Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-10
OMAHANS ARE BEFORE BOARD
Protest Against ANY Increase in
Assessments on Merchandise.
STOCKS LOWER THAN LAST YEAR
Taxes Paid ny stores I'm Othef cities
are Read and Protests from Other
Counter on Assessments on
Horses and Mules.
tFrom a staff correspondent0

From a staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, Aug. 9-(Special)-A delega-
tion OF Omaha citizens, business and pro-
fessional men appeared before the State
Board Of Equalization today, along with
delegations from other counties, to protest
against an increase in the assessment OF
property as returned by the county board.
The board proposed to increase merchan-
disc and banking stock in Douglas county
and the discussion was on these two classes
Of property In the matter of merchandise
1t was shown by the speakers, that while
Omaha merchandise had been decreased
compared with the returns of last year,
there was a reason for this. 1t was ex-
planned that the retail merchants of Omaha
were not compelled to carry extensive
stocks because at short notice they could
replenish their stocks from the wholesale
houses.
Mr.. shriver, county assessor, explained
the decrease by saying that had the Bran
deis and Hayden stores been assessed at
the same figures as last year there would
have been no decrease. An expert had
gone through these establishments and had
reported the warehouse of the Hayden's
practically empty, as was the Brandeis
warehouse. A year ago these firms had
an immense amount of goods on hand
which they have not this year. The retire
ment Of one member Of the Hayden store
had resulted in a considerable reduction
in the valuation Of this firms property.
Representatives Of the jobbers, in ex-
PLANTATION of the increase OF the stocks
In the state, compared with a decrease in
Douglas county, said this was due to the
Increased number of stores established and
the fact that many of the stores in coun-
try towns were compelled to carry large
stocks, because they could not replenish
as easily as the Omaha stores.
Taxes in other cities.
The state board was asked to use good
judgment and discretion in making up the
grand assessment roll and while Omaha
merchants had no objection to paying their
fair share of the taxes of the state they
did not want to have their valuations so
high that it would be impossible for them
to compete with Kansas City, st. Joseph
and Sioux City. The tax paid by some
of the large wholesale houses of those
cities were read and compared with the
big firms of Omaha to show that Omaha
firms paid more taxes than did the people
with whom they were brough In competi-
ton.
1ao ~ NhS NoANN VI NAS jain
stokes the delegation thought was justi-
fled because everything the bank had was
in plain sight and the assessors could
easily get at 1t. Reductions should be al
lowed, the speakers insisted, for unearned
interest and for bad loans.
The delegation got to Lincoln shortly be-
fore noon and the hearing was put off until
1850, when the jobbers mad, their protests.
Then the board adjourned while the gov
ernor listened to an application for a re-
QUESTION, following which the bankers had
their inning, several other counties being
heard before and after the Omaha delegs
ton. d.
The following were here from Omaha
FCharles Pickens OF Observation-Disclosures f.
p, Bergman of Lee Glass-Andreson, j. Z.
Baum Of the Bennett company, Mr.. Bur
CESS of the NJ. e. Smith company, w. C.
Wright of Wright and Wilhelmy, T. c.
Byrne Of the Byrne-Hammer company, Mr..
Baxter OF the Fitzpatrick company, w. Fl.
Brady of McCord-Brady, County Assessor
Shriver and Deputy Counsman, Commits
sioners Fred Bruning and Pat Trainor
The bankers were represented by c, F. Nc
Grew, e. L. Davis, Luther Drake, w. e
Rhoades and F. II. Denham.
Protests. from other Counties.
hnOA county sent uONn l1elIy ClWdTlL
chairman. and J. G. Weber, member OF
the county board, to protest against the
proposed increase in the value Of horses
and mules. These men filed a Statement.
from the county assessor that Knox county
has a lot of Indian ponies within it's Dor
ders which are worth, on the market
about $50 each, and these low-priced ami
mails had kept down the average.
From Butler county came A., V. Thomas
county attorney; NJ j. Holland, county
3 clerk; j. L. Svboda, Nick Meysenburg an(
= Fred JUdevine, member of the count,
1 board, and Ed Rech, county attorney
They protested against an increase II
? horses and mules.
p Dodge county objected to the proposed in
crease on horses and mules, because, IL
p spokesman said, from the hill country tn
I horses were not very valuable, and Thu
9 prevented q very high average. J, A. Dona
hue, J. II. Matthews and Jorgen Lorse
represented Dodge.
Richardson and Nemaha counties pre-
sented a knotty question for the board t
pass upon. Charles Mason, living in Rich
ardson county, was declared an incompeter
and the court appointed Arthur Allen c
Nemaha county his guardian. The guardia
, inquired where to list the personal propert,
3 This guardian lived in Nemaha county an
Ward In Richardson. Both counties elaine
d the property for taxation purposes, Nemah
on the ground that the law provides this
where the guardian lives there should /
listed the personal property. j. II. Ian
n bert, E. B. Quackenbush, c. e. Blessing
A. Z. CAN'T, Arthur Allen and N. B. Jud
were here To represent the contendin
counties. The property involved amount
ID to almost $4,000.