Evening times-Republican., 1909-07-13
MAKING STRENUOUS EFFORT TO
SECURE REDUCTION IN STATE
ASSESSMENTS
LAND AND RAIL VALUES
ARE BEING COMPARED
Arguments Of Company Attorneys For
Equalization Between Farms and
Railroads combatted BY Representa-
tive White and others-Land Values
Up, Profits Stationary.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 13.-The probable
action of the executive council in the
matter of railroad assessments was
the matter of chief state Importance
when the executive council met today
and is of especial interest because of
the showing from reports that land
values have gone up and railroad earn
ings have gone down. Railroad earn
ings are down only in comparison with
the earnings of 1907. They are much
higher than they We're six years ago
when the council for the first time in
quired as TO the actual value at which
farm land was selling.
Six years ago it was found that
while farm land was being assessed
on the average for the whole state at
so per cent of the value at which it
sold. in some counties the assessed
value was much nearer the actual VAL
ues. In Winnebago county the land
was assessed at 116 per cent of the
value at which it sold, or was assessed
at more than the land would bring on
the market. In Warren county it was
assessed at 100 per cent. Hancock
county seems to have assessed its
lands the lowest, the assessment being
there so per cent of the value at which
il sold.
In arriving at the sale value the
council got the county auditors to re-
port from each county ten or more
pieces of land that had been sold dur
ing the year giving the price at which
they had sold and the price a which
they We're assessed. In that way the
comparison was made between the as
sessed and real value. This year again
this same information was gathered.
Now it is found that Appanoose
county reports its land as assessed at
S23.13 per acre, which is IS per cent
OF the sale value and is assessed more
nearly at the real value that any 9TH
er county. Wayne county reports its
land as assessed at s34.13 per acre,
which is but 80 per cent of the real
value. Between these there are all sorts
Of fluctuations.
raises land values or not there must
d. 4S6Sl DS q utCiltG iteiGJ VI
land assessments for while the land
values have gone up in all counties
the assessments returned by the coun-
~ assessors show a decrease. W. w.
Baldwin, of the Burlington railroad,
said today that he had secured from
the county auditors of the state in
formation as to the cash rent that a
dozen or more farms in the county
were paying and also the amount OF
taxes these lands paid and from this
Information he says the taxes paid
amount to but 6 per cent of the rent
received.
The rent paid on a farm represents
the net earnings Of the farm and cor
responds to the net earnings of the
railroads. said Mr.. Baldwin Now the
railroads l find are paying in taxes 13
per cent of their net earnings or more
i than twice as high a percentage Of net
earnings as the farm lands. l can not
see how the executive council if it
obeys the law can keep from raising
the assessment of farm land and OF
lowering that of the railroads as vel
for the Law is that the property shall
all be assessed al its actual value"
Representative White, of Story coun
ty, has taken an interest in the matte
Of the assessment and was present a
the hearings today. He will have som
matters of a general nature relative t
the assessment to lay before the coun
ell. 1t will show that while farm val
ues have gone up the adjustment o
assessment between the railroads an
farm lands should not necessarily b.
disturbed for farm land pays no great
er return in actual cash than it di
some years ago when the sale valu
was actually much less. The earning
of the railroads has been the larges
factor in their assessment and the
have steadily increased while farm re
turns have remained stationary.
AS to the figures given by Mr.. Bald
win, of the Burlington, Mr.. Whit
showed that out of the cash rent pal
the farmer he must pay his insurance
repairs, keep up fences. taxes and
number of other things while from tn
net returns Of the railroads better