Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-12
Assessors Reports to State Audi
tor Show Inequalities Are I'm
possible to Overcome
TAX DODGERS NOT TO BLAME
Manufactures Pay Taxes Only OH Raw
Material on Hand Manufactured
Product Does Not Figure in the As
sessments-some of the Inequali-
ties Shown.
TO T,mes-Repub,ican.

| SneClal 10 llneS-hepuUllC
Des Moines July 12.--Accord ng to
the report of the county auditor OF
Polk county to the state auditor, PoiK
county has $156,000 in capital en-
nloyed in manufactures. Many other
counties Of the state have much more
than that reported by the assessor.
When an explanation was sought at
the assessors office in the court house
here it was explained that the assess
nent is the raw material only used in
manufactures and that only the av-
erage amount on hand. In this way II
is possible for one city with little
intention to dodge taxes to escape
considerable amount of it's share. The
real estate and machinery that is not
removable is assessed as real estate
On of the difficulties complained OF
by the assessor in this city is that the
big brick companies pay taxes only
on small amount of their property
If they have several millions of man
ufactured brick piled UP about their
yards there is no way of reaching IL
with taxation for they have supreme
court opinion that covers the matter
The raw material that went into the
brick could be assessed but that has
already been assessed as real estate
and so the brick pays no taxes.
The Des Moines Ice Company IS like
wise fortified with an opiniort from
the supreme court in a case carried
up there There is no way of taxing
the Ice that is stored up for sale ex-
cept as raw material and as raw ma
fterial it was water and is non-s'ssessi-
bic. The ice houses and horses ano
wagons only are assessible. lie Iac-
tories such as the kratzer Carriage
Company may have their factory fun
Of carriages and vehicles but the goods
cannot be assessed. The raw material.
or rather the average amount OF raw
material kept on hand. can be assessed,
and that only, In addition to the real
estate and buildings and machinery.
The difficulties that the assessors
office here complains of is not so n.c::
efforts on the part Of the business eie-
ment to dodge the taxes, tho here Is
some Of that too, as the difficulties OF
the law and the decision of the SUI
preme court that make 1t difficult 10
get at the property. At the sane time
while the statements of the banks OF
Des Moines to the state auditor show
that there is s25,OO0,o00 in deY'osits In
The Des Moines banks, the asse ssor
q, than
100000 in monies and credits to as
sess. The poor people OF the city and
county are the people that report that
too.
A short time ago, when the assessors
were going around for this year, one
Of the, deputies was directed to go to
little shanty where two old bache-
lors lived. The bachelors were work
ing men and were not at home till 8
in the evening, and consequently the
assessor had to go after that hour.
When the assessor asked as to monies
and credits, one of the bachelors re-
ported $4,000 in one of The Des
Moines banks When the assessor
asked the banker how much there was
there he answered mot a cent Then
the assessor told the banker that one
of the men had reported $4,000. The
was over the phone and
the only response heard from the
banker was something that sounded
like "thedamfool.'
It only illustrates the difficulty in
finding the assessible property. One
old lady Of Des Moines annually re-
ports about $500 in money in the bank,
while the wealthiest gentlemen of the
city report next to nothing. AMI that is
mostly offset by debts.
Another source of difficulty with the
assessors Is the remittance of taxes.
Tho this is illegal, 1t is nevertheless
true that in Des Moines nearly every
concern of any consequence that has
come to the city within recent years
annually has its taxes RENTED. The
assessor regularly assesses the Agar
Packing Plant and score Of others.
The supervisors and the city council
vote to remit the taxes and the as
sessmentSis stricken out. The new ST.
100000 brick plant is has its taxes re-
mitted. This is another reason why
the county auditor reports Only $751;
900 in capital employed in .nanufac-
lures.