The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-10-20
RAILWAY COMMISSION IA, n,
MEN GATHERING DATA
Information Obtained WIN .. :.
Great Value to Tax Co..
sion and County Asses.
Expert at Work on R;.h..
Way.

Olympia, Oct. 13.-Railrooa
missioner John Lawrence discna.oon '
detail the work now being dono u u
order OF the commission in patn Ns oy
data on the cost and value =,
road property in this state iall'
Under a decision of the r1n;..,
States supreme court, railroad anl I.
must be such as will give reasoa rates
return upon the value of thu aaos
over and above operating exns auao
etc. It is to secure this valua sns
addition to comply with the reo ud IL
ments of the commission Law ssss
provides that such inform.t;,"nu ica
secured and reported to the stata %
islature that this work has bean t. ,eg.
up. Fl. P. Gillette, the 8; nm a ="
month expert engineer, is in cbs'a,
and has large force of deputias w.
assistants. At st. Paul, the Gu, aua
Northern company gave perm;.s; Ia'
for the examination of all its reco,S Su
and there employees of the commissi as
have about completed checking ov"a
all the old vouchers and maxine 10
statements showing in detail lust vh ~
was paid out by the Great Northarn
originally for right of way and wha4
it's construction in Washington cost
At Work in Tacoma
The Northern Pacific data vii, h,
gathered at Tacoma, where il vss
lately discovered all the necass.s, o.,
maps and records are kept. At Port.
land last week the Oregon Railrosd
and Navigation Company gave thu
commission full permission to On
through its records, and men ara At
work there gathering data. This data I,
when completed, will be assembled
here and will be used to make W tho
first statement of the actual original
cost of right of way and construction
To this will be added certain e1pendi.
lures. such, for instance, las the cost Of
switchbacks on the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific, and which tho
railrosd think properly chargeable
to the Original construction cost
Another line of Investigation is the
present cost. Engineers will make
personal examination of every foot Of
railroad in this state, noting bridges
and the like, and will report the same
Fix Commercial Value of Land
Other experienced right of wys men
will tour the lines and will ascertain
and report the commercial value Of
the rights of way, basing their est.
mates on present values of adjacent
property and existing conditions.
Data on the original cost and present
value of the terminals at Seattle and
Tacoma will also be secured and as.
sembled here. From this line Of data
the commission will make up what it
considers the present value OF the
roads, that is, what it would actually
cost to reproduce the same. Admit
tedly this examination by expert right
of way men will produce very valu'
able information for the tax ccmmH'
sion and county assessors.
Railroad managers have advised tne
commission that they recognize TINS
and are perfectly willing to pay taxes
on every dollars worth OF valae Oh
property they have, If all other prop
erty in the state pays on the sans
ratio to value. Every effort Is Deins
made by the commission to assemOlS
this data at an early date and sns
is made at the Office OF 'n0
commission that the report mace "
the legislature will be quite compie.'
and most Informative, more so, ID ia0H
than the interstate commerce ccm.
mission or any other state commlss"A
has been able to secure before.