Mohave County miner., 1905-09-02
Did the Equalizers Equalize.

l
 After several weeks of strenuous
 work the territorial board of equaliza
 tion adjourned few days ago. Dur.
 ing that time the board put in all of
 it's spare time devising ways aud means
 to put the mine owners up against a
 tax problem. Even the uupatented
 mines were not overlooked in the deal,
 the clerk of the board being aut horized
 to notify all collectors to place them
 on the roll. The whole plan of action
 of the territorial board appeared to be
 desire to get at the big copper com
 panies, but the placing, or attem pte d
 placing, of the unpatented mine. on
 the roll does not carry out this i'm
 pression to the people In fact it would
 indicate @ desire to tax the mines out
 of existence. Now, look over the ac.
 tion of the board in the matter of cul.
 tivated lands and it will be observed
 that in the territory there are some.
 thing over nine millions of acres, and
 that these lands are listed a an excess of five millions of dollars, or at the rate of about fifty Ave cents per acre.
 These lands are all producers, some of them having value of one thousand dollars per acre, but they all cone un
 der the general average of ffty-flve cents per acre. On the other hand the nnproductive patented mines of the territory are assessed from 125S per acre to 4OOS per acre. And yet this board says that this is equalization. Every class and description of prop. erty in Maricopa county Is under az. sessed, and yet not one dollar was sd- ded by the board except in an effort to re oh the other counties. Flooded cattle, of which the greater part of the herds of Maricopa county are com. posed, are rated as low as the scrub stock of the other counties. And it is the same with all other property. The commercial value of Maricopa county property is fully fifty millions of dol Iars, but the tax roll places it at but ten millions. On the other hand there Is no question that many of the biz mining com panies are evading their just share of taxes, but does this justi. fy the territorial board in assessing all classes of mining property three or four times above it's actual commercial value? Why did not the board go after the big canal and land com panies and make them pay on something near the mmercial value? Why did not the board go after the big canal aud nd con panies and make them pay on near the com mercial value of their holdings? Take the railroads: Why are they not made to pay on at least 75 per cen: of the commercial valne? The Southern Pacific is as ses-ed at more than 24,OOCS in Ell Paso county, Texa-, and there can be no depreciation in the road or equipment just over the line in Arizona, but our board lists the property at but 7.5OO$, less than one-third the asses m. nt in Texas. Take every schedule in the listment of property and it will be clearly seen that the tax blow is struck fairly and squsrely at all forms of mining investments, while the other forms of property are listed at a mere figure. Not the least attem pt is made to equalize property values by the board and there is no possibility of any court upholding their action,
 John Gross returned few days ago from Las Vauaa and fho R,lle.a.