Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1906-08-31

The County Board Of Equalization
is in session. A visitor to the court
house would not know that such is the
case without being told, as Judge
Coad, Clerk Smith and Assessor
Graves are to be found in their
respective offices, attending to their
usual routine work. The reason for
this inactivity on the part OF the
officers as an equalization board is
found in the fact that so far no tax
payers have appeared to object to their
assessments.
The tax roll for the year 1906 con-
tains many items Of interest to the
taxpayer for the reason that the old
method of placing low valuations on
the various classes of property has
been abandoned. Perhaps the changes
of greatest interest are found in the
valuations placed on the property Of
the railroads and other public service
corporations this year as compared
with the assessment of the same
property last year.
The Southern Pacific Company's
roadbed on the Yamhill division is
assessed at $1,000 per mile, as against
$4,000 last year. The West Side lines
are assessed at $4,000 per mile, as
against $3500 in 1905. The timber
land owned by the company reaches a
total Of $S00,O8O, as against $321,31O
last year. The valuation Of the COM
paDy's contract lands has been raised
from $41,44O to $l21, 1,O1O The valu-
alton Of the companys rolling stock
was doubled, and amounts to about
$84O per mile.
The Oregon Telephone 4 Telegraph
Company is booked for $16,670, as
against $7,5OO year ago.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany will be called upon to pay taxes
on $4,000 worth Of property this year.
Last year the assessment was only
$245O.
The valuation of the Spaulding Log
ging Company's lands has been in
creased from $l1, GAO to $4O,13O.
The property Of the Salem, Falls
City & Western Railway Co is assessed
at $62,85O as against $22, $50 last year.
w. G. McClure's timber holdings in
the Siletz country are booked at
$125,OOO Last year these lands were
assessed at $37,2IO.
N. P. Wheeler, whose timber land
in northwestern Polk county was
largely purchased from the Indian
reservation, will pay taxes on $4,000,
as against $33, 1920 in 1905.
The Siletz Timber Company, which
owns l.. Gerlinger's original holdings,
is assessed at $32, 400.
.Hhe above showing includes only a
few of the larger and wealthier cor
porations owning property and doing
business in the county. The assess
ments of numerous smaller companies
and corporations have been raised in
like proportion, and real estate valu-
ations have been practically doubled.
The total valuation of assessable
property in Polk county will be about
$s,750,OO0 this year, as against
$4,095,0 last year. In adopting the
policy now in vogue in all the counties
Of the state, that of assessing property
at something near its cash value,
Assessor Graves has made a conscien-
tious effort to give all classes OF
property fair deal. The
plan Of assessing property at its cash
value is new in Oregon, and it re-
mains to be seen whether it will prove
popular. That the taxpayers are will
ing to give the plan fair test is
shown by the fact that few, il any, Of
them have appeared before the Board
of Equalization to object to the raise
in the valuation of their property. II
a reduction is made in the tax levy in
proportion to the increase in valua-
tion-and there is every reason to be-
lieve that the County Court will
make such eduction-there will be
little cause for complaint in any
quarter, and Polk county will make q
much better showing to the outside
world than under the old system oi
low valuations and high levies,