Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-02-18

inferred the county court was Who'll
" responsible for. II nigh be added
that IL Mr.. Durbin would pay the
county the amount that the experts
found him short and that he has sew
eral times acknowledged and prom
ised the county court he would pay.
the tax levy would not be quite so
high as II is. We have been very
lenient with him relative to the mat
ter, relying upon his word that he
would settle the sum that he ac-
knowledged to the county court was
due.
| know nothing as to whether or
not Mr.. Durbin's property was assess
ed too high this year, but it rather
looks like from the casual observa-
tlon that he has not been assessed
high enough in former years. How
ever, that Is a matter between he aud
the assessor. There Is no necessity,
whatever, for the county court and
assessor 20 have any understanding
as to what value should be placed
upon property in making an assess
ment. The state law provides that
all property shall be assessed at its
true cash value. The county court,
the county assessor nor any one else
has any right to say that property
shall be assessed at other than it's
cash value.
The county court makes an esti-
mate OF the total sum required to
pay for the things that the majority
OF the taxpayers demand and makes
levy sufficiently large to cover It.
III the property values be assessed
high the rate will be low; II the
property values be assessed low the
rate will be correspondingly high.
During the first four years of the
ten years referred to, the time COW
cred by my predecessor, Judge Ter
rell, including the first six months OF
my first term, there we're expended
annually. upon an average, sl0,SS3
for the road and bridge Improvement,
During the next Ave years of said
period, the time covered by my ad-
mlnistration which brings us up to
the present levy, there were expended
annually, upon an average for road
and bridge improvement the sum OF
$43,550.
During my first term of office there
was great demand from the people
for better road Improvement. The
main issue between Mr.. Corby and
myself In the campaign OF 1904 was
upon the question as to whether or
not the taxpayers throughout this
county would sustain Mr. Needham
and myself upon the policy that we
had inaugurated relative TO road Inn
provement. II was ratified by giving
us a greater majority vote than any
county Judge or commissioners has
ever received In this county before.
Owing to this fact. we have since
made levies sufficiently large to en-
able US to continue our policy OF
highway Improvement in the manner
that seemed to us TO be demanded
by the majority of the taxpayers.
Last year and the year before We ex-
pended for road and bridge improve
ment, including special levies made
by road districts, an average OF s6l,-
e2s.
When we went into ONCE we found
the county very poorly equipped with
necessary tools and machinery to do
road work. We now have three rock
crushers and two steam road rollers.
twenty-four wheeled scrapers and a
number OF large slip scrapers and a
number OF road graders for each road
district. All OF which are In good
condition and are absolutely neces-
say 10 be had in attending to the
road work as II should be attended
TO. This machinery represents an
asset that is worth to the county be-
tween fifteen and twenty thousand
dollars that practically cost the tax
payers nothing, owing to the agita-
tion for better roads. the people have
volunteered enough labor and money
to pay for all OF said machinery,
Most of this machinery win serve the
county for years to come with but
little repair.
We have done away with more
than five miles of eulverts and
bridges by cutting down hills and
using the earth In making fills. We
are now. and have been during the
year last past. manufacturing con-
crete eulyerts that have met the gem
eral approval OF all who have careful
ly examined them, and we intend TO
ronIa a. al se5os.Slora n..lvarfo Nth them