Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-11-24
Some Hard Facts.
tsnecIal Correspondence

of the the state supreme court on the
netition for a writ of review on the
action of the state board of equaliza-
ton in fixing the values of railroad and
telegraph and telephone lines for the
purpose of county taxation, is being
awaited with considerable interest. In
fact the whole matter is attracting the
attention Of the people of the state to
marked degree. 1t is likely that the
present discussion will result in some
form of demand for the amendment Of
the revenue laws, so that the state
board of equalization shall have more
power vested in it, in the way Of fixing
values Of property for taxation.
To give the reader an understanding
Of the merits of the recent controversy
relative to the assessed valuations in
Idaho, the following table Of assessed
valuations in this state in 1904 and
1905 has been compiled:
1904 1905
% ported State State board s5e,o5ss2l 50 ss2Oi955s g.
AZ" board ...',, M ..'... l,cs2so7 60 so7ee7i 90
VA state bosrd ... 2sl .OO0 "a 1,n2s74 l3
Tot val after equal
tssiion Ss29s2l9 l9 & Ss9ss s5s 81 % %
lines. s.......,. I''Vs 1s5,isl 20 1915 60
Tot val telephone
unes.-.....--.. oio,ioi oU 4l'H'o -
erty in sta r e.. ss7,475,SSe SO S75,2sl OS7 81
A scrutiny OF these figures will dis
close several interesting facts. First
that the valuation of the property Of
private individuals, the original assess
ment having been made by the county
assessors, was raised this year from
six.y-three to six y-fcur million
dollars in round numbers, or an aver
age increase of little over three per
cent. The railroads were raised in ag-
gregate assessed valuation $563, 900 in
round numbers, or between 5 IL and
six per cent. The actual increase in
the amount of property in the state in
the year from 1904 to 1905, it is esti-
mated, was at least fifteen per cent,
while the increase in the amount OF
railroad property in the state during
the same period was so small as to be
almost inappreciable. The telegraph
lines were raised gross sum Of S64,-
900 on valuation in 1904
Of $135,O00, or between
forty-fve and fifty per cent. The tel
ephone lines were given an aggregate
increase in valuation for the purpose OF
taxation of little over 100000, on a
total valuation in 1904 of $318,OOO,
or an increase OF 31.5 per cent.
1t appears from this that although
the state board of equalization has
made notable increase in the value
for purposes Of taxation of all railroad,
telegraph and telephone lines, on all
other classes of property in the state
the valuations have either actually been
lowered or left practically untouched.
Governor Gooding scored a distinct
triumph last week in the Fremont
county state laud lease matter. The
state during the summer selected ll4,-
000'acres of fine land in the Toton
basin, that it is expected within the
next ten years will become extremely
valuable for farming purposes. These
lands were leased for term OF five
years for grazing purposes, the leasers
agreeing that the lands should not be
fenced, the state reserving the right ol
sale at any time, the owners OF horses
or cattle formerly ranging on the land
to retain that privilege without cost to
them, and the use of the lands for sheep
grazing to be divided between all the
sheep men who had been using these
lands, in proportion to the number oil
sheep that each fockmaster had run
on this range. After the leases had
been signed it developed that some Oh
the bigger fockmasters were endeavor-
ing to prevent the owners OF smaller
bands OF sheep from using the range.
Learning OF this last week the govern
or went to St. Anthony and attended
a called meeting Of the sheep men ol
that country, when the bigger sheep
men were informed that the original
agreement with the small sheep men
must be carried out. The governor
then appointed E. R. Miller, the forest
reserve supervisor located at Jackson
Wyoming, as chairman Of committee
composed of himself, James Webster
Of Rexburg, and James Biddaway, o
Teoton, who are to meet at St. An
thony, on November Is, for the pur
pose of assigning the range to the var
ious sheep men of that country, IN &C
cordance with the number OF sheer