Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-15

ing no allowance for depreciation, the value
is t19,13S,6l0, or an average valuation per
mile as to main line and branches' OF
The full assessed valuation in Nebraska
in 1895 averaged a trife over 10000 per mile,
or an amount about three times greater
than the average value per physical mile
and about $4,000 per mile more than the
average par value per net stock and bono
! mile not including double track, water
lines and property locally assessed.
Clancy assured the board he was for a
/ uniform assessment and he quoted from SUI
preme court opinions at length that an
! assessing board, If necessary, had the right
/ to violate a statute In order to get a uni
form assessment and a just assessment.
| He dwelt at length on the assessment Of
lands and held they had been assessed too
| low in comparison with railroads.
| scribner Makes Comparisons.
| Tax Commissioner Scribner asserted the
! Union Pacific had been injured by the
| reports in newspapers Of the value of
stocks and bonds and he quoted from a
recent article that the value of the road,
! based on the income, was some SlllOOO a
mile, when, as a matter of fact, only the
| mileage OF the Union Pacific had been
taken into consideration The divisor shouIl
have been, he said, the entire mileage of
| the holdings of the road. as we'll as the
Union Pacific. He hoped the board would
not consider those figures as they were
published.
| Mr. Scribner said his road expected to
pay on intangible property as well as on
/ the physical property. In Michigan, he
said, the Intangible property brought the
| assessment up 20 per cent in excess of the
tangible property value, while in Wiscon-
| sin, he said, the intangible value brought
up the total valuation some SO per cent
| But in Nebraska the intangible property
was valued at over 200 per cent more than
the tangible property. He hoped the board
would seriously consider this state of
affairs He also called upon the board
| to remember that land had increased in
| value during the last two years, and to
bring about uniform assessment he hoped
the board would consider this when assess
ing the railroads
During Clancy's argument, when he con-
cluded his talk on the value of the road
on the stocks and bonds basis. Treasurer
! Mortensen dug down somewhere in the
dark recesses and brought out the argu-
| ment filed with the board last year, at the
I same time remarking that he was glad
| Mr.. Clancy had agreed his road had been
assessed at ITS proper value.
| According u your own statement your
road has increased over SIS, 100000 since last
year. You say on the value of the stocks
and bonds your road is worth $4,000 a year
We assessed 1t last year at $4,000. Last
year on the stock and bond basis you
argued your road was worth $45,S53 a mile
so l think you have at last come around
to our way of thinking"
Clancy explained that material deduc-
lions should be made from the 10000 and
when this was done, he said his position
would be the same as last year.
The Burlington is to have its inning to-
morrow.
Brief in School Case.
The legal department today filed a briet
in the supreme court in support of it.
application for a mandamus to compe
the school board of Lincoln to permit the
children OF state officers TO attend schoo
without paying tuition. On the theory thai
these officers did not maintain a lega
residence in the city of Lincoln the schoo
board shut out their children from the pub
lie schools until tuition was paid. Attor
ney General Brown maintains the schoo
board has no right to exact this tuition
because there is no statute for IT, He holds
that the constitutional provision tina
schools shall be free TO children of the age