The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-09-16
TRAP LOCATIONS
MUST BE TAXED
TAX COMMISSION CONSIDERS III.
CENSES AS FRANCHISES
Whatcom County Valuations to be
Taken as Basis for Assessments
TRAP Owners VIII Contest the
Question in the Courts

1t is announced from Olympia that
the state tax commission has made
an order requiring the assessment of
all fish trap locations for purposes Of
taxation, holding them in the same
light as franchises of other corpora
tions. In Whatcom and Island coun-
ties the locations were assessed this
year. In Whatcom county the ag-
gregate assessed valuation of trap
locations is $156, $50 and it is reported
that the figures returned by the as
SCISSOR OF that county will be accepted
by the tax commission as basis for
assessing traps in other counties.
The assessor of Whatcom county was
and is personally opposed to the as
sessment of trap locations and he is
quoted as saying that he believes the
tax cannot be collected until the
courts pass upon the validity of the
assessments. If the supreme court
holds that the licenses are virtually
franchises and are taxable as such
very large addition will be made to
the personal tax roll in this county,
which probably has more traps than
any other county bordering on the
Sound except Whatcom. Assessor
Court, of this county, is not opposed to
the assessment of trap loca tions,
though until the recent decision of the
tax commission he has never regard
ed them as assessable and he does not
know now what authority the tax
commissioners have for their position.
The question did not arise this year
until the assessment in this county
had been completed.
Looking at the matter simply from
the standpoint of local benefit it is
hoped that the tax commissions po-
sition will be sustained by the courts.
With only a few exceptions the traps
in this county are owned by non-resi-
dents and most of them by wealthy
corporations that contribute little or
nothing to the county treasury in re-
turn for the wealth that they annual
ly take from our waters. The few 10
cal owners are all public spirited cit
izens who are ever ready to bear their
full share of the burden OF taxation,
which is light one in this county.
Commenting on the action of the
tax commission the Bellingham Rev.
ellie says: "Already the trapmen
are up in arms over the decision de-
claring that it will practically make
Improbable the operation of all but
the most luckily located traps. 1t is
noteworthy, too, that during the past
season the catches of the gill-netters
approximated very closely those OF
some of the traps, with but a frac-
ton of the expense attached to their
operations. There has been a con-
stantly growing popular clamor
against the operation Of fish traps,
as destructive OF the salmon supply
and profitable only to the few trap
and cannery owners. Since the
threatened failure of the trap to make
good, there will probably be a lessen
ing of the agitation against these fish
catching devices, and thus one bur-
den will be taken off the shoulders OF
the next legislature. There are, how
ever. some other considerations that
NAV operate to keep the traps in the
water. There is a possibility, though
perhaps remote, that the courts may
decide the taxing Of the locations un-
constitutional, and there is also the
probability that in succeeding years
the traps may take larger portion
If the catch than has been the case
in the past season.
Mrs. Farnsworth left Thursday
to attend the Portland exposition
and visit relatives and friends in Or