The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-02-06
A Question of Valuation.

A hearing of more than usual inter
est commenced at the Courthouse
yesterday morning before the full
board of County Commissioners, L.
c. Williams, Geo. T. Tibbetts and
Henry Crowell, i'll which Stew ard
Brothers, owners of the Island Grist
Mills, appear as appellants from the
valuation placed on that property by
R. F. Parker, a. H. Wyman and S. H.
Bradbury, selectmen and assessors of
the town of Skowhegan. Stewards
are represented by Forrest Goodwin
Esq, and the interests of the town
are looked after by S. w. Gould, town
agent.
The history of the case, from the
standpoint of the plaintiffs at least,
goes back to the construction of the
north Channel Bridge and the raising
of the grade of Island Avenue at
that same time i'll front of the
Island Mills, the property which
Steward Brothers, the owners, claim
is unjustly valued by the selectmen.
At the time of the raising of the grade
of Island Avenue the Island Mills
were raised TO new level and
Steward Brothers presented claim
to the town to be reimbursed in part
for the expense thus occasioned.
The claim was not allowed and the
suit subsequently brought by them to
enforce their claim resulted in YER
dict in their favor. III the March Term
OF the Supreme Judicial Court for l9-
sO6 for 81, 200.
For the year of 1905 and for some
years previous the valuation placed
upon their property, the Island Mills,
the land around it and their water
power, had been $4,000. The assess
ment made by the selectmen in April
1906 was $4,000. The law requires
all residents to make return of all the
property of which they are poss essed
on.the first day of April, for which
/ they are liable to taxation, and, as
Steward Brothers did not do this,
they had no legal claim to a reduction
in their 1906 assessment. The select
men, however, at their request, al
lowed them hearing in the fall of
1905, at which time they asked for a
rebate on their 1905 taxes. After Civ
ing the case due consideration the
selectmen decides to reduce the as
sessment from $4,000 to $4,000 and
tho Stewards paid their 1906 taxes on
that basis.
At the time for making a return of
taxable property for the assessment
of 1907, Steward Brothers submitted
statement in which they gave the val
uation of the Island Mills property as
SIC, 800. The selectmen entered the
property for taxation at valuation
of $4,000 and the present hearing
comes about OH an appeal taken by
the owners from this valuation.
The hearing opened at ten thirty,
continuing through the day and is
still in session. Testimony deduced
from the seiectmen was to the effect
that it has been their aim TO value
property, not at what it is held at by
the owner, but rather what would be
called a readily convertible value,
that is, what ii could be sold for il
placed on the market for immediate
sale. In assessing the property in
question they took into consideration
the desirable location, with its ex-
tended frontage on Island Avenue
and West on street, together with the
fact that its 1870 horse power is so To-
Gated at the head of the Island that it
is not subject to a dam tax. That
the property was, they testify further
greatly increased by the improve
ments TO Island avenue and that in
the suit mentioned above WheFin
Steward Brothers recovered for cost
of reconstruction necessitated by
raising the grade of Island avenue,
it was brought out by the evidence,
the selectmen testify, that the prop
erty was more valuable than they had
previously understood.
= Other witnesses testified at length
as to the value of the Island Mills as
compared with other Skowhegan
plants operating by water power, and
more witnesses are to be heard on
the line of comparative value today.