The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-27
TAXES ARELOWERED
THE ONE INSTANCE COMES FROM
 COFFEE.
MIiIer-Brent Lumber Company succeed- ed In Securing . Lower Assess ment From state Commis-
 sion In Coffee.

Elba, Sept. 2s.--(Special.)--In tho early spring and summer tax payers, tax officers and county commissioners looked forward to the coming of the state Tax Commission to Coffee county with fear and trembling. The word was sent out that the new State Tax Commission was going over the State to equalize up. instead of down. and no one especially pined to go through the equalizing business. But the State Tax Commission did not come in the spring or summer. merely depending on the local tax commissioner to look after the equalizing business in Coffee. until yesterday, when the State Tax Com mission did it's first work in Coffee.
 The work done by the State com mission in Coffee yesterday was sur- prising to marked degree. It sets at naught all preconceived ideas of what the body was created for, and shows It to be really an "edualizing" body. It Is made to appear from the action here in Coffee that the commission Is not charged with the task of procur- ing more revenues to meet the large ly increased appropriations of the Co., mer administration and to make up for the immense loss of revenue that will occur by the prohibition wave cut ting of saloon and dispensary licenses. It seems that the State body can and will reduce assessments upon occasion. The first member of the State Com mission to visit Coffee was Hen. John B. Powell, of Butler, who came yes- terday afternoon with Mr. Mark Mil Ter, of the Miller-Brent Lumber Com pany, and who left for Montgomery 1 this morning While here Mir. Powell l conferred with Tax Assessor Lee and 1 Collector Conner in regard to the Mill | ler- Brent Lumber Company assessment. | The Miller Brent Lumber Company is 1 one of the largest saw mill concerns | in this section of Alabama, operating at Foley, In Covington county, and | owning lands in Covington, Coffee and l Geneva counties. In Coffee its lands. | to the extent of something over nine l thousand acres, were returned for as- sessment at $50 per acre, and when | the summer siege of raising was on | inc county commissioners on motion of | the county tax commission raised the | assessment to S550 per acre. the raise | being one of over a hundred made un- l der instructions, express or implied | to eaualize cup" instead of down.
 State Commissioner Powell told the | assessor and collector that the state | Commission was no less charged with the equalizing down" than up, and in- | structed that the commissioners court l be requested to reduce the assessment l to inc amount the lands were assessed l at by the assessor, that is that the | raise made at the instance of the coun- | tv tax commissioner be done away witf l and removed. He further said that Il | this was not done, the State Tax Com
 mission would come down and do IL | Commissioner Powell, in examining the | list of property returned by the Miller
 Brent Company, noted that $6,000 wortf
 of oxen and vehicles returned Tor tax
 ation in Coffee, these being the ones
 that are being used in logging oper'
 ations in Coffee, and said that tnes'
 were not properly taxaple m Oonee
 but should have been assessed In Gov | inrton, where the Miller-Brent Com l nanv's headuuarters and mill are loca' i ted.
 No resentment is felt locally at th' 1 action of State Commissioner Powell 1T
 taking steps to have the assessment'
 of the Miller Brent Company mao' ] tighter. for 1t Is liberal corporation
 and has always been one or the toP
 taxes. Generally there is a feeling O.
 relief over the signs of hberality or
 the mart of the State tax body.
 No other assessments were gone into
 hv Commissioner Powell while here
 he arrived late in the afternoon and
 left early this morning. Had 1t become
 generally known that he was lower
 ing assessments he would have likely
 been besieged by tax payers. Indeed
 he would have no doubt been com
 nelled to make a weeks work of 1t.
 It is said, though your correspond
 ent has no definite information upor the subject. that not only did Com
 missioner Powell come to Coffee, but that he also went to Geneva and Gov In0ton to adjust the assessments of thu Miiler-Brent Lumber Company.
 Some interest Is manifested in tht
 action that may be taken by the Com. missioners' Court upon the suggestion . Cor order, or request) of State Ta1
 Commissioner Powell. Some thinl