The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-09-23
THE TAXATION MATTER

ZettG hppu6b W c'ciy Sounty AZ eNN
state. as the small tax payer Is bear
Ing the brunt OF the taxes. In pro-
portion he is paying more than the
big property owners, and this will
grobaby continue until new sys
ten is introduced:
Yesterday the tax rolls OF Wash
o. county were receis ca by uis' prof
,i4y owners whose names appear in
tnose rolls The lists are supposed
the board OF equalization meets.
10 be in the mails one week before
which means that they shoul hay
raen In the possession of'-the people
last Monday. Possibly ~the delay
vas cue to overcrGwding Of thu
mails, and also II is possible that
the delay was due to dilatoriness In
other quarters. However, that is a
small detail not particularly worthy
OF attention.
THE particular feature that must
strike every fair-minded person who
makes careful examination OF this
list is the crying need for real equal
ization. In past years the sittings
OF the board Of county commissioners
as equalizers have taken on the as
pect, OF farce There has never
yet been any real determined effort
to equalize the taxes. Z Favorites
nave been rewarded, opponents have
puon punished. Inc latter have edth-
or been loN er,l or tneir assessments
have been allowed To remain at a
Iikure that has Jeen rGdie uiouS. 9th.
ers who have opposed the men wno
, ,,sal on tnoae boards ot equaizatio"
nage had their lakes raised resare'
less of any element OF lustice o.
lair play.
. 1T is high time that new system
be introduced rne men ~ho
compose the present board OF com
missioners. which will sit as board
OF equalization next Monday. are
familiar with the situation. We BE-
AADye tnem to be men VINO are viii
ing to do their duty even though
they know that In the performance
OF that duty, they are going to in
yite serious criticism. The trouble
has always been that the small
property owner, the man whose pos
sessions are few and easily ascer-
tainable. has always been assessed
TO the very limit. There are scores
OF people around Reno today who
are. assessed higher for their lots
than they could realize for those
same lots II they were to place
them ON the market tomorrow. This
liz, Just as unjust as 1t is to allow
! other men of large holdings to es'
cape with payment of very small
traction of their proper assessments
Il THE present assessor was elected
q TO office because 1t was thought by
tho majority of the voters of Wash
90 county that the time for
:. change had come. The majority be
lIsved. OF they would not have yoteo
as they did. that the man they were
voting for would remedy whatever
wrongs had existed in the past. Al
this time the Gazette does not pur
pose to indulge In Q campaign agains
The man who occupies the assessor
office. The results of his work are
before the people; they are contain
ed In that tax list which came thr,
the mails yesterday. They speak fol-
themselves louder than anything We
. might say at this time.
But We do say that the time Il
more than ripe for real equalization
We believe that the men who com
pose that board are willing to "go to
the bat" and work under the same
belief. Their task Is no small one
IL win mean ardous labor and Il
VIII. " conscientously performed, un
questicnably bring down upon theil
heads the wrath of many men.
But the task Ia there just the
same. crying loudly for performance
The Washoe situation fits the CASE
In Lincoln county. to nicely and II
10 for that reason the Record gives
space to the foregoing.
The Record Is not disposed to crit
iciaa Assessor Norris on his report
contained In the assessment roll turn
over to the county clerk recently bu
Is inclined to take the more charit
able view that had he not been the
victim Of an accident early In the
year which manned him for life
that possibly he would have been bet
Ter able to get at the real situa
ton throughout the county We d,
believe. however. that he has beer
sadly misled in some instances, i
not il-advtsed. by persons who di,
not help elect him. The assessor II
10 be commended In some respects
especially In having reported an a
ssssed valuation on taxable propert
tn the, county aggregating approx
mately $2.o0o.o00 or about s40O 900 /
excess Of what his predecessor foun
last year. Nevertheless. belts
ShoVfno could hoyo haan .,,us,,- a..