The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-27
TAX IS TOO HEAVY
ON TIMBER LANDS
Piney Woods Counties of Mis-
SisSippi Get Busy
LABOR Is NOW VERY SCARCE
This Is the Only Thing That Mars Sc
renlty of Conditions About Hat
tiesburg-Short Lumber
Items of Interest.
LABOR is NOW VERY SCARCE


Hattiesburg, Miss. May 26.-(Special)-
Foreign holders of the timber lands in
Mississippi have a deeper interest than
has anybody else In the doings of the
convention of county supervisors, which
has been called to meet in Hattiesburg
on June To- The chief purpose of this
convention Is to devise a method of
equalizing assessments as between the
various counties so that the piney woods
counties will not in the future be COM
PEELED to bear more than their just pro-
portion of the states tax burdens. The
effect of the convention, if it shall ac-
compllsh the end aimed at by its pro-
moters. will be to materially reduce the
amount of taxes which holders of timber
land would otherwise be compelled to
pay.
This year the assessors of the plney
woods counties are endeavoring, as re-
quired by law. to assess the timber lands
at Il figure somewhat approaching thei-
real values, and these lands are going on
the tax rolls at from $50 to $50 per acre.
The effect of this is TO more than double
the realty values in many of the counties.
So far as the county taxes are con-
cerned. this increase I'm assessment would
have no material effect upon the tax of
the timber land holders. since the tax
rate would be reduced according the
assessment aggregate increased, for the
amount of revenue desired would be the
same But In the case of the state tax,
the situation is different. The state tax
is fixed by the legislature unalteraby,
and every dollar of increase on assess
ment means so much more tax to be
paid for the benefit of the state. Thus
since the assessment of timber land Is
increased from 300 to 1000 per cent, the
state tax would be Increased in the same
proportion, and the result in the course
of years would be to make the holding
of these timber lands quite a burden.
System Negotiable and Unjust.
But the county authorities in the pney
woods section of the state have opened
their eyes to the fact that the whole
system is inequitable and unjust. 1t Is
found from the records that while the
piney woods lands, undeveloped and I'M
productive, are going on the assessment
rolls at from $50 to $50 per acre, the rich
cotton lands of the delta, not an acre
of which can be bought on the open mar
ket for less than from $50 toa$100 per acre.
is given in to the assessor as low as s.
per acre in many cases. In that way,
the piney woods section, by reason OF
honest compliance with the law in the
matter of giving in ITS property valua
tions, is being made to bear far more
than its share of the cost of maintaining
the state government.
AT the same time, in the distribution
of the revenues thus collected for the
70 ha oct he
worst of 1t. OF the revenues thus taken
in by the state, 81 per cent is supposed
to be distributed among the various coun-
ties for maintenance of the schools. the
rating being made on the basis of scho-
lastic population, a census of children
of educable age being taken every four
years. Again, the delta counties come to
the front strong in this census. for.
densely populated as they are by negroes
on the cotton plantations. they show a
scholastic population that is simply stag
gerng. Thus they draw the bulk OF
the state revenues for the education of
negro children (who by the way are
never given enough education to hurt
them, while the South Mississippi coun-
ties foot the bill.
Concrete Example.
Just to show how the thing works, the
'
last year, 500 067 was contributed to the
Golfers of the state, while only $10 119 was
received back for the support of the
schools. On the other hand Pontotoc
county. which paid into the state treasury
only s917S received back $15,6 $685. and Cal
houn county, which paid in only s6475, re-
ceived back $12.349.
These are the inequalities which the
convention of county supervisors hopes to
of equalization, the county board of
equalizers in each county acting in that
capacity each county independent OF all
Others. The proposition now is that the
South mississippi counties shall scale
down their entire assessments in such
manner as to bring the valuations close
to those prevailing in other parts of the
state
Nothing to Disturb Operation.
There has been nothing in this sec
ton of the country to disturb the serenity
OF lumber manufacturing conditions The
weather has been perfect for milling
operations, the supply of cars for the
transportation of the finished material
has been as full as the lumbermen are
schooed to expect, and the market has
been so level and consistent that the mill
men have had nothing to worry them
tACtpl tHt dHAittltS always tOH-
nected with the filling of orders In a man.
ner satisfactory to the buyers.
Stocks have not been permitted TO
accumulate in the yards. Some of the
buyers report a slight decrease of the de-
mand for finished aterials for car
building purposes. and there is some re-
port of the Accommodations of that charac-
ter of stock at some of the mills. but in
qury among the mill men who make
their headquarters here fails to discover
any particular company that has reason
to complain along that line. The fact
appears TO be that all kinds of output
of the mills are moving fast enough to
satisfy the manufacturers. which means
that the demand is brisk enough to keep
the machinery whzZing for as many
hours per day as the men can be in
duced to work
Labor Is Scarce.
This question of labor appears to be
about the only speck in the ointment of
the mill mems prosperity. The diff
Guilty of procuring common laborer
hands is reported to be more acute than