The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-16

mile.
 assessed last year at $3s.s0 a mile. This year they were assessed at $50 mile. The wires of the company was assessed last year at $16.50 a mile. This year the assessment was lifted to SPA mile.
 lives before the Board were the Vest, ern Union. represented by Ray Rush. ton, Superintendent G. w. Loyd and Manager C. A. Fonville; the Postal. represented by Assistant General Su- perintendent s. A. Duncan and Mana ger W. M. Shepherd; the American Telegraph and Telephone Company represented by Major R. E. Steiner, and the Independent Telephone and Telegraph Company, represented by J.
 The State Board of Equalization is composed of Governor B. B. Conner, Attorney General A. M. Garber. Treas urer walter D. Seed. Auditor W. W. Brandon and Secretary of State Frank N. Julian. Judge J. T. Cook Is sec- retary of the Board.
 The company officials were subjected to the most thorough cross -examina- ton and although 1t was intimated by them that they were paying higher taxes than any other property in Ala bama the questions of the State off, cers indicated that the raises that later came were very probable. Assessments in Detail. The details of the raises made yes- terday follows:
 Postal Telegraph Company--S56 .o5 miles poles assessed $50 mile; last year assessed sss.6o; 5.41s.5a miles wire, | $16 .50; instruments valued at s5,44O. Western Union Telegraph Company -3,811.78 miles of poles, assessed $50 a mile; last year assessed $39.60; 20,971 year assessed s1s.6o: Instruments valued at $12.004.
 American Telephone and Telegraph Company of Alabama-630.b3 miles of poles, assessed 02; last year assessed same; 11.446.s3 miles of wire. assessed $30, last year assessed $22; instruments valued at $15,243.50.
 The Board met the telegraph and telephone company officers in the prt- vate office of the State Auditor. The | company officials and attorneys assem- Lied around a long table whore they had room for their papers The Gov ernor presided and sat at smaller | table ani fired his questions over the | two tables. In time the two tables were filtered with figures and esu- | mates and comparisons.
 On the Governors tables the paper were weighted down with his spare set of glasses. He carries two pairs | and they alternate on his nose for ser vice. One pair Is kept busy while the other weights down the figures anu estimates, in which the wire property
 was being fixed.
 Much Information Required. The representatives of the telephone and telegraph companies were sub jected to a rigid cross-Questioning by the members of tine Board, with the Governor leading. The questions had to do with both the physical value of the property of the companies and their intangible assets as well. It was made clear, however, that the in- quititorial proceedings so far as they applied to the stocks and bonds of the companies, was to assist the Board in assessing the physical property. The intangible assets are to be assessed at a future meeting of ths State Board of Taxation.
 The information on stocks and bonds required at yesterdays session was asked and given in accordance with the act of the last Legislature which altered the assessment law in some re- specfs.
 Put the telephone and telegraph off, hcers had countless questions sto an- swer about their equipment and it's cost. Some of the questions were either so irrelevant or so searching that the representatives could not make definite replies to them. The Board wanted to have answers to such ques- tions as these:
 How many poles have you got to the mile? How much is each pole worth? How much does 1t cost to put a pole up? How many wires are strung7 How many are copper and how many ire iron wires? What Is copper wire worth? What Is iron wire worth? What did It cost you when you built your line? What Is your line capitel- ized at? What is it bonded at? What will 1t cost to reproduce your line! How many instruments have you" What are they worth apiece? How many new lines did you build this year7
 There were a good many other ques- tions, but these quoted indicate the line of cross examination which was undergone by the representatives of
 The Independent Telephone Company was given the first chance with the Heller, was not ready with ali the in formation that the Board wanted. He asked for and was. given until April as 2S o wanfs 6rpg in m tha na f that planned from Birmingham to Louis ville In Alabama that part of the line between Decatur, and Birmingham is
 
 The line has never before been as- sessed. MT. Heller stated that the first assessment which he submitted to the Board estimated the poles of the com pany as being worth $1 each and the wire at $20 a mile.
 Couldn't Give the Facts.
 Tn reply to frequent questions, Mir. Heller said that he could not tell the cost of construction of the line or of any mile of it. The line was not vel finished. It was still in the hands of the construction company and no set clement had been made. The line had been bonded at approximately $500 000 and the construction company had agree to build the line inside of s500,- 000 The Board was of the opinion bama property handed in by MT. Hel- Ter was too small The members fired other questions at him, which for lack of ready information he could not an swer.
 It was suggested that inasmuch as MT. Heller would have to go before the State Board of Taxation to be assessed on his intangible assets that he secure further information for both boards.
 The Western Union Telegraph Com pany. in turn, submitted its assessment to the Board Superintendent Lloyd handled the paper and answered the Boards questions. but before the ex- was completed, Attorney Ray Rushton has having a hand in the ex- 
 It developed that the assessment of the Western Union was the same as that of last year except that a smaller assessment had been placed upon soma of the wire on account of deterioration Mir. Lloyd explained the greater and bet ter value of new wire as compared to old wire. on account of the differenCe In carrying capacity, a difference rec