The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-31
Wichita Editor Defeats Sedg.
wick County Commissioners.
State Tax Commission Reduce
His Assessment.
OTHER CASES DECIDED
WyandOtte Gas Company at
Kansas City Is Favored.
Cherryvale COmpany'sV Valuation
Is Doubled.

Henry J. Allen. owner and editor
of the Wichita Beacon, has won his
fight with the Sedgwick county com
m1ssioners. In the list of decisions on
appeal handed down by the state
board of tax commissioners, a report
of the Henry Allen case was a promi-
nent feature. And the board finds that
the Sedgwiek commissioners ''hiked'
Henry's assessment without cause.
Said commissioners are requested to
retire to the tall grass, and let Henry
alone
Aliens appeal was taken after the
SedgWick county commissioners. sit
ting as a. board of equalization, raised
his assessment to almost four times
the figure given in by the deputy tax
assessor who had listed Aliens news
paper property. Allen had been TAX
ing few jabs at the commissioners
and when they got a chance at him.
something happened. The deputy as
SCISSOR, after carefully adding up the
dlHerent items composing the Wichita
Beacon property, announced that its
valuation, from printers towel to ma
cGnlnery' type. ct cetera, was $26.6OO.
When the commissioners sat as a
ooard OF equalization, they arbitrarily
raised the assessment to 500 600
nat Thls made Allen nervous, and he
with the board of state tax comn1is-
s1oners- They looked it over carefully.
and decided that the deputy assessor
VINO viewed Mr.. Aliens publishing
plant, was much better guesser than
the county commissioners. Without
any hesitation they reduced the assess
ment back to the figures set by the
deputy assessor, so Allen will pay
Laxes Tor MS paper on the valuation OF
$26,60O. "a
In making the decision. the boaro
appended these pertinent remarks:
1t further appears from the evidence
that appellee at its June eouaIizatior
meeting, increased the assessment IN
100000 1t has been determined by the
court of last resort of this state that
a county board of equalization is NOT
a board of assessment and cannot add
new property to the list of property
as returned by the deputy assessor
hence the board must hold that the
said increase to 100000 was an in
crease of the aggregate valuation of
the specific items Of property. but the
evidence before the board shows that
these items have no greater value than
placed by the deputy assessor The
board holds the action of the appellee
unwarranted and that the valuation
placed in equalization was excessive -
The board adds as an afterthought
that this decision affects only the items
of property listed by the assessor. and
that if any additional property is found
by the commissioners. they have a rem
edy at law. therefore,. If Mr.. Allen has
any other property lying around loose,
now is the time for his friends. the
Sedgwick county commissioners. to hunt
for 1t.
Other Decisions Announced.
The report made by the board to-
day, covers decisions affecting 81 ap-
peals, and about one-third of them
were sustained. Among those getting
reductions were. the city of Kansas
City, Mo, which was assessed $45O,-
600 on its Quindaro pipe line on Kan
sas territory The assessment was
reduced to $335,739.
The Wyandotte Gas company, re-
duced from s761,90O to $495,73O.
The lola. Electric company, reduced
from S151,s99 to $1OO.974.
Kansas Crude Oil company, re-
duced from $40, 900 to $11,G77
Southern and Gulf Railroad COM
pany in Pottawatomie county re-
dUced' from $69,SS7 to $17.570.
The assessment of the CherryvaIe
Gas company was increased from
$21,516 to $4,000.
A dozen or more appeals by the
Chicago Lumber company from diff
ferent counties where 1t has branch
yards, were about equally divided be-
tween reductions and findings which
sustained the assessments made by
the counties,
The board has worked over time
on these appeals since sitting as a
board of equalization July IA.