Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-07-20

valuation per acre is $41.60 Or Al per
cent less than that of two years ago.
Adding to these figures $420, 795, 785 as
the value of the town lots of the state,
the total value of the land of the state
is brought up to $1,S24.162 z, 221. The
acreage has been greatly increased,
being 34,644,090 as against 34,620,303
two years ago. The increase is in re-
claimed swamp lands.
Contrary to expectations, no opin-
ion was handed down on the soldiers
preference law. The supreme court
concluded it's term on the 10 and no
more opinions will be handed down
until the September session, which
opens Sept 9.
The suit against the city of Des
Moines brought by the Peoples Saw
ings bank and the Home Savings
bank of this sity has been appealed to
the United States supreme court, af-
ter the supreme court of Iowa and
the district court have sustained the
action of the city council of Des
Mones in holding that the United
States bonds held by these institu-
tons are to be considered as assets
when their ~assessable valuation was
to be determined. The suit in itself
involves an assessment of 5000, 900 of
bonds, while the decision will deter.
mine whether $500, 900 of government
bonds held by the institutions of Des
Moines may be assessed and taxed.
Notice OF the appeal has been served
upon the city solicitor. The appeal is
made on a writ of error. The writ
of error is the outcome of the decis-
ion CT the supreme court of Iowa in
cases which have been pending since
1902, questioning the right of banks
to deduct their holdings of United
States bonds from their list of assets
in determining the value of their
stock for taxation, and the decision
of the United States supreme court
on the question will affect assessment
of the holdings of local banks to the
valUe of 100000. The two banks
which have carried their cases to the
federal court are in the litigation to
the amount of nearly 100000, and
the other banks which will be affect
ed by the decision will more than
quGlruple the sum.
The capitol Improvement commits
SIGN has entered into a contract with
Kenyon Cox to paint the eight lun
cites above the rotunda in the dome
of the state house. This contract
was entered into tentatively in New
York and after returning to their
homes, Mr.. Funk, under authority of
the board wrote to Mr.. Cox closing
+bo oDn+ront . Tho onporoiccinn xxyac
in New York two weeks ago with
Mr.. Blashfeld, Mr.. Diehlman, and Mr..
Garnsey and thoroughly ~canvassed
the situation as to their employment
of an artist to paint the lunettes, the
only remaining art work at the dis.
posal of the board. The commission
acter unanimously in the selection OF
Mr.. Cox n anticipates an extremely
effective piece of work. The contract
provides that the work shall be COM
pleted by July 1, 1906. Kenyon Cox
was born in Ohio in 1855. He stud
led in Cincinnati and Philadelphia in
this country, and her in Paris under
Carolus Duran and Gerome for five
years following 1877. He has been
a member of the Society of American
Artists and the National Institute of
Arts and Letters for many years He
painted two decorations in the libra
ry of congress-, one in the Walker art
gallery at Bowdoin college, and paint
ed a frieze in the appellate court
room of New York. He has contri-
buted extensively to the magazines on
art matters, and was part author of
Modern French Masters" edited by
J. C.. Van Dyke. He is a resident OF
New York. The lunettes which Mr..
Cox will decorate will cost the state
$4,000. There are eight of them.
With the beginning of construction
of the new mutual telephone system
in Council Bluffs a few days ago, the
consolidated mutual telephone sys-
TENS of Iowa secure an opening for
which they have waged a long wal
with the Bell Telephone company, and
with the completion of the Council
Bluffs work the companies will secure
a connection from Iowa to Nebraska
which will allow them to compete on
heretofore forbidden ground, with the
Bell company. What is believed to
be in telephone circles a wal for final
supremacy, will now be waged by the
two old rivals. The mutual o~rganiZa-
tion at Council Bluffs is said to court
the trouble which will naturally arise.
Under the new plan of intrstate con-
nectior a reduction in toll rates may
enSuc.
The assessed taxable valuation If
real and personal property in Iowa
this year is $7,419,514 below the as
sessment of the same property last
year. The taxable value of lands
outside of cities and towns decreased
$5.4S0,45S, but the taxable value of
lands in cities and towns increased
1,2O122A. The taxable value of all
personally decreased $2,727 $50 but
the loss in the taxable value of live
stock was $459,230. The term taxable
value refers to the Cure on which
levies are computed, being one-fourth
of the actual value. Farm land was
assessed this year at $12 an acre. Last
veal 1t ran to $43.10.
Few people eve realize how much
there is to think about and how lit