Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-11-16
PAY ONE PER CENT
Railroads Get Off Easy On Dltcl,
Assessment
To Furnish $4,000 Cut 81 a
Total Of $23O,l55.76
Proportion is Computed upon tl,c
Acreage Bass
PAY ONE PER CENT
Commissioners Complete Work
and Present Final Report OH
Big Ditch System.


and Present Final Report OH
Big Ditch System.
Nonpareil, Nov. 10.
Out of $3.50, 155.76 repre-
senting the total assessment OF
benefits for the Pottawattamie
and Harrison county joint
drainage system, the Illinois
Central and Northwestern rail
roads will together pay only
about $4,000, a trifie over l per
cent of the whole amount. In
reporting this fact to the super
visors' ditch board of the two
counties, the three commissions
ers appointed to make up the
schedule of benefits lay the
blame upon the Iowa drainage
law, which prevents the listing
of railway roadbeds except on
an acreage basis, the same as
farm lands.
The report was filed in the
office of Auditor Cheyne in this
city yesterday, and a copy of it
was given to Auditor Atkins at
Logan. The Northwestern's
assessment in Harrison county
is shown to be $981.46. which
includes the Sioux City & Pa
,ific line west of Missouri VAL
ey, while in Pottawattamie the
assessment comes only to 1857
So. This is a total of ,249.O9
for both counties, but it is
stated that this does not include
town lots belonging to the
Northwestern at Missouri Val
ley, which will raise the amount
~ several hundred dollars.
The Illinois Central is assessed
1t S1,019.57 in Pottawattamie
md $587.79 in Harrison, a total
If $l.6O7 Sc.
ALLOWED $35, 900 FOR BRIDGE.
When the drainage board
vas awarding damages to prop
erty owners, it allowed the
Northwestern $4,000 to pay
for four bridges which the roa1'
will have to build because o.
the ditcnes to be constructed
across it's right of way. De
| lucting itsassessment, estimat
I'd at $1,750, from this sun
there is left the comfortable
balance of $33,25O to insure
he railroad company against
any loss. By economizing on
its bridge material, it can doubt
ess make good the small as
sessment levied against it, so
that in the end it may have
contributed nothing toward the
ditch work.
The commissioners for the
hitch assessments are S. C.
Fshelman of Woodbine, Henry
Wiese of Avoca and County
Surveyor j. II. Mayne of Coun.
| ell Bluffs. They say in their
statement to the drainage
board:
eve, the undersigned COM
missioners, appointed to classify
the lands and assess benefits in
1.-THE Willow and Allen creek
drainage system, respectfully
submit our report herewith.
"ln our opinion, the railroad
assessment should have been
larger, but after a consultation
With the county attorneys we
find that the railroad assess
ment must be made on the
acreage basis for the right Of
way only. This, you will see,
makes very low assessment,
out the law seems TO be very
meager regarding railroa1 as
easements
Clown lots have been listed
on the acreage basis, but we
have not recognized anything
as smaller than half an acre,
and this will make a small as
sessment compared with farm
lands. The field covered has
been a large one and we have
been careful to avoid errors,
but should any exist we ask you
to overlook them"
HIGHEST RATE $3.50 PER ACRE.
All lands in the district have
been assessed on a percentage
scale, according to the benefits
which they will receive from
the artificial ditch system. The
aggregate acreage for both
counties is 58,492, of which
some $4,000 acres is in Harri-
son and the remaining 10000