Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-02
TROUBLE IN ASSESSMENT
State Board Bothered How to Distrib.
ute Valuation Of Roads.
BURLINGTON IS WORST PUZZLE
bonds Of city Of EhIdreEe Retired by
the mattel Route because Of Err
rOr in Date which
Them Invalid.
From a staff correspondert.l

LICOLN. June 1.-CSpecial)-The State
Board OF Assessment Is up In the air over
the distribution OF railroad property. which
II assessed last week. Heretofore the
boards have always assessed the property
and then apportioned the values to the vari.
Gus lines going to make up the systems.
This apportionment has been arbitrary, but
in most instances the railroad representa-
tives have approved the distribution. This
year the Burlington property was returned
as one system and the various corporations
which in the past have made up this sys-
tenn were not mentioned. The board has
about decided. however, to distribute the
value OF the physical property just the same
as II did in the past, even though the vari-
Gus corporations no longer exist. But it
has not decided what to do with the value
of the franchise and the value Of the roll
ing stock under the terminal tax law.
The average value Of the Burlington in
round numbers is almost $4,000 a mile. The
main lire of the Burlington is valued at
5000 a mile. The physical property of the
Burlington was valued at about $4,000 a
mile. ore board member figured this would
make the value Of the franchise and rolling
stock about S25, coo. Should the valuation be
apportioned according to mileage at the
average value per mile, the main line OF
the Burlington would be worth 1900 a mile
Instead OF SIS. 600 a mile, and practically all
of the less valuable roads would be enor-
mously increased. This procedure would
cause a loss in railroad property under the
terminal tax law to every town on the main
line of the road. with the possible excep-
ton of q few of those towns which have a
lot of sidetracks or branch line trackage.
While some members of the board are Of
the opinion the proper way to make the
apportioment would be to distribute the
valuation as under the unit system. Secre-
tary of State Junkin is Of the opinion the
fair way would be to first distribute the
value Of the physical property according
to main line and branches, making an
arbitrary division or valuation, and then
add to each mile the average value of the
franchise and rolling stock. The board
will reach a decision in the matter shortly
or at least It hopes to. 1t will meet on
Wednesday morning.
city Bonds burned UP.
Ed Lawrence, bond clerk in the office
of the state auditor, touched a match to
$4,000 worth of Holdrege sewer bonds this
morning and consumed the whole bunch in
q little less than on time. The deed was
done in, the presence. of the auditor, secre-
tary Of state. Mayor McConaughy Of Hold
rege and Attorney s. A. bravo of Holdrege
1t all grew out of a mistake in the printing
of the bonds. The paper was dated Oc'
tober II. when the history read October l
1907. A bond attorney in the east to whom
prospective purchasers referred them said
they were no good and recommended that
new bonds be issued. A new mayor and
clerk having been elected the old bond,
were destroyed and the new ones ISSUED
with the mistake corrected. These were
signed by the new Officers. the eastern
attorney and the legal department of state
agreeing this to be the proper proceedings
E~Hhnfenng FTrs~ Eseape LHs~.
Colonel John ]. Ryder, deputy labor com.
missioner, has finally secured backing II
his efforts to enforce the fire escape law
This morning he received a letter from thu
Nebraska Travellers association giving hin
the names of fifteen hotels upon which fir
escapes are needed and asking him to Sc
to 1t that the proprietors of these place
get right with the law. OF the fifteen
great majority had already been servet
with notices by the commissioners In repl,
to the letter Mr., Ryder informed the repre-
sentativcs of the travelling men that as