The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-28
DAWSON GIVES REASONS
FOR VET0ING CHATTELS REAL BILL

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does not do so It proposes to con.
tinue tie assessment 81 chattels real
wherever they exist except in the one
single case alone. and that is where
the land ownr has leased his land
and by agreement tho lessee pays lax.
ee on the improvements and The les.
sor pays taxes on the land. In every
other respect this law leaves the as:
sessmpnt OF chattels real in just the
position they are now.
II is claimed that the bill viii sim.
Pity the assessment Of property out
OF which there Is carved d ieasehotd
estate. In my Judgment 1t win have
just the opposite effect. Take, for
example, the leaseholds land especial.
w the gas feaseholds) which are as.
sessed by the Board Of Public works,
and which figure mp into the millions
Of dollars. In this bill the local as.
SCISSOR when he assesses the land up.
on which there exists d. gas leasehold.
would be compelled to include in the
value of that land the value of the
leasehoid. In order to do this the
amount Of gas produced from the lease
hold annaally. the price obtained for
the gas. and other facts. This infor.
nation Is not In the possession Of the
land owner at all. The lessee alone
knows how much gus is produced from
u certain well. The land owner only
knows the amount Of rental paid an.
nualy by the lessee. Would it.not be
more difficult for the local assessor
to determine the entire value OF the
tract of land, including the feasehofd.
than 1t would be for him to determine
the value of the tract OF land minus
the leasehold, and allow the Board Of
Public Works to obtain from the own.
er OF the leasehold its value. II is
true, as has been stated by the adyo.
Gates OF this bill. that the whole is
equal to the parts. It is also true that
The parts are equal TO the whole. 1t is
not necessary to find the valne OF
each part before you can determine
tie vaius OF the whole, especially
when the knowledge giving the value
to separate parts is in the possession
of the owners Of the parts? In other
words, can you determine the value
of the whole by ascertaining the val.
ne of any given part? This would be
the effect IL a local assessor attempt:
ed to assess to the land owner the val.
ne Of gas leaseholas. The land owner
only knows the amount of rental re.
ceived annually from gas well: and
how Won could determine the value
which ought to be- added to tract
OF land on account Of the fact that
It is producing gas by knowing the
valve OF the lessons part only, I am
unable to understand
Then again, the Hope Gas Company,
and other gas companies of this
State, own thousands Of teasehofds.
1t would no longer be incumbent up.
on these companies to report to the
Goard OF Public Works their Lease
holds. X The local assessor in assess
Ing land would attempt to include in
the value of the land the leasehold.
He wou:i assess Il as II there existed
no Ieasehotd, then in order that the
land owner might avail himself of the
provisions of this statute. he would
have to apply to the Board of Public
Works to appreciate the valuation. be-
tween himself and the lessee. The
gas company would no longer have
any interest in the matter, because
It world suit them best II the lessor
or land owner never applied to the
Board Of Public Works for an appor.
tlonment of the valuation. The board
would be unable TO determine upon
whose land the gas companies owned
leaseholds. and could not, tharfore,
put the landowner on his guard. In
addition to that the board holds its
sessions in the capital city and the
land owners are scattered throughout
(perhaps twenty-five counties in the
state). Each and every one of them
who had leased his land to gas
company would have to make applica.
ton to the board to apportion the val.
otherwise he would be com.
PEELED to pay. taxes upon property
which he did own. 1t would mean at
least ten Thousand applications year
to the board. one can hardly imagine
the difficulties that would be encoun.
tered in apportionlng the valuation OF
ten thousand tracts of land between
the lessor and the lessee. It would
mean a separate inquiry into the con-
ditions surrounding each and every
leasehold. 1t would take an army Of
officers to determine the value of the
separate parts SO as TO make an equit.
able anportionment. Ten thousand
No