The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1911-10-14
TAX COM. SHIELDS
DISCUSSES VALUATION
Comments on Remarks Of W. ?. 6elden
Before the Board Of Supervisors

Abatement / made auu NulNh appeAe"
IN your Mondays Issue. had intended
10 cover about all the principal ohjec-
riops that might be raised to the val .
nation placed by the board OF state ;
tax commissioners on the iron mines
but Attorney ". p Belden Is SO re-
sonrcaful that his objections could not
be anticipated and so ! wish To ada
few words based on Mr.. Belden's re-
marks to the Marquette board OF super
visros when he told them they could
not 'conscentiously" approve the
work OF the tax commission.
The law governing the actions ana
mowers of the board OF tax commits
sioners at these public reviews Is
nlainIy stated in Section 1872 OF Act
No. II. OF the Public Acts OF 1911 as
follows
.,Iu case said board or the members
thereof who shall act In said review
shall determine that the assessments SO
rav,awed are Tot assessed according 10
r law he or they shall in column pro- /
vided for that purpose place opposite
said property the true and lawiui a.
: sessment of the same.
The supreme court held in the case
D of Wattles VS.. Lapeer 40 NJ VA tns'
assessments upon anything put tne
u true cash value OF property are illegal
IS and in violation OF the assessor
u off nal oath.
n A 10 cash value we quote. from sec
y ton 81 OF the general tax law as ioi'
- lows:
I 1.-THE words cash value shall DO
20 held 70 mean the usual selling price at
the Mace where the property to which
the term is applied shall be at the time
of assessment. being the price wnicn
G conld be obtained there or at private
sale, and not at forced or auction saie'
ln determining the vlaue the assessor
oo shall also consider the advantages ana
40 Disadvantages of location, quality Oh
an so; ouantit, and value OF standing
900 timber. water power and privileges
400 mines. minerals. qusrries or other val
,oo uable deposits known to be available
90 therein and their value
900 Having determined to the satistac
100 ton of the conscience OF the commits
100 sion that the property reviewed was o
MOO a value exceeding $s5, 900, 900 and tina
400 the same was assessed at approximate
200 IL soc. 600 900. the board conciude'
- that the property was not "assesse'
ESQ according to law
New here Is where the commissio
and Mr.. Belden disagree. The com
mission believe that, in order to com
TX nly with the law. all property comm
under its review must be assessed
in cash value. 1t does not believe that
on nossesses the right to 'equalize.
and Mr.. Belden seems to entertain Of
yer posite views for, in response TO que
the tion at the Marquette hearing. he sta
cen ell that go per cent assessment cou
yn. he iustified by the commission III
,ity assessment OF go per cent. could be Ju
fitted 40 could an assessment OF 80
ON. per cent. be justified, for Mr. Belde
fled affidavits at nearly all, II not a.
40. the reviews to the effect thar gener
nron,rty was not on the assessme
IAN rolls at more than one-thlrd It's ca
yalue. Now, / would ask what won
be the effect IL the commission had d
cided 10 equalize and mad liked I
yalue of the iron mines OF the upp
- peninsula at $2s. 800. 0Oog How cou
-. the commission justify an assessme
-. when the earnings for the past Il
80 years as reported by Mr.. Finlay
!, - mount to S57, SOL, 209. O61
- MIR. Belden says that the assessmei
were based on method thorough
=, discredited. AS mater OF tact
-, method was endorsed quite general
- the very best and most practically IN
ing men OF the iron districts and
records of the different reviews "
on show this TO be so.
The statement 10 the effect that
commission had previously decided
make redcution in the Finally val
tion TO correspond with the reduct
80 made by the state board OF equali
80 ton is both silly and incorrect.
: 80 We do not believe that the mi
could be bought for less than thu
go. mount fixed by the commission tn
Capt. Tor we 90 no. INN" - W.,
,,r;aa believe. however, that they are
!. ona assessed higher than the general
! ,ns perty and this inequality may be
rected TO some extent by equslizat
ties a n IL 70 oe ios'e' 80 -
chip owners can"o' w
u pos