The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-18

The Manistee and Repton. formerly logging road, connecting with the Selma and Pensacola division of the Louisville and Nashville. has been pay ing taxes on IS miles of main line at a valuation of $1,5oo a mile. The road was assessed yesterday for its main line s2,500 a mile. It was assessed s1,250 for three-ouarters of mile of side track and $2,000 on its rolling stock. The road was represented by
 The St Andrews Bay and Atlanta was assessed for the first time yester- day The road runs from St. Andrews Bay. Fla, through a part of southeast Alabama It has 16.5 miles of road in Alabama and this was assessed s2,500 a mile The rolling stock was valued at s6,500. The road was represented by c. H. Purvis.
 Coast Line Hearing.
 The Atlantic Coast Line was the first of the big roads to go squarely before the Board and take its chances without de.ay. The interest of the day, there fore. naturally centered around the Coast Line hearing. And 1t was com pleie enough. For two hours the com panvs representatives were subjected to a continuous rapid fire questioning The range of the enquiry covered ev erything affecting the road. from its purchase of the controlling stock of tho Louisville and Nashville. to the amount 1t paid for the engines in use in Alabama
 The vital question of the enquiry. however. remained unsettled and this was a question from the company to the State Board and it was in this form By what criterion are you going to fix our taxes"
 On the other hand. with all the in formation that was obtained by the Board, and there was a great deal ot 1t. 1t did not appear that the exact value tbar h I n,a A. -xi ing to the idea of the Board. Colonel Hamilton declared that the officers Of the company had dealt frankly with the Board, and had told its members the cost of building the road the amount of bonds on each mile of the road, the amount of stock on each mile of road. and the figure at which the officers fixed the value of the road in the le- gal proceedings in the United States Court.
 Auditor Brandon broke into the ques- tioning with the suggestion that the representatives had given all informa- tion that they could possibly give with the exception of making a statement as to the earnings of the road. This was immediately given by Colonel Hamilton. who said that the road was earning 6 per cent on bonds and capitalization. . The Auditor then said that the Board. havine the estimated cost of reproduc. tion the amount of bonds and stocks and the earning capacity of the road had sufficient information to fix the roads value under the new law.
 The railroad officials went away ig- norant of the standard the Board would use in fixing the taxes and upon what particular basis the assessment would be fixed.
 At the beginning of the hearing Col onel Hamilton contributed to the Boards stock of information. On the witness stand, for all of those who gave information were sworn, he swore that the Atlantic Coast Line had 142.12 miles of road lyin~ between Montgom- cry and De Chat ! ioochee River. Ac- cording to the statement which had been filed with the Auditor, the officers of the road wished to give in the road at $10,000 a mile. This was the amount given iS the previous year. but the previous Board had lifted the assess ment to $15.000 a mile.