Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-08-02
A TX EN -
y Des MOineS Letter
y items of Interest from Our Correspondent
" at the State Capital
Tax on Telephones is Raised.


Tax on Telephones is Raised.
Des Moines.-The state executive
council has completed the assessment
Of the telephone and telegraph lines
Of the state. There were considerable
Increases in numerous instances, the
most conspicuous being the increase
Of the Iowa Telephone company's
assessment ana tnat or the American
Telegraph & Telephone company's
lines.
The former is the Bell company's
property and the latter is supposed
to be owned by the same concern.
The latter is the long distance line
which crosses the state few miles
south of Des Moines and has branches
in about half the counties.
The assessment of the long distance
line was increased from 5000 to $3.50
mile and the mileage is SSS. This
made net increase of S71,040 The
increase on the Iowa Telephone COM
pany's property alone was $4,000
The countries in which the long
distance telephone line has poles and
does business, and which get the
benefit of the Increased assessment of
This year, with the mileage In each,
follow:
Adair, 1857; Bremen, 1888; Ben
ton, Pas; Butler, 1852: Black Hawk,
5S.Z9; Cass, 23.61; Cedar, 4165; Cerro
Gordo, 2O.O7; Des Moines, S1.70; Dali
las, LBS; Fremont, 3.3S; Floyd, 2374,
Guthrie, lilo; >Grundy, 1011; Iowa,
1888; Jones, 1.24; Johnson, 2910;
Jasper, 5772; Lee, 51.54; Louisa,
2O.ll; Linn, 1921; Muscatine, 6214;
Madison, 22.29; Mills. 22.37; Marshall,
1886; Poweshiek. 29.41; Pottawatta.
ME, 54.S2; Scott, 1850; Tama, 1412;
Worth, 1897; Warren, so.
Claim Narrow Margin.
The Iowa railroad commission has
recently held public hearings at
knlerin, Richards, Matlock, and
hardwood on applications for elevat-
or sites by farmers cooperative or
CARNATIONS.
The local grain dealers attended
these hearings and claimed that the
general gross buying margin on corn
and oats is less than cents per bush
ell, out OF which all expense, interest,
taxes, ETC., must be paid, and besides
the dealers suffer loss because of the
grain grading lower at terminals than
as purchased and evidence was sub
mitted to support such claims.
1t seems that the Iowa Grain Deal.
ers' association Is encouraging the
grain dealers to appear at all hearings
OF applications for elevator sites by
the railroad commission and submit
statements substantiated by original
records of entry and official market
reports showing facts regarding the
margins taken as a refutation of state
ments made by the promoters of CO
operative organizations that grain
dealers are taking unreasonable pro
fits.
While the grain dealers are making
no active fight against the co-opera
tive concerns yet they wish to show
that they are not making any high
profits in the business and that the co.
operative concern Is a waste of capital
as far as being needed in competition
with the regular grain dealers Of the
state, A lot of cooperative elevators
have been erected and others are be-
ing projected since the recent find
ings concerning grain competition
have been made by legislative bodies.
Newton & Northwestern Progressing.
Work on the Newton-N northwestern
railroad is progressing rapidly and
it is the expectation of the manage
ment to have the line completed by
Dec. /. 1t is to be the longest inter
urban line in the state, being about
100 miles, with Des Moines and Fort
dodge as it's terminals. Over eleven
miles of the grade from Kelley south
toward Des Moines has been finished
apd four and one half miles Of track
has been laid. On the other end of
the line the grading In Fort Dodge
is almost completed and in another
two weeks the grading from Lanyon
through Harcourt to the river cross
ing the Ohio, three miles out of Fort
Dodge, will be finished The COM
pany has just concluded condemna-
ton proceedings of the right of-wav
from the river crossing to the Fort
Dodge City limits, mile of which
is through the gypsum lands costing
an average Of $3.50 per acre. The
work on the power station at Fraser
is we'll under way and the machinery
for it and substations is arriving. The
overhead work is nearly completed
Letween Kelley and Lanyon.
All but Four Reappointed.
Governor Cummins has announced
the reappointment of all of the oil
inspectors except four. C. III. Tai
mage of West Union has been ap-
pointed to succeed A. +. Whitney OF
Fayette. The three whose places
have not been disposed OF as yet.
either by the reappointment of the
incumbents or the appointment or
their successors, are Frank B. Rogers
of Britt, L.. b. Cousins Of Council
Bluffs, and II. Shivvers Of Knoxville.
lnterurban Line Assured.
The building of the interurban cleo.
trio line between Des Moines and
Fort Dodge has been made absolutely
sure by the Old Colony Trust com.
pany of Boston having just taken
$2,150,000 worth of the Az per cent
twenty-five year bonds which are the
foundation of the financial plan of the