; Yavapai
figures will probably be near the Sc,
100000 mark. ella county will exceed
81, 0O0, 900 and there should be but few,
if any, just causes for complaint The
supervisors We're very thorough in their
work and have solid and substantial
reasons and evidence to support their
revised figures. OF course, they will
make revisions if proof is Forthcoming
that an error has been made, but ''they
will have to be shown" With existing
conditions of government under terri
torial laws an increased valuation is
more to be desired than AN increase in
tax rate, but we hope to see the day
when fuller valuation and much lower
tax rate will prevail