The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-15
RUTLAND HERALD CALLED
Hts Cry Of Misrepresentation.
Echoes Back to It's
Own Editor
The Yelled Charge Of Liar Which 1t Has
Applied to Candidate Prouty Re-
turns to Roost in the Herald
ONCE.


IN It's Issue Ok june s and virtually ia
repetition OF an allegation previously
made BY the same paper, the Rutland
Herald charges George III Prouty, to use
It's own language, with being convicted
by his own utterances Of having made
Two positively untrue assertions The
firsl was that the railroads Of the state
had refused To pay their taxes; the see
ond vas that the railroads had opposed
the passage Of the present system Of tax
atom
In a very lucid, frank and convincing
presentation Of the reasons neccssitating
suits BY the state against the Central
Vermont Railway CO. and the Rutland
Railroad 20 on account 81 alleged unpaid
taxes, State Tax Commissioner j, II,
Oushman has given press interview
which wholly substantiates the Prouty
position and efTeetually dissoIves the
charges Of the RUTLAND railroad.
According to Mr. CushmanS statement,
the annual tax upon railroads Is primar-
lily $40 per $1,000 81 appraised yalua-
tlon, that valuation being established by
the state tax commissioner. Under the
law OF 1906, an option Is given the rail-
roads between the above tax and one
graduated from two and half per cent.
OF their gross earnings 70 four per cent,
the scheme Of graduation being based
upon q mileage valuation OF $1,000 per
mile per year Of gross earnings and with
an increase al 0nc-fourth of one per
cent for every $500 Of gross earnings iii
excess Of $1,000,
Mr.. Cushman further declares that
these graduated taxes Approximately
would be equivalent to a tax Of 81 cents
on the dollar N the railroad valuation
as applied 70 the Central Vermont rail-
way and reckoned Az the grand list is
reckoned upon other property. III Ii in-
cidcntally noted that the average taxes
on the grand liSt throughout the state
for the year Of 1906 was approximately
1872 cents on the dollar, or nearly twice
that upon this pastienlar railroad.
Ii appears from Mr. CsIshman's state
naeut tlat the contention Of the Central
Vermont under which 1t has refused tO
pay all of itS taxes In accordance with
the tan cQmpksieneE's valuation is has
cd upon it's insistence that il might
Include all Of its traekage including dou
bic track and sidines as roadbed. It Is
plain that the greater number Of miles
Of r0adhed which can be used as the
diyisor Of gross earnings, the lKs will
be the gross earnings per nile The
taw commissioner estimate Of the miles
age Of the Central Vermont is 29T 410
miles, but the railroad BY adding its
double track, siBngs, ETC., makes the dis
'tance 4l0 9-|0 miles. The taxes due frem
the railway to the state based ubon the
commissioners peekoning should be ST6,
652-50, and upon the railroads. reeokning
Of mileage, ii III S5B. 1889 making d dif.
ference III S20,523.84. III ii ibis latter
withholds from payment to the state.
The failure Of the Rutland railroad to
pay oil Of it, taxes Is based upon
different reason That line accepts thu
commissioners estimate Of its mileage
and has .paidra tax at two and one hall
per cent. Oh a gross income al $4,000 PER-
mile. In dong this, II claims the right
to pay two and one bali per cent, On
81 geo per mile for q period n six months
With a tax fox the other Ak months IN .
year based upon the graduated increase
of one-fourth Of enc per cent for each
$500 per ngile Of gross earnings above
50 600, The difference then between the
commissioner view and the Rutland
railroads view II that the railroad il
sists upon basing its gross earnings on
nall yearly periods. while the law pro-
yides fer yearly periods. The difference
between the commissioner estimate Of
taxes due from the Rutland railroad and |
what that railroad paid Is that between |
sG3 ,sas.l6 and s5a,40ls9, or S0o42as,
which THE railroad refuses To pay. Fhe
total taxes dine from both these rail-
roads al assessed BY the tax commits
sioner, who Is the sole authority for the |
purpose, is S30,468.3I.
As regards The suits that have heen |
brought BY the state against these rail. |