The Globe-republican., 1907-04-04
MR.. FITZGERALD AND OTHER
MEMBERS OF BOARD OF
RAILWAY ASSESSORS
GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
To- Make a Personal -Examina.
tion ofRriIroad Property
as a Starter.


Auditor Nation, and State Treasurer
Mark Tulley, members Of the state board
Of railroad assessors, made a personal In
Ivestigation last week Of the Santa Fe shop
fdistrictin Topeka, for the purpose Of
finding out for themselves what the rail-
road property ought to be worth.
Later these same state officials started
on trip to Chsuuie, Plttsburg and Par
sons, to inspect railroad shops and term
insls. This week they visit Kansas City,
Kan, and take . run dow over the Santa
re TO Emporia, Newton, Florence and
Wichita. Later On they will 20 out over
some Of the Missouri Pacific and Union
Pacific branch lines, for the purpose Of
finding out whether these branch lines
are assessed 10 proportion to their value,
compared with the maiu lines.
These trips will not be made In special
trains, or even IA special cars
1--WE viii travel justas ordinary clti
zens travel said Lieutenant Governor
Fitzgerald in speaking or the matter to
the Topeka reporters "Tbe railroads
offered Us any facilities we might request
for inspecting the lines, but we prefer
not to have any special favors except q
maldetailed to show us around the prop
erty when we are, ready to inspect it. We
don't want to be taken up as brass
thieves, or anything like that
This inspection trip won't be much
like the old time ''junkets" which in
former years used TO disgrace The stat.
board OF railroai assessors. These .'Junk.
cts" have been Questionable Of late
years, and the railroad assessors nave
made their guess on the value Of railroad
property BY sitting In their offices and
reading figures. Now the personal in.
spection feature Is revived, but it isn't y
junket-or at any rate, It is very much
dehorned junket
II used to be the custom for, the rail-
roads to fnrnisha special tram Of Pull
mans, with we'll stocked diner and
buffet, to the board Of railway assessors
for their '.inspeclion trip" The board
invited all their friends, and the excursion
was a grand season of merrymaking.
After being lavshly entertained at the
expense of the railroads, the board would
9 me back TO Topeka IN a calm and i'll
dicial frame of mud to determine how
much tax the railroads would have to
pay.
'sThis new board ofrailway assessors
said Mr. Fitzgerald, "feels that II should
have little personal knowledge of rail-
way terminals aud railway buildings
We want TO see what these buildings
listed BY the railways look like. Only
one member Of the board has ever done
any OF this work before. We want to ar.
rive at fair valuation OF railroad prop
erty, and then assess # upon the same
basis Of valuation which prevails in the
local. J where the property is located.
rhe people Of kansas are getting tired Of
the system OF juggling railroad v lues,
and jockeying thesrairoad assessments.
rhe people have discovered that there
bias beeh'a good deal OF that going on In
the past, and they are tired OF it,
Lists have been prepared of sll the rail
road buildings listed by the railroad com
panies 10 their @eports at the various
criminals. The inspection trip of The
board will serve to show whether the
buildings are really there, and whether
he full list bias been submitted.