The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-04
HEARINGS ON
 ASSESSMENTS Railroads Appear Before
 State Board. VALUES OF SMALL LINES FIXED blx Roads Secure Continuance
 Until April IS. Attsrneys Made Showing New Law Is So IsdeAnite They Did Not Know
 Just What Information
 Was Wanted.
VALUES OF SMALL LINES FIXED

The big railroads of Alabama, con- tending that the acts regulating the assessment of railroad property passed by the Legislature were so indefinite in their terms that the attorneys of the roads did not know what information they required. or what information was wanted by the State Board of Equali- Eatfon, secured from the Board a con- tinuance of their tax hearings until the week beginning April Is.
 The little roads, having no intricate Financial affairs in the matter of stocks and bonds, took their chances with the Board and had their taxes assessed. 20 as to have the assessment through and over with. <
 The Governor promised the assem- bled railroad men that nothing "dras- tic" would be done and so far as the assessments of the little roads went the promise was kept.
 Action was taken by the Board on -four of these roads. In two cases as- sessments were raised, although the raises were not especially large. In the other two cases the assessments were kept at the old figure.
 It was developed at the all day long meeting of the Board that the Governor and his associates had determined to make searching inquiry into railroad property and into the details of the financial management of the road.
 The last road to be considered, the Nashville. Chattanooga and St Louis, having 12S miles of tracks in the State, was considered road of some i'm portance and the representatives of the road were given close examina- tion two hours long.
 Exhaustive Examination.
 The examination covered the original cost of the road, the amount it would rnnrndrIra hs. n outstanding bonds. the amount of capi- tallzation. the gross earnings. the op- srating expenses and the taxes paid by ths road in other States. The Board, by its questions, indicated that 1t pro- posed to take the full latitude allowed by the recent acts of the Legislature giving 1t wider scope in the fixing of the tax value of railroad property. The principal change in. the law governing the Board Is contained In the act which authorizes the Board to consider the stock and outstanding bonds of a rail- road in arriving at a valuation of the roads property.
 The big railroads were not clear on the meaning of the law. Their repre- sentations impressed the Board, and they were given the time they asked for to prepare the information. In the meantime, Secretary J. T. Cook will write the representatives of each of these roads and inform them what in- Formation the Board wants.
 The adjournment of the Board yes terday was until April IS, when the first of the proposed cases will be heard On that day, too, the telegraph companies of the State will be heard on their tax matters.
 The Southern will be heard on the 22nd, the Coast Line on the 17th, the Seaboard on the 18th, the Central of Georgia ,the Western and the Louis- vile and Nashville on the 18th These are tentative dates partially agreed upon yesterday. They may be chang ed. however. It was intimated that probably the State Tax Commission would meet with the Board of Equali- zation-
 The Board consists of Governor B. B. Conner, Attorney General A. Nj Ger ber, Treasurer Walter D. Seed. Audi tor W. W. Brandon and Secretary of State Frank N. Julian.
 Actions by the Board.
 The two raises announced yesterday affected the Tombigbee Valley Rail- road and the Mobile, Jackson and Kan sas City. The largest increase was that of the Mobile, Jackson and Kan sas City. This road was increased from S5,00O a mile to $7,200 mile.
 The Tombigbee Valley was in