Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-12
HELPS PAY TAXES
NEW INTERuRBAN RAILWAY
WILL ITSELF PAY A LARGE
AMOUNT OF TAXES
Will Soon Pay Back into County
Treasury AS Much As the Amount Of
the Subsidy Asked-The More Lines
the Less Individual Tax.
Editor Courier.

Editor Courier:
There is a benefit received by the
taxpayers of Ottumwa that is seldom
thought of in considering such propo
sitions as that of the interurban com
pany. 1t is true that every business
enterprise that comes to the city, by
increasing with its property the total
amount of wealth of the community
lessons the taxes necessary to be col
lected from each individual for public
purposes.
For instance, and without referring
to the many and manifest benefits d.
rectly secured by the operation Of in
terurban cars into this city, let us see
what this project means in permanent
addition to the tax rolls of Wapello
county About s2,5OO,00o will be spent
from the Ottumwa Office IN the con
struction and equipment Of this line
building power houses, etc. The mere
roadbed and rails are as finely con
structed as steam road, the cars are
as costly, or OF q greater cost, and the
overhead work, poles, brackets, copper
wire, power houses, ETC., are not only
very expensive but are entirely addi
tional expenditures over and above
those of steam lines Altogether the
.well-built interurban is more expen
sive than the steam line, the cost OF
construction of a line through such
territory as this line will traverse
being upward of $4,000 per mile.
Let us see what this means In ad.
ditional taxable property to benefit
the general funds, the school, sewer,
bridge and all other funds; and first
let us use some illustrations from the
tax books of the treasurer's Office
and in so doing use three Of the rich
est agricultural townships of Wapello
county.
The total taxes collected from all
land township is $9,130.20; from Com.
petine township is s9,076.52; from
Richland township including the town
of Kirkyille is $10,944.98.
The taxes paid by the G. B. & O.
Railroad company on 26A miles OF
road to the county treasurer are
$16,991.5S; by the c. M. & ST. P. on
32A miles are $9,335.1S; by the G. R.
1. & P. on 81 7-10th miles are 49,.
436.26; by the Wabash on 89-10th
miles are $2,108.39.
The citizens of Ottumwa are asked
to equitably subscribe for the stock
of road (for that is all that the vot
ing of tax means) to the extent OF
about 100000, not to be paid in until
after the road is in operation, and
then only two per cent the first year
and the last two per cent one year
%hnr $,,H CHI
is issued to the taxpayer, and If the
road is successful business venture
the dividends earned are paid to him
from year to year and his stock has
become an asset and source of in
come to him for all time in the future
But how about the road itself? The
very first sixteen or eighteen miles o1
line constructed requires an initial in
vestment of not less than half mil
lion dollars in Wapello county. THAI
amount at least has been permanently
and for all time added to the taxabl,
property. Not for one year, or foi
two years, but for all the years of the
future its taxes must be paid into thu
road funds, the school funds, the sew
er fund, the bridge fund, the stree
and paving funds and all the othel
funds of the people.
The G. B. & @. pays on an assessed
valuation Of about $376,000; the G. M
& st. P. on about $1s0,000; the Rocl
Island on about 100000, and the Wa
bash on about $4,000.
This interurban railway will be
come, with merely its first line con
structed, one of the very largest tax
payers in Wapello county, and If sue
cessfully operated and it's additiona
lines constructed from Ottumwa il
two or three other directions (as will
surely be done if it is successfully /
will be by far the largest taxpayer il
the county. And It's taxes must b,
paid for all time.
From the tax standpoint alone doe
not the bringing in of taxpayer VIII,
will pay greater tax each year thai
Sold Dacf WonL