The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-03-11

ence here?
There was a law, it was section
1868 Statutes of 1873, providing
for the appointment of land in
spectors by the county Board,
to classify tie lands in the coun-
ty. This law should be re-enact-
ed and made mandatory. It
would furnish the best basis for
the assessment of real estate, if
only the quality of soil and locat
ion would determine the valua'
ton. Buildings of course should
be assessed as improvements,
and by forest lands should the
value of the timber be added to
the value of the land. We have
now to assess to the so-calIed
true cash or market value as the
laws directs US, but what kind
of an assessment is this? For
instance in Vol. 63 Page 200
Records of Bay fe'd County, you
will find that the Keystone Lum
Der Com any sold to A. w. San
Dorm 6O36 acres of land for a con-
sideration of $2l,127 or about
$3.50 per acre. Here we have
good example. The price is
about right, and Gentlemen,
want to tell you here, that l,
myself. have sold this kind of
land for years and know what l
am speaking of. it is in fact the
true value, and not the specula-
tive value of these lands. A. w.
Sanborn sold some of the same
lands to Gust Landberg, 1882
acres for SIS, 100000 or about
$3.50 per acre see Vol, "a Page
1872 and to E. H. Bauch 1850
acres for $11, 100000 or about
$500 per acre see Vol. 64 page
465. All of these sales were
made in November 1908. Now
Gentlemen, can any of you tell
me what the true cash value of
this land is? Is it $50, is it 200
or S. so per acre? Did the value
of this land increase by merely
tchanging title from the Keystone
Lumber Co. to A. w. Sanborn?
These are all cut over lands, and
you see how the sales theory
works, at least in Bayfield, Coun-
ty.
I think that the only safe way
for the Supervisors in the north
ern counties to determine the
valuation of lands, is to get
thoroughly acquainted with the
lands in their county and see as
much as possible of it themselves
certainly the tim bered and better
class CT lands desirable for far M
ing. I have read the paper of
Haugen on taxation of credits
and money, and of Mr.. Curtis on
tax reform versus local self
government, with great interest
and wish to state here, and I am
sure the great majority of the
people in my county, are with
me. that the time has arrival for
a change in our system of taxa
ton. Of course we must have a
real estate tax, but have the soil
classified, drop the personal
property tax and substitute the
same by a progressive income
tax. Have the whole assessment
made by a county assessor, resi-
dent of his county, appointed by
the Tax commission say for six
or ten years. Let this county
assessor appoint his assistants
if needed and give him a suffi-
cient compensation so that he
can devote his whole time and
energy to the task. Appointed
by the tax commission, he will
be under no obligation to any
man in the county, and in this
way it is more likely we will get
fair play. The assessment in
Bayfield, County, costs today be-
tween five and six thousand dol
lars including the salary of the Su-
pervisor of Assessments, and at
least So. 900 of this could be saved.
But do not put this assessor un-
der civil service rules. You may
in that way get man wristbands
No. l in the examination, but he
may not be worth a cent in prac-