Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-09-02
SOME IMPORTANT STATISTICS.

The Washington Star recently published an article
the material for which was taken from a census bureau
bulletin, showing that the value Of railroad property in
the United States is $ll2iiS52OOO. supplemented by
Pullman cars. $51,O00.OOo; private car lines. $~520oOOOO'
making the sum total $l1.367,S520o0. And yet it was but
seventyfive years ago last Monday that the first load OF
passengers was ever carried over a railroad on the Am
erican continent.
In the distribution of value Pennsylvania comes first
with S1.420,6OS.000. New York follows with $S9S,222OOO,
followed by Illinois with SSO50570O0. The smallest Is
Alaska with a valuation of 100000. New Mexico rail-
roads have a valuation of SS6400,O00, while those of Ari-
iona have a combined value of only $6S,556,00O. Besides
Alaska, the District Of Columbia, Delaware, Nevada,
Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont, are the only
political divisions of the country where the value of the
railroads fall below that of Arizona. These figures rep
resent the market value of the roads, what they could be
sold for. and not the value placed upon them by the sew
eral states and territories for the purposes of taxation.
This value is not given, but in its stead is a table
giving the percentage which tax value bears to the com
mercial value. The highest percentage is found IN Oon'
necticut. where the tax valuation is 1l44 per cent of the
commercial value. The lowest is WQming, where the
roads are taxed on a valuation which is but rs per cent
of their commercial worth. Arizona comes next with the
per centage of tax value only 81 Of the selling value;
while New Mexico follows third, the per centase being
80.
Unfortunately in New Mexico and Arizona it is not
railroads alone the tax value of which bears so insignifi-
cant a proportion to the real value. but all other kinds of
property are in the same category. Arizona's taxable
property is returned at $]4O,OO0OoO and that of New Mex
ice at $42, 100000; Of course varying slightly from year
to year, sometimes above and sometimes below the tlg
ures given. Yet Arizona has one mine which is said to
have yielded in one year as much as her entire taxable
property is put at; while the real or commercial value
of New Mexico's railroads alone more than doubles the
assessed value of all her property, mines, stock, farms
factories, town holdings, stocks. bonds, merchandise
moneys, and everything taxable combined.
Under such system Of taxation, no wonder the
growth of the territories is checked.
and city deOts accumulate, the school FUND remains mao
eouate. and investors are frightened away by the seem
ingly large rate of taxation. Nor will these evils be Grad
icated until the difference between tax valuation of prop
erty and it's commercial value are brought within the
bonds of a much greater unity.
Arizona is taking steps in that direction, the board
of equalization for that territory having recently raised
the assessments upon patented mines from leo per cent
in Yavapai county to 1900 per cent in Cochise county
Under this increase of value for taxation, the patented
mines of Arizona are now assessed at S15,OOO,O00 instead
of $4,000, 600, the figure at which they stood until a few
days ago. But New Mexico, as yet, has taken no step in
this desirable direction. The listed value of property
should approximate its commercial, and then the rate OF
taxation should be lowered to yield only tho revenue alb
solutely needed.