The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-12-18
NOTICE no ApvnRrIsnRs-

20 to press on Christmas Eve, in order to give
all persons concerned with the preparation and
distribution Of the paper a chance TO observe
the holiday it is desired to start the press some
what earlier than usual. Fornext week, there
fore, no advertising copy will be received later
than Thursday afternoon. All our patrons will
please take notice and assist the printers and
postmen in finishing their work in time to
skirmish around for material for Christmas
dinner and have little interview with Santa
Claus.
REAs5EssMENT GREATLY NEEDED.
OF all the important matters considered by
the Federation of County Commissioners at
their meeting in Baltimore last Thursday. by
far the most important and the most practical
was the topic of general reassessment for all
the counties. The declaration of the Fedora
tion in favor of such reassessment ought to
be sufficient to insure the passage of law to
that effect at the coming session of the
Legislature.
While ereassessment is no doubt greatly needed
in all of the counties. it is nowhere so urgently
demanded as in Baltimore county. This is
particularly so on account of the tremendous
suburban development which has taken place
within the past twenty years, most of it within
the past ten years. This development, large as
it has been, has necessarily been Of patch
work nature. Under our peculiar system when
lots have been sold from larger suburban tracts
the lots have been transferred to the new own
ers at some approach to their real value. while
the larger tracts remain on the books at the old
acre prices, fixed at the last general assessment,
when the property in question was farm land.
As q consequence there is much real estate
near the city which is now only paying taxes
at $50 to $50 an acre, while it could not be
bought for less than $500 to 5000 az acre.
This is manifestly unfair to the holders of the
smaller lots and it is unfair to the general tax
paying public some of whom are thus COM
pelled to bear more than their share of the
burden of public expense. A higher assess
ment for unimproved real estate would also be
awise proceeding, becauseit would make own
ers less willing to hold their land and might
induce them to make more liberal prices to
prospective home-builders.
Bot if it shall be the fortune Of Governor
Crothers to appoint officials to make the new
assessment, we would like to suggest that in
this county he name men who will be fair to
individuals as well as to locations. Unduly
low assessments should not be made to persons
in good standing with the dominating political
organization. neither should opponents of the
same organization be mulcted through assess
ments made by way of punishment for their
temerity in fighting the powers that be.
The people will endorse the Governors
Recommendation for economy in election ex
penses and good county roads; in fact. the
people have been clamoring for these things
for some time, and the Governor is merely
following public sentiment. not leading it.
The recommendation of Mr. D. Lindley Sloan
of Allegany county that the counties be gov
erned by uniform legislation is also a good
one, and should be followed except where
peculiar local conditions make local regula-
lions necessary. For instance. mining laws
would have no application in Calvert county,
while oyster legislation would be entirely in
applicable to Allegany.