The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-04-28
Special Heet,nq CT the Board of Sup-
erVISOrS.

Messrs Freeman, Shields and Ho!t,
members of the state tax commission,
held meeting with the supervisors OF
Van Buren, county Friday, the object OF
which was to arrive at an understanding
of the assessment of the property of the
county.
After the roll was called, Mr.. Freeman
addressed the members at length upon
the powers and duties Of thu board, and
dwplt strongly upon the necessity If
having the property of the several assess
ing districts placed at cash value, detn
ing the term cash value to mean not an
inflated value nor one to be based upon
forced sale. His address was conclia
tory IN tone, but at the same time con
veled the impression that the only pro-
per thing for the supervisors to do was
to assess at cash value and where the
commissioners found property assessed
at fair values the community would not
be the losers thereby Several questions
were asked at the open session concern.
ing the position of the commissioners on
the equalization between real estate.
pers@Hal property and the railroads. Mr..
Freemans frank replies created favor
able impression and placed a different
light on the reduction of railroad assess.
ment. He showed that while the rail
road valuation was reduced 5lIOOOOOO
from the previous year ; assessment, 1t
was still S2OOOOOO over the valuation of
1902. From the questions asked it Is
evident that the impression prevails that
the raising or lowering of the tax on the
railroad has an Influence on state taxa
ton. 1t must be remembered however,
that while the method of assessing rail
roads was changed from the specific to
the al valorem system OF levy iug taxes,
the disposition of the funds remains the
same; viz: The receipts are placed in the
primary school fund, consequently the
only effect will be felt i'm the school
tax and that will be very materially in
creased. Commissioner Shields in his
talk to the board related the experience
of his county before the state board of
equalization Of 1891, claiming that an in
justice had been done by using the in
tlated price of copper stocks as a basis of
valuation. We trust that their expert
!
state board of equalization receives the
report of the tax commissioners upon
/ the valuation Of property in Van Buren,
| county
Mr.. Hoyt, the junior member of the
commission, also addressed the board.
referring particularly to the situation in
Wayne county, when the subject of
equalization was taken up 10y the county
board, and saying that in his judgment
there was an opportunity for the tax
/ commission to be of material service in
equaIIziug between townships. After
+ the remarks by the members of he com.
mission; opportunity was offered for the
supervisors to confer with the tax com.
mission concerning the report of the
field men who had made report to the
commission. These reports showed from
the statistics gathered that there was a
wide difference Of opinion between the
supervisors assessment rolls and the
values as fixed by the tax commission
No supervisors roll footed to the
amount they had estimated. the percent.
ages ranging from 81 30 per cent in
South Haven township to 90 10 PEI
cent in Hamilton township.
The attention of the tax commissions
ers was called to a condition that pre-
walls in all southwestern Michigan and
/ wherever extensive farming is carried
on. The financial results from farms OF
this character are entirely dependent
upon the skill and judgment exercised
10y the owner and the improvement.
aside from buildings are maintained only
by these factors. Nature is always way.
ward and when man diverts her atten.
ton from her regular channels eterna
vigilance Is the price that must be paiC
2 IT satisfactory results are secured. TC
, appraise these fruit and garden farms al
= the prices they are now selling at would
, be like assessing the good will of an,
business and that according to the court.
would be illegal That that has been Z
disposition on the part of past boards il
this county to increase the assessments
these comparative figures will show. The
r assessment roll for 1901 footed Sl3OS5.
l GOO and in 1904 Sl5,032 ,46l, an increas,
} of sl4 40 per cent since 1901
There was disposition Of the super
vlsors present to bring the assessment a.
near the estimates made by the com
mission as their judgment would per
init and their figures should exer
great influence on the state board o.
equalization that will meet in 1906 to de
termne the proportion of state tax to b,
r levied against the several counties.
-S 49,
FriQhtful Suffering Relieved.