The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-01-06
HOLIDAY WEEK AT
STATE CAPITAL

comfortable clothing with care and
treatment for the sick are required
of the leesses. Mr. McLin has given
years of time and thought to the study
of this problem He is naturally a
man of large heart and human SYM
patty and he gives his personal sus
pervision to the prison work. DR.. 8.
H. Bitch. who is the hospital physi-
clan, is a man of such tender sympathy
that all sick and suffering humanity,
be it convict or pauper, is his special
charge. Hon. N A Bitch, supervisors
of convictS, whose term as railroad
commissioner will begin next week,
has been a fine man for his work. Mr..
Lamar, medical supervisor and Mr..
Clark assistant supervisor, are meH
with special qualifications for the poe ,
sitions they hold
During the year 1905 the leSseea
handled about sixteen hundred coRs
victs. In 1906 there was slight inc
crease. There are now about thirteen
hundred in the different camps UNDER
the present lease, purchased from c.
H. Barnes and Co., by Mr.. S. A. Rawls,
the state treasurer receives 1907 for,
each convict annually.
Mr.. McLin succeeded in having in
serted in the law providing for the i'm
spection of state convicts, a clause
that requires the inspector of state
c0nVicts to also visit at certain inter-
walls, inspect and report to the COVER.
nor the conditions of the county coma
victs. This has been of great benes
fit and has stopped the barbarous Gus.
tom of claiming the convicts together
-,
should enact some law that will pro-
vide for the county convicts such
care and treatment as is given the
state conyicts
Assessment Of Railroads..
The Tropical Breeze of Fort Myers
has started discussion of the as
sessment of the railroads and has
discovered the startling fact that the
assessment is not high enough. From
the published reports of the comp
troller | find figures that will substanr
tiate this statment: The railroads of
Florida are assessed, proportionately,
higher than any other class of proper
ty in the state. The assessment is
made by the comptroller and is based
on the physical valuation of the rail-
roads, including road-bed, rolling stock.
equipment and terminal facilities.
The total assessment beginning
with the year 1900 on 3.1O9.79 miles
of main track, to the present time on
3,633.35 miles is As follows: 1900.
S19,250,113; 1901, S19,3S3. 4S1; 1902.
$20,045, 795; 1903, s22,149.SI5: 1904.
s22, 500 ,2o9; 1905. s24,67O,766; 1906,
s25,942.S44
In 1901, when Comptroller Groom
came into Office. the railroad assesst
sessnefnr e 3 sS 49,: To-day the as
me Total assessment of real estate
IN tn Tue state is sSe,Os1,63
totaI assessment of nersor.r
whSY In the state is s16. ga 500
amount OF pr0percy--er.--e-----,,-------
under the name of personal property
the assessment appears rather low as
compared with the railroad assess
ment. Under personal property bank
stock. capital invested in business,
mortgages, furniture and all classes of
personal belongings are included.
The Tropical Breeze cites figures
taken from the National Governments
valuation Of railroads. but does not,
take into consideration the fact that
these figures are not based on the ply.
steal value of the railroads, but on the /
franchise. Our law directs the eomp-l
lTOIeT 10 MAKE MS assessment upon,
the physical value of the railroad
Perhaps the most startling figures
that can be found in the assessment off
property in Florida is on the assess
ment roll of Dade and St Johns coun-
ties where the great East Coast Hotel
properties are located
The assessments are as follows
Holdings of the Florida East Coast
Hotel Co., in Dade county, real estats3
s531 800: personal property S76, 900 In
st. Johns county. real estate. STA ,300J
personal property, $40, 700 In this as
sessment both of real estate and per-
sonal property are included the splen-
did East Coast Hotels and their equip
ment
As compared with the comptroIler's,
assessment of railroads the above
figures may be studied with advan-
tage by the tax PAYERS of Florida to-
! whom were referred the railroad as
sessments by the Tropical Breeze.