Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1907-09-12
Assessment Of Coal Lands Raised From
SIS per Acre to $l01 in Sullivan County.


SIS per Acre to $l01 in Sullivan County.
Court convened last Monday morn
ing for the hearing in the appeal
brought by the Connel Anthracite
Mining company, the heirs Of the
estate of George d. Jackson, the
sBernice Store and the O'Boyle- Foy
Anthracite Coal company. These
appeals were from the assessments
fixed upon coal lands by the County
Commissioners. Judges Terry, Kish
inka and Richlin heard the cases
The hearing was proceeded with un-
til Thursday afternoon when Judge
Terry called all the parties interest
eli together and suggested compro-
mise settlement. The suggestion
was acted upon and Il settlement was
finally agreed upon Friday and the
litigation discontinued. 1t will be
remembered that the County Com
missioners raised the valuation apon
coal lands from SIS to $3.50 per acre,
whereupon the several owners of
coal lands took this appeal to Court.
Upon the hearing last week wit
nesses were on hand to swear that
other property in Mildred, Cherry
township, Lopez and other points
in the county has been assessed at
far below its true value, in some
cases the assessments representing.
only one-tenth of the market value
of the property. In view of this
condition of affairs the valuation fix
ed by the Commissioners upon coal
lands could not be sustained to its
full amount and after several confer
ences between the parties the assess
ment was adjusted at $l01 per acre,
up m the acreage claimed by the
County Commissioners to be coal
lands.
The coal cases were the last of the
appeals from assessments to be dis
posed of and the campaign in favor
of an equalization of valuations is
thus brought to an end. The results
are highly pleasing to the Commits
sioners and the great body of tax
payers throughout the county.
Never since the coal and timber lands
and other corporate interests in this
tooaatyshave become so valuable has
there been anything like an equali-
ZatiOn of assessments. AS result
of the action of the present board of
Commissioners over half a million
of dollars have been added to the
assessment rolls and almost every
dollar of it has been placed upon
the property of the corporations. 1t
is now believed that these properties
are assessed at about the same pro-
portion of value as the, farm, vii
lage and other properties throughout
the county.
The hearing last week brought n
large number of gentlemen to town
who stand high in Anthracite coal
interests. Among them We're the
Hon. William Connell, of Scranton,
one of the board of arhitratOrs ap.
pointed by President Roosevelt to
settle the great coal strike in 1902,
j. S. McAulty, Sec. of the Connell
company, M. j. Murry and Frank
III. Morgan, Sec. and Treas. of the
Northern Anthracite Coal company,
James IL. Hughes, William Griffith,
III. ID. Smith p. f. Alden, II. l..
Harding, j. l.. Miles and &. W.
rappan, leading mining engineers
from Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pitts
ton and Elkins. w. Va. The attor.
neys representing the Coal Com
panies were Seth 4. Mccormick, Of
Wiliamsport, f. j. Mullen, M. J.
Martin, of Scranton and A. Walsh
Of Dushore. The County Commits
ioncrs were represented by Hon. T.
j. ngham, County Solicitor, F. w.
Meylert and Rodney A. Mercer.
The Hughcsville Fair which opens