Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-08-30
ANOTHER EXPOSE BY
Mr.. BASS OF BANGOR.
Of the Democratic Misrepresenta,
ton. of the Wild Lands Tax.
Purely a Matter Of Business Between
State and Timber|dnd Owners.
Democrats and Republicans Alike Own Lands
and Should Be Treated Alike

judgment can impcach.
If any taxpayer in Maine feels that
the wild lands are escaping burden
that thew ought to assume, he may be
Interested in some figures that cannot
Wen be disputed.
They constitute the other side of the
question, and as Maine voters are not
in the habit Of considering one side
onIv. the statements form valuable"
material to aid in arriving at a san"
judgment.
The total wild land area in the state
IS apnroxi:nateIy 12,00O0O1 acres. or in
the ncighborhood Of $4,000 square
miles. About -fourtis Of this
vast wilderness is included in the I'M
incorI6rated tow nships, which Includes
the Public Lots. amounting to 9,5SSGl2
acres, or 1850 square miles. The
balance. or approximately 3,Oa"0H9
acres. or 1000 square miles. is ihclu'ti
in towns and plantations, ana the
valuation each year is placed upon H.
for local taxation purposes. ~ me
local assessors. and forwarded by them
annually t. the H"ald Of state AS-
SCISSORS. The unincorporated town
ships are located in eight counties 81
the State. viz, ArooStonk, FRANKLIN
Hancock. Penobscot. Piscataquis, OK
ford. Somerset and Washing ton. The
valuation for State tax purposes on
this great wilderness is made up by
ti,o state Assessors. without the aid of
. local assessors, once in every wv"
,e,rs and or or before the first day OF
Decemhcr prior to the assembling Of
the Legislature, which valuation forms
the basis on which the State ana
county taxes are assessed on these
townships for the following two years
The unincnrporatcd townships are
euhirct to the same rate OF county ana
state taxation as are the cities ana
towns. and. in addition, owners are as
sessed for the building and mamie
nance Of all highways constructed
through the townships by the county
commissioners. There is no municipal
government in the wild land town
sbins. and therefore the total tax rate
ie necessarily considerably less than IN
cities ana towns, which have fire and
street departments, paved streets
electric lights, sidewalks, pau?ers e
support, and multitude Oh othei
things t. provide for
Readers have undoubtedly noticed n
ATE in the newspapers nump"r VI
references to the taxation question. II
] which the writer or the party 1nt"r
viewed has made comparisons betWee'
the rate of taxation paid by cities an
towns and the rate on land in unlf
cornorated townships, and that tn
nave invariably given the entire u
r,tc on cities ana towns. which inclut-
"a state. County ana also MnnrlE
taxes. while they give only the Sth'
ftav on v.iIr lands Of ~ mills on tn
collar. This is misleading. and Y
4Aubte+lv has ed some people ~,
rrya not thoroughly investigated |
.,Yotte,. to believe that the u M.
covered the entire tax paid by the P.N'
US Of thcsn Wild lands. The unin1o
norateI Townships are subject to e..
1000 ,a'e # County tax as all or"
..,....... .r,. ~tttn. an TIE Sta.e 10
..,..+. , .pn'incd will equal r"
..n.,fy IA : r,iH- on the dollar e'
voqr Orc-fowth of thc wild lands
Situated III towns ana plantations. Ht
INV ,a-uat'0n ~ paced upon the
.cav w tie local board Of
s-o. f., trc purpose Of local t. T.
ton
Tho valuation placed upOn the unin
or. GRATED townships by the state val
alton commission in 1870 was $1,i99.''
>, ~, ovcroge value of - cts. per &C
IN 1854 If was increased by them I
= as eco IN average f - cts. per arl'
and in 1890 the valuation made up p,
tbo Valuation Commission was $l9,l+F,
Az ~ III average value pcr acre Q
IA I nuiGllflIp pre9Fpt
tbe Board Of state Assessors. ana n
49, state Valuation made by il va
n the wear 1892. The valuation on Will
r,rds ar nnincornoratcd townships Ia
been increased $t1.G60,070. or II per cen
since 1862. While the valuation on a
trAoi estate in the balance of the state
which includes all cities. towns an
plantations has been Increased S4''
80 7G3, or - per cent.
Il has henr stated that the Boari q
State Assessors have undervained ~
4 lands in the unncorporated townships
and recently one Of the gentlemen Wh
IS very active in making such state
ments stated that the wild lands Of IN
State are worth 100000 600. And he al
so stated that the soil in the Wild lan'
area. after stripping Of all its growth
would be worth $500 per acre. Within
six months, an option was given to
person in this State on over 10000
acres, containing some of the best tim
berland in the State, at an aVerag
price per acre of little over three dol
lars. and a few cents per acre onl,
: above the valuation placed upon it b.
n the State Assessors.
If the Bard of State Assessors ar
= to be criticised because there are me,
i having no practical knowledge what
Il ever Of the ma.~ec vino say that III
II unincorporated townships are wort