The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-02
CARBON TAX DISPUTE
LOCAL CONTROVERSY
State Board of Equalization
Recommends Reconvenlng
of County Body.
| CHAIRMAN ACTED ALONE
Ordered Valuation of Bank
Reduced Without knOWl-
edge Of Other Members.
CHAIRMAN ACTED ALONE

The cage.
Members Of the state board OF equal
iaaton who were seen yesterday ",'''
statements which present the sltua'''"
substantially as iolows;, ,,..,,.e.,
II appears thlt Carl r MarGHsG"' ',''
cashicr OF tile Price Commerclal ana oa q,
mgs bank at Price, made opjecl'on "
tho fact that the board of county con-
nlissIoners OF Carbon county sltt]hs ~
a board OF equalization, teoucGd 'ne ur r
Price from S5g sos to $4,000 pcrm!itlt
The tan OF the Price Commercial bank 10
remain as formerly fixed. II has hH"il tlc
practice. according To ofhciai adN lnce' !"
ny the asscssnblc valuations al ~ rer
cent Of the visible and known assets OF
any concern. Ii is said that In lhiS case
the county commissioner .. 20, nIa' I'm -,
county ordered the reduction named IN
the matter OF the Price Commercial ant
Savings bank. However there vas 'osai a.
dissatiNiactior over the order: and III '"lI
local controversy the state BOARD oi
equalization has been requested 10 hcl,
Tbe case was presented TO the state
board at Salt Lake. Nessrs WhlimorS
and Marcusen appearing Tor thelr
spectiye be nils. During the Investigation
conducted by tho state board OF cGuahza
tion it trauspIrcd that b Il. Mcdonald
who l. chairman of the Carbon county
| board OF equalization, had ordered th"
valuation reduction mentioned as TO ING
| First National bank. sitting alone. ana
| without any other members OF inc bonr1
| County Clerk Thomas was i'll and absent
from the alleged meeting; and that me
| county surveyor was called IN pT NC
Donald 10 take the minutes Of the meet
| Ing.
Chairman Acted Alone.
| Al first and according 10 the informa :
I ton given out from the state board OF
| equalization. Mr Mcdonald had claimed
| that the county clerk was present. but
later had admitted to the state board
that such was not tho case II ,appea rs
that the reduction In the assessable val
uation Of the First National bank OF
| Price WAS authorized and ordered sole
] ly by Mr.. Mcdonald ~ least such has
been the conclusion OF the state board.
| y peculiar situation has developed in
| this case and IL appears 10 he the de-
| termination OF the state board of equal
| iZation TO a6t entirely within its author
| ity under The law, and not 10 interfere
IN case which has come TO be a ioca!
controversy due entirely to local jealous
| les and local official administration.
| In so far as is concerned the matter O.
| adjustment Of the controversy, the state
| board has advised, but has not ordered, a
reconyening OF the county board OF
| equalization of Carbon county. In the
meantime though. and as a matter OF
| official protection to the state board. it
has counseled that the whole matter for
| which the Carbon county board Is TO
reconvene must be particularly stated in
the notice of reconvention.
! III the view Of the state board. II would
| be merely an act of authorizing lustliica-
! ton or leealization OF a questionable act
were the state board to order a reconven-
| tion OF the Carbon county board without
specific statement of the purpose Tor
which il was to be reconvened. therefore.
no such order has been made by the
state board. the only utterance from that
| body to date with reference TO this case
| being in the nature OF advice as to the
! course 60 be pursued and along the lines
! indicated herein.
Without Assessors knowledge.
| Another point in the case that Is re-
| garded BY the state board as being highly
| important is the fact that at the time
| Mr Mcdonald, constituting himself the
! board of equalization OF Carbon county,
and acting and making orders as such,
/ failed TO call in the assessor of Carbon
county whose opinion in the matter of
REIMBURSEMENT OF assessment values should
| have been had The change was made.
as stated by the state board. without
th" county assessors knowledge and
without his advice.
| 1t has been said that the state board
I has ordered the collector Of taxes in Car
| bon county to collect taxes from the First
| National bank of Price under the orig
| inal assessment before the reduction
which IS claimed 10 have been surrcp-
! titIously made. This, however Is not
in line with the facts. 1t is true that
| the county attorney OF Carbon county
has issued such an order, but that the
| extent is denied officially.
| Mr.; Mcdonald, IL seems. aside from be-
| Ing the member of The Carbon county
| board OF equalization who ordered the
| is a son-in- law Of Tobias Whitmorc, who
| Is president OF the First National bank
| ol Price, in whose behalf the reduction
was made. Incidentally ii might be
stated that this particular Mr.. Whitmore
| Is brother Of the Whitmorc who was at
| the head OF the bank at Ncphi, Juab
county, which failed so dsastrously sew
eral years ago. Both are stockholders in
! the First National bank al Price
State Board Gives Advice,
! IL is officially stated that tho only au-
| inoIlzatlon extended by the state board
! OF equalization Is To tho effect that the
carbon county board rcconTena with the
| distinct understanding that it Issue n
| specific statement oil The purpose of that
| reconTcntion. and that any act which
u nlght perform regardless of this adj
VIC" $hd!l not be construed as having The
sanction pf the Stale board The position
is taken by the latter body that it
would be al The mercy OF any design
| ing Official In Carbon county were it
TO require "A reconvcntion OF the Carbon
rounty board without cxactinG the spe-
enc statement menticned If any uu-
lawful act has been committed in Car
Don county II is not tho intention Of
IN" state board TO place Itself in the
| position OF juStifylng OF lesaliziug such
wrongful act.
From all accounts and as nearly os
can be asccrtained. tho quarrel is simply
local one. II is not the purpose OF the
state board 10 interfere In the matter.
except as u may do so with official safe
". and all action by the state boa vl
To date has simply been of AN advisory
nature. What may hereafter he dom.
hy that body will, of course he deter
mined by further developments in the
case.
DECIDE TO RECoNVENE.