Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1907-04-19
WILL CRUISE TIMBER.

The County Court met Tuesday
afternoon and employed w. V. Fuller
and J. d. Mcdonald to cruise the tim
ber land Of Polk county for the purpose
OF aiding Assessor Graves in making
up his valuations for assessment pur-
poses. Messrs. Fuller and Mcdonald
will qualify as Deputy Assessors, and
will begin the work Immediately.
The movement to cruise the timber
lands of Oregon for assessment pur-
poses is rapidly growing in favor,
and all of the Willamette Valley coun-
ties are taking up the plan. 1t is
believed that a reliable cruise OF
the forests of Polk county will
do much to equalize the burden Of tax
alton in the county. The extra taxes
received the first year will pay the
cost of the cruising and leave several
thousand dollars in the treasury.
After the cruise is once completed, it
will only be necessary to deduct the
acreage logged or burned each year
in making up the list Of valuations
for assessment purposes. The new
plan of assessing will be fairer
to the owners of the timber than
the present method Of assessment, as
the assessor will no longer be obliged
to guess at the quantity or quality of
timber on a given tract, but will be
enabled to make up his rolls with pos
tive knowledge as to the value of
every acre of timber land in the
county.
Washington county has five exper-
fenced cruisers in the field, and the
Court expects to have an estimate of
all timber by June l5, so as to have it
placed on this years assessment roll.
Clatsop county had her timber
cruised two years ago, and the
Assessor of that county is authority
for the statement that the county |
made more than enough to pay for
the cruise the first year from increased |
valuations on timber.
Benton county has not yet made a
cruise, but the Court has the work |
under consideration and a meeting
will be held this week to determine
what action shall be taken.
The Linn county officials also have
the matter of cruising under advise
ment. The Judge OF that county is
highly in favor of the plan, and it is
reported that the Commissioners are
Of a like mind.
The County Court OF Yamhill county
will meet today to consider bids for
estimating the amount OF timber
lying between McMinnville and the
Tillamook county line. The timber
in Yamhill was assessed at only SIS an |
acre last year.
Marion county had several sections
of timber cruised few years ago, and
the Court is preparing to have all the |
remaining timber cruised this sum-
mer. The property cruised before had
been assessed at from $5 to $40 an
acre, but was raised last year to $25
an acre.
Clackamas county will raise the
assessment on her timber from Sc an |
acre to SIS an acre this year. No
cruise will be made, and the Court
will take the estimates of the owners
OF the timber.
The Lane County Court purchased
the estimates of former cruisers on
l347 sections Of timber land and will
make their assessment according to
these figures. Values will be raised |
to about 81 an acre on the better class |
Of timber. Previous to this year,
nothing was known OF the actual
worth OF the timber lands, and good,
bad and Indifferent were assessed at
So an acre.
Messrs. Fuller and Mcdonald, who
have been employed to cruise the Polk
county timber, are thoroughly quail
ified to perform the work, and the
estimates furnished by them may be
safely counted upon to be reliable aud
as nearly correct as it is possible to
make them.