The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-11-03
County Loses on Taxes.

changed valuations on two electric
roads, the Columbus, Urbana & West
ern, and the Scioto Valley Traction.
The c., U. & W. is wholly in the coun
and a considerable part Of the mile
age of the s. v. T. is in this county.
The board reduced Auditor Sayre's
valuation on the c., U. & w. from
$SS,S3O to $44,S3O. This means that
much loss on Franklin county's dupli-
cate. The appraisal is still nearly
double that of last year, which was
$22,473. The valuation of the Scioto
Valley Traction Co. was reduced
S14O, 900. The auditors valuation was
$618,3OO. All told the cOunty's loss on
the tax duplicate is something near
$4,000 and, unfortunately, the county
gains nothing in the additional values
placed on other roads.
Taxation System on Good Basis.
For the first time in Frankiia
county the taxation of real es.
tate has a systematic basis. This
board, or some similar body, ought
to be made permanent and to con-
tinue in the work we have started, to
correct the errors we have made, and
to preserve records so that never
again would things get in the confu-
sion in which we found them," said
Michael Hertenstein, chairman of the
quadrennial board of real estate aD-
praisers. Hertenstein says there have
been numerous complaints that per-
sons owning property have not received
pamphlets showing it's listing and val
uation. In most cases they are to
blame, because the property is not
properly recorded. In every case the
pamphlet has been sent to the per-
son in whose name it appears az
listed for taxation. In following out
, such complaints the board has found
lots that have been transferred three
and four times, without any of these
transfers being recorded. In numer-
GUS instances property is listed in the
name of persons now dead.
Recording of property changes
should be mandatory. Hertenstein
! thinks and by the same rule he be-
lieves an equitable single tax system
could be evolved. Every note given
to cover deferred payment on realty
should be stamped on it's back, listed
for taxation Then if it were not SO
stamped it should be void and non.
collectable by any process of law,
There is way to get at all this in
tangible property, if people only want
to do it. What you don't want to do
you can't do. l recall when / visited
some cousins of mine, in an agricul-
tural district of Germany, it was the
day before threshing. They said they
could not thresh until their stack had
been measured. So the next day the
officers came and measured the straw
and entered the figures in their books
while my relatives looked on. They
then computed what the tax would be
After that the men were allowed to
proceed with their threshing. I al
once asked them why they did not
wait until the grain was threshed and
then measure it. After first assuring
themselves that was a foreigner
else they would not pay attention tC
such a foolish question--they said
that as they might not be on hand
exactly at the moment that the
threshing was concluded, there would
be opportunity for the people to Sc
crete some of the grain, but no one
could hide any considerable quantity
of straw, and they would want all Of
it for the grain it contained. In just
that way here, if some one will apply
be devised to get all the intangible
property for listing.
For 20 years l have always KEEP
my tax returns in the safe, so coult
know each year what l had returned
the last. l was afraid l would moi
tell the same lie. l lied to everyone
else as a matter of self-protection
This year took my ledger, cast ur
my entire property, deducted the
debts against it and made affidavit
on this for my return. | don't have
to keep that in my safe. l expect
always to do that in the future. Ir
this work some peculiar clerical er
rors have cropped out In a number
of cases the field men have put
houses on the wrong slips, so that we
find an occupied lot listed low anC
an empty lot listed for a higher sum
The other day man complained thai
the corner lot of group which he
owned was out of all proportion tt
the others. went to the records anG
found that one place the clerk in add
ing three had made the sum greater
by IL, and this error carried through
the entire calculation almost doubled
the value of the lot. This work should
have experts. We had to do it with
such men as we could find. The worl
of the same men varied from day tt
day. Valuations returned on brigh
day were always higher than those re
turned on a gloomy day. The blue
prints furnished to us by the county
had number of errors in them.
am not blaming the county. They
had to furnish them to us in a giver
time, and that time did not permit
of rechecking the maps. In the same
way the figures that We send out con
tain errors because they have not al
been checked over as often as shoulC
have been the case. The haste tina
the law imposes is to blame for this
!, Still we are satisfied and proud"
Will Relay Columbus Division.
\ That eventually the Norfolk &
. Western will have the entire road be
tween Columbus and Kenova relait
i with 100-pound steel rails, insteaC
i of the present S5-pound rails, is showl
nv tha nlacinp Of q rail order for th,