The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-23
PENSACOLA FLORIDA SUNDAY MORNING DECEMBER 80 1906
Railroad Commission
Should Make Assessments.

.
: The controversy between the Fort
Myers Breeze and the Tallahassee
True Democrat over the question Of
! railroad assessments in this state
suggests ANEW departure in the mat
: ter of these assessments and The
g Journal wants to go on record as
fayoring the transfer OF this power
from the hands OF the comptroller to
J the railroad commission.
There are many reasons why this
should be done and IL is. surprise
! that the matter mas not been sug
, gested before. In the first place the
; comptroller has about all he can at
tend TO In looking after his other
/ numerous duties, but even il he were
not overburdened with other work Il
is unwise to place in the hands or
any one man so much power.
Ii the comptroller were an expert
man on railroad valuations it would
; st!ll be unwise To give him this
power, but it is doubtful if there
ever has been. or ever will be. man
{, in this Office who is an expert on
railroad matters. IL he is not a rail-
road man or thoroughly conversant
with the operation and value OF roll
/ ing stock in it's various conditions
then he can not be able to judge of
the correctness of the tax returns
made and filed by these railroad COM
panies.
IL is the duty of the railroad COM
! panies to make returns of the value
! of their properties TO the comptroller
and their taxes are assessed upon the
, figures in these statements. II any
of these returns have ever been ques-
tiond such fact has not been made
public. OF course it is possible that
all of them in the past have been
absolutely correct, but there is no
certainty that they have been. They
may have been correct so far as the
I comptroller knew of his own person
al knowledge and still have been far
. from expressing the true valuation
of these properties
The state has auditors to check the
accounts of all the state and county
/. officers and does not rely on the
honesty of these officials, but pays ex
pert accountants to see that they do
their full duty and account to the
state and counties for every cent of
money placed in their hands for safe
Keeping or for disbursement for the
state and counties These auditors
are men who are supposed TO be ex-
perts in their line of business and
can detect errors where other men
would not notice them.
The returns of these railroad prop
critics should he examined. and, if
necessary, inspected by men in the
employ of the state who have
knowledge of the transportation bust
ness and who are able to detect any
errors or omissions in these returns
which, il corrected would raise the
total valuation of these properties
aad in turn cause the taxes against
them TO be assessed at higher figures
1T stands TO reason that the rail
road commissioners know more aboat
the conduct and value of railroad
property than any other official. or
set of officials, in the service OF the
state. Their duties compel them
often 10 so out and inspect these
properties and ascertain the condi-
ton of the road bed and rolling stock,
and from the reports Of the railroad
companies filed in their department
they are able TO judge of the business
done by these companies and the true
value of their properties. II the re.
ports Of these companies are not
satisfactory TO the commission they
have the authority TO examine the
books of the companies and satisfy
themselves as To their correctness or
falsity.
This duty of the assessment of rail-
road properties in Florida is solely
in the province of the railroad com
mission and The Journal advocates
the transfer OF this power to them be-
cause it places too much power in
the hands of the comptroller who. If
he were a dishonest man. could de
fraud the state ont of thousands OF
dollars every year from imperfect
assessments. and because this assess
ment is directly in the line of work
OF the railroad commission.