Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-22
Nebraska
STILL PLEAD TO SAVE TAX
Railroad and Pullman Representa-.
tives Bsttering State Board.
POLLARD MAKES COMPARISONS
Upai<e Grain Company Enters a Pies
to Have Rates on Flour and
Grain Brought 60 COM
mon Level.
Fom > staff correspondsnt1

Fom a Staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, May H.-(speciaI)-Frank p
crandon Of the Northwestern, r. d. Pollard
OF the Burlington and Thomas Benton Of
the Pullman company appeared before the
state Board Of Assessment today and the
two railroad men argued that other prop
erty In Nebraska is not assessed on the
same basis as railroad property, and for
that reason railroad property should be
reduced. They chung to that provision in
the constitution which provides for a uni
formity OF assessment and argued that ~
the board acted according to law then
their property must come down.
Mr.. Crandon refused to endorse the net
earnings theory of fixing the valuation Of
railroads as the only good way to do the
business. but il worked out we'll on the
Northwestern, inasmuch as IL would give
his road q reduction. The railroad men
object to an assessment Of the franchise.
Mr.. Pollard asked the board to reduce
the value of the Burlington for purposes
of assessment from tO.ST7 per mile to $685.
900 per mile. Mr.. Pollard said there was on
deposit In the banks OF Nebraska in jan
nary, 1905, according to the Bankers Di-
rectory of the United States. SAG, 905. 500.
The state auditors report showed that the
total assessed valuation of money on hand
- 1NhSeAN NaA IL AAAuA ANaA a SNAAN WNf10AH-
796. which multiplied by five for full value
gives $24, Csc, so that this class of prop
erty. he said. was only assessed at 1853
per cent of its full value. The Burlington,
he said. paid 70 per cent Of all the taxes
in Thomas county, Is in Hooker. "A In
Grant, IS in Dundy, 20 in Perkins. IS in
Box Butte and % in Hitchcock.
Mr.. Pollard gave a list of land sales in
thirty-four counties. These lands were
sold, according to the deeds on file, for a
total Of S13,S7s.442 and the assessed value
in 1905 Of the same lands was S~9,524,O2S, or
ne per cent of the sale value.
Argue for Equalization of Rates.
The State Railway commission listened to
arguments today from the Updike Grain
company of Omaha, which has asked that
the commission equalize the rates between
flour and grain. At this time from sew
eral points in the state the flour rate into
Omaha is lower than the grain rates. This
enables mills in these places to ship their
flour to Omaha cheaper than the millers in
Omaha can get the grain shipped In. Both
the Omaha and the state millers have the
same rate out of Omaha on flour.
A number of railroad men were on hand
to see to It that II any equalizing was done
flour rates would be increased rather than
rgaln rates reduced.
1t was stated at the meeting that this
low flour rate into Omaha was made many
years ago at a time when Omaha had no
mills to enble Nebraska millers to compete
with the Minneapolis mills.
The following railroad men were present
at the meeting: Ben T. White and S. f.
Miller of the Northwestern. Edison Rich
and Charlie Lane df the Union Pacific,
James Kelly. Colonel Conrad Spens and
w. w. johnson of the Burlington. The
Cpdike company was represented by c. j.
smythe ana j. 4. Kuhn.
Omaha Man Gets Pardoa.
Angus Martin, s. years Of age, serving
a five-year sentence in the state peniten-
tiary for Grand larceny. was pardoned by
Governor shallenberger this morning upon
the recommendation Of Prison Physician
Lowery, who filed a statement that the
man was in such a poor state Of health
that he could live only a short time. Mar
tin has made arrangements to enter a
hospital for treatment and will have an
operation performed shortly. He had been
in prison since July q. 1906. His time
would have expired March 80, 1910.
Mrs. Ruser a Mother.
Title Ruser of ssrpy county has been
returned to the penitentiary from the in
duEtriai home for girls at Milford, where
she left her infant baby to be looked after
by the state. Mrs. Ruser was sentenced
to serve one year in prison when she was
convicted. along with a hired hand of
her husband, for attempting TO take the
latter's life. She was transferred from
the prison to the industrial home some
weeks ago.
Plea for "weed" Day.
o. H. GIllispie OF Madison has written
Governor shallenberger requesting him u
cot apart one day In each year. by procla-
nation. designating such day as weed
day" and calling upon the people to cut
the weeds in the highways and bywaya
and between such places and the alleys
At his own suggestion Mr.. Gillispie was