The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1908-10-01
ASSESSMENT WILL
EXCEED $6,5OO,OOO
INCREASE OF QUARTER OF MIL
LION MAINLY ON RAILROAD
AND TIMBER.

The assessed valuation of Wallowa
county for 1908 will reach $6,500,-
600 is the estimate of County Assess
or S. F. Pace, who with his deputy,
Arthur Pace, is making up the roll
preparatory to the meeting of the
county board of equalization the
third Monday in October
This increase, Mr.. Pace thinks,
will come mainly from the railroad,
non-tillable land Climber and school
land) and cattle.
Mr.. Pace of course cannot give
the exact figures yet, but years of
experience have taught him a thing
or two about assessment rolls, and
he usually hits it pretty close with
his estimates made before the total
ing of the columns. Last year the
total assessed valuation was in
round numbers, $6,242,000. This year
there will be an increase of over
quarter of million of dollars.
The increase on the railroad will
not be anything like what it will be
next year for all the construction
work in this county has been done
since the first of last March. In
1907 the railroad right of way
was assessed at $4,000. This year
the o. R. & N. will be on the rolls
for approximately 100000.
The increased number of cattle
for the county but it may no more
than offset the falling off in sheep.
The number of swine, and horses is
about the same.
There will be considerable increase
on timber land, as Mr.. Pace holds
up the valuation at $1,000 a quarter
despite the protests of the big tim
Der companies. When Pace wa!
first elected assessor, timber was
assessed at 1920 a quarter. In 1906
he raised it to $500 and last year
to $1,000.
4 AS the timber companies thin
the rate is too high, wouldn't it b
a good idea for the county to hav
the timber cruised for valuation pur
poses? This has been done in
number of counties in this state, and
in every instance cruising has more
than paid its cost the first year. Take
in this county. 1t is of common
knowledge the timber companies buy
only the choicest claims. They won
look at anything that has less thai
a million feet, except now and thel
when quarter section is in thell
path. Many of the claims have three
and four million feet on them. But
take one million as a low averag
and the low valuation of 81 pc
thousand stumpage, that alone would
double the assessed valuation an
add at least $625,000 to the ia
roll, as there are over 100000 acre
of decided timber lands in this coun
ty. The Crossett Timber company
has to exceed $4,000 acres, tn
George Palmer Lumber company tc
exceed $4,000, and the Grande RondC
company over $4,000 acres.
These are all foreign companies
The timber Is held for speculation
or when cut will be shipped out c
the county, and the only good Wal
! Iowa county will ever receive fror
her magnificent timber belt, tn
finest in all the Inland Empire,
the miserable, little pittance of tax
And even from that must be sub
tracted the increased cost of lumbe
in the county. Lumber has nearl,
doubled In price since the timbe
companies have cornered the 10
supply, and the difference betwee
the present price of lumber and wha
1t was few years ago is VIII;
; we are paying for the honor of hay
, Ing Eastern capitalists buy up OF
] timber. Doesn't it seem reaso sonab
that those companies should pay
tax on the true valuation of the
: holdings? Farmers must on the
land and crops, stockmen must {
\ their stock, merchants must on thel