Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-08-07

WAS dSScoScu dI 1898 Illdu LIZ pei OOA|
And here he stated that if he were to
be called upon to frame tax bill
he would make the insurance policies
on stocks of goods basis of the val
uation and would make law demand
ing that the insurance companies file
with the county or state officers a
schedule of the insurance carried by
the merchants. There would be very
little danger, he stated, of over val
uation as the insurance compnies are
careful not to insure stock of
goods for more than its actual value
and in most cases where they could
kept it little below that figure. The
colonel also spoke of the difficulty in
assessing personal property as 1t was
possible to conceal so much OF it and
called attention to the fact that all
the property of the railroads is out
in the open and cannot be concealed
as can some Of the personal proper
ty of other corporations and individ-
uals.
He also called Afternoon to the fact
that there have been instances where
states have taken into consideration
conditions and improvements in 9TH
states and made the assessment In
their own state on an average of the
entire system. This, Mr.. Wilkinson
claimed, was entirely wrong and used
for illustration farm where an en-
tire section was farmed, one-half be-
ing in one township and the other
half in an adjoining township. All
the buildings and improvements were
in one township and it would be mani
festly unjust to tax the buildings in
the township where only the plowed
land was owned. From this he drew
the conclusion that the road should
be assessed only on such property as
was actually located In the state In
question. He said that the roads
were prompt in paying their taxes,
and only asked that they be treated
fairly and their assessment be made
on the same basis as other property.
Mr.. Wilkinson laid particular stress
upon-th method Of assessment in his
talk and insisted that the basis should
be the same as other property and
called the attention Of the board TO
the laws of the state which he said
carried out his argument. He claims
that the basis of assessment In the
state is less than 20 per cent and says
the, statements of the various county
auditors who have appeared before
the board at" this and other sessions
bear him out In that statement. But
his road is willing to stand for an as
sessment on a basis of Is per cent
of the true valuation. He also wants
the board to take the figures OF the
auditor Of the Great Northern as to
the real value of the property OF the
company in the state. He said that
a demand had been made on the COM
pany for a schedule of their holdings
in the state with their estimate OF
the valuation, thai schedule had
been furnished to the states OF Min
nesota and Washington and they were
disputing the figures, claiming they
were put too high, and for this rea-
son the North Dakota board should
be satisfied to take the figures OF
the company. In speaking or the
taxes he claimed the state OF North
Dakota is the highest in the country.
The taxable value in Minnesota be-
ing $321.4S per mile and the tax on
the net earnings being lib per cent,
while in North Dakota the value was
1922 and the rate over II per cent.
Montana and Idaho figures were also
given. and both showed them to be
lower than North Dakota. The term
inals and large shops are represented
in the per mile value in Minnesota
and the returns are greater there on
the investment on account OF the
country being more thickly settled.
The cash value of their real proper
tv in the state was given at $4,-
588, 423, and their entire holdings, IN
Guiding the rolling stock, road bed
and, other properties at $40 ,SS9, IA.
This was assessed last year for $12,-
756,180, or more than q per cent.
Here he claimed a decrease in the
value of at least 20 per cent, but stat
ed that the company would be WILING
to pay taxes on an assessment based
On a valuation Of $37,119,316, this be-
ing the same amount that has been
turned in to the railroad commission
er's office for a rate making basis,
and from this fact the representative
argued that it should surely be high
enough.
It was stated during the course; OF
Mr.. Wilkinson's remarks that last
year the company was made to pay
taxes on "a per cent valuation. and
this he contends Is entirely too high
when the assessment OF other prop
erty in the state is taken into con-
sideration., He claims that tho rail-
roads paid one-third more money In
to the treasury of the state than
would have been the case had thers
been an equal assessment. In clos
ing he stated that the assessment
should be made along the lnes he
had suggested and then II . 1t was
found that the valuation was no. high
enough there should be a raise over
the entire state and there would not
be a murmer from the roads. He
believed that everyone should bear
.sheir share of the expense and
thought he had shown that the roads
were always ready to do their share.
He called attention to The fact that
the branch lines Of the system were
largely an accommodation to the
people of the state and bad assisted
largely in developing The state to its
present prosperous condition and al
al stated that In his opinion the high