The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-09-30
Two Companies Make Claim That the Board of
Appraisers Had Assessed Their Property at
Three Times Its Actual Value Mileage
Basis Unfair As Earnings of Company
Are Smaller Here Than in the Older
States---So Have Brought Suit.

Guthrie, Okla, Sept. 24.-The West
Iern Union Telegraph company and the
Pullman Car company have appealed
to the supreme court from the assess
ment made upon their property in Ok
lahoma by the state board of equaliza-
tion. Both companies claim that their
property was assessed at three times
its acual value and that the board un-
lawfully assessed the franchisement,
stock and bond values of the COM
panies which represented property
outside the state. The Western Union
returned its property in Oklahoma at
SAIL, ,910. The board increased this
valuation 200 per cent, assessing the
property at $1,235,73O
The company claims that it return
ed the property at it's fair cash value,
but that the board in making the as
sessment unlawfully and arbitrarily
considered the value of stocks, bonds
and securities upon mileage basis
which the company declares to be un-
just, as the stocks, bonds and securi-
ties represent ever element of value,
including that of it's federal franchise
and right to do an interstate business.
The further contention is made that
such mileage basis is unfair, as the
earnings of the company are greater
in other states which are older and
where the business is much better
than in Oklahoma. The company con-
tends that its property in Oklahoma is
not worth more than would result
from capitalizing its net earnings in
Oklahoma, including interstate bus-
ness and miscellaneous revenues. On
this basis the company claims that its
net revenue on Oklahoma business for
the fiscal veal ended June 80 1909,
over operating expenses was $16,758.-
10, and deducted a reasonable depreci-
North Carolina, l. Oregon, 2 port
land); South Carolina, (Charles-
tom; Tennessee, I; Texas, 2; Utah
3, and Virginia, 3.
The duration of illness prior to
death was reported only in 292 of the
500 cases. In 10 of these it was
year or more, 1 each being reported
as to 10, IA, 16, Is and 20 years, dura-
tion. These may represent the results
of old attacks or perhaps may include
deaths from other forms of poliomye-
litis. There were 40 cases of duration
of illness in excess of I month but less
than year, 21 of which were under
2 months. The great majority of the
fatal cases returned were of very
brief duration, 253, or 81 per cent,
being of less than I month OF these
there were 20 stated to be of l day,
% of days, 80 of 8 days, 81 of 4
days rs of days, Is of days, "a
of days, 10 Of days, of days,
p of 10 days, only / of II days. The
tendency to report in round numbers
or to give even weeks somewhat viii. |
ates the exact statements the average
duration of all the fatal cases with
duration of under | month is 10 days.
The bulletin states that among the
rarer diseases included in the epidemic
group may be found some whose occa- ,
sional occurrence awakens more inter-
est and popular fear than many hun :
dred times as many deaths from more
accustomed causes. Among these there I
were( during the year 1909, 8 deaths
from smallpox, 2 deaths from plague, !
and 8 deaths from leprosy No deaths !
occurred from Asiatic cholera or from
yellow fever.
In the second subdivision of the |
class of general diseases there were
compiled s deaths from glanders, II
from anthrax malignant pustule) 55 |
from rabies (hydrophobia), SO from
actinomycosis. trichinosis, ETC., lie
from pellagra, sc from lead poisoning.
and ) from other occupational poison
ing.
Pellagra is new disease in the NOR
tality statistics the bulletin states.
Only 23 deaths were returned from
this cause for 1908, and no deaths for
any previous year except l for 1904.
Such deaths undoubtedly occurred. but
were not recognized and were conse-
quently returned as due to other
causes or as of unknown cause.
AS the registration area includes
only small portion of the country in
which pellagra is most prevalent, it
would seem that many hundreds and
perhaps thousands of deaths from this
disease must occur each year in the
United States How many can never