Graham guardian., 1905-07-21
EQUALIZATION WORK

y
&C cacerned, and it adjourned until
the third Monday in August, when
those raised will have an oppor-
tunity of appearing and giving
reasons why the raises should not
stand. All property was thorough
ly gone over and equalized with
the exception Of that owned by the
big copper companies.
AS stated last week, Mr.. Olney
and Mr.. BillingsIey were a tie on
the matter, Mr.. Olney supporting
the returns made by the assessor,
the board therefore adjourned un-
til Saturday when Chairman Shan
non arrived. The first part of the
work on Saturday was taken up
when the chairman sent for Col.
Herring. That gentleman APP
peared and made an hours talk for
the reduction Of the Detroit Cop
per company's taxes. He accused
the assessor of having made the
assessment purely by guess work,
but as the colonel was not posted,
but became so later, no exception
was taken to bis remarks. He
also went on to show what an
enormous tax the copper com.
paincs are paying and what a
ridicnlously small tax the farmers
are paying. Then he proceeded to
assure the board that bis strong
suit is beating tax cases whore rich
corporations have them to pay and
also that If the assessors figures
were allowed to stand that Gra-
ham county would involve herself
in an enormous law suit, Then he
quit. He did not volunteer any
information as to the actual value
of his company's property nor did
the board ask him for any.
The assessor was not asked any
questions as to how he arrived at
the figures which he had placed on
the properties in question, al
though he offered documentary
evidence which. proved conclusive
ly that the property is worth many
times what be bad assessed itat.
This, however was given very
little attention, in fact, about the
same. consideration was given to
that as to the demand made by the
assessor that Mr.. Yeitch be sum
moued to testify as to the worth of
the mines.
The Detroit company's property
was the first considered. The
boad started in item by item and
proceeded this way about fifteen
minutes, when Mr.. Billingsley
made a motion that the property
of the Detroit and Arizona Cop
per companies be placed at the
same fguers as they were last
year. No Investigation was
made TO ascertain whether these
figures were too high or too low,
but the matter was punched off in
lump. Mr.. Olney voting against
the reduction.
The assessor claims that he has
ample proof that even the figures
placed by him on these properties
were too low compared with other
property and that this information
was at the boards disposal at any
time, and that if the board had al
lowed the assessment TO stand
and the companies had taken the
matter into court, which the Col
onel threatened to do, the court
would, with the evidence at hand,
have assessed them much higher
than they were. There could be
no complaint at the boards action
if the companies had received the
same treatment given other citi-
zens. This the assessor claims
was not done. He says that if any
individual property had been
missed by him and he had later
information to furnish the board,
the property was promptly added;
if any property bad been missed
the year previous it was promptly
added. The big companies were
not so treated. The assessor re.
peatedly called the boards atten-
tion to the fact that he had ascer-
tanned that the A, G. company had
held out Of their 1904 assessment
eight mines, patented in 1908.
That they had withheld this year