The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-10-13

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lines OF these suggestions. 1t has
been slow ing devtgopdng. but If do
not mistake the sign of the times, 1t
/ is here. To my mind, 1t IL not a cast
Of singing out any one class of prop
erty and taxing it more than another,
but from the very nature Of gas-in-
visible almost as ART becomes nee
essary to ,,rze a different method to
arrive at its value, so that the mem
bers of the assessing board. whoever
they may be. may inte1ltgently assess
1t and place 1t on a basis with otlet
property.
lone person Is quoted as saying he
favored a production tax on gas be-
cause the State needed the money. To
my mind, it is not a question OF the
state needing the money or not need
ing it, but it Is question of this prop
ierty being assessed at its value. II
1t is not paying its just share it shouh
be made do So if 1t is paving its fair
proportion. then it should not pay any
more. All the state asks from any
class of property is. a square deal.
Again, 1t is impossible to assess 1t
in the earth, because you have no idea
of the quantity. We cannot asses
it as personal property when It II
brought out of the ground. because the
law says that all tangible personal
property shall be assessed to the own
er in the county and district where 1t
is located on the first day OF January.
When the assessor comes along on
the frst day OF january. this gas ID
not dn the district: neither is 1t IN
the county or the State, but with the
exception of a very small quantity, 1T
has been shipped to the other states,
and this state is Helpless to secure
any tax at all from this great wealth
that mas been each day passing
through the pipe lines out of the State.
Under the law is would be possible
for the assessor to assess 1-S65 part OF
the gas on the first day of Januarg.
the amount passing through the pipe
line in one day, and the amount pass
ing through the same s5tneS = III Tires
hundred and sixty-four- days is lost
to the people OF this State, as far as
taxable property Is concerned.
Again, this gas, when it reaches 9TH
er States, is converted into money and
it is safe to say that very little comes
back to West WrginFa in that shape
to finally get ON the assessors books
Now certainly 1t must be plain, in OF
der that this class of property may
pay its part, that we must have the
amount passing through the line in a
given time and ascertain Its value by
a production tax. This would simply
Change the method of assessing this
class of property-tha is all.
If, instead Of gas it was wheat be-
ing pumped from the ground and run
through the pipe. line out Of tle State
and very little of the money received
from it was coming back in the shape
of money to be placed on the asses
sor's books, would not the State have
demanded long ago thst the owners
be required to report the number OF
bushels OF wheat passing through this
line each year, in order that 1t might
put a proper valuation upon it? /
tnink it would; but, because it Is IN
like wheat, lnasmuch as 1t is invtsi-
BILE, we nave suffered great wealth
to pass from US in the past without
exactIRg the same toll we have of 9TH
er property. Let us stop it, and stop
1t now.
Lease Holds.
Again, II the coal lease-holds are not
paying their fair proportion of taxes,
then extend the power of the Boar
of Public Works sufilciently to assess
this class OF property instead Of tae
county assessors. The reason for this
is, the Board could assess this class
OF property more accurately tilan the
assessor. The Tax Commissioners
office could prepare blanks as it does
in cases OF railroads or telephones or
other public service corporations, and
have them report the necessary infor'
nation to assess this class OF proper
ty qntelligenty. This data would be
impossible for the county assessors to
secure. We would have more uni
fornity in the assessment, which
would result in my opinion, in big
Increase of revenue from this source.
1t is safe to say that If the assessors
had to assess the railroads, telegraph
and telephone companies in their re-
spectlve counties. we would not get
half the revenue that we, do from
these sources, Not that they are in