Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-03-21
TIMBER VALUE
TO BE DECIDED
County Commissioners Will
Select Board Of Three
For That Purpose
so SAYS THE ASSESSOR
Jones Addresses the Chamber
Of Commerce Meeting
Roasting Agitators

MONTESANO, March 2O-That the
price of timber in Chehalis county
for assessment purposes will be plac-
ed by board of three men, named
by the county commissioners, was
the information cleaned from a state
ment made by County Assessor F. E.
Jones at the weekly luncheon of the
Montesano Chamber of Commerce,
here last evening.
Mr.. Jones had delivered an address
before the club on taxation and his
speech characterized the men agita-
ting the tax reform as "meddlers,
gossips, trouble breeders, agitators,
who in their correspondence with the
members of the State Tax Commits
sion were doing Chehalis county ir.
reparable damage, as the commits
mission would get wrong impress
sion of taxation matters here"
Mr. Jones address was so differ
ent from his Hoquiam address that
one would have never recognized
that the same man wrote both ad-
dresses.
His speech conformed more to the
idea that the Chehalis County Tax.
payers league has in view than any
thing he has said heretofore and he
openly said he favored placing a cash
value of 100 per cent on all proper
ty, but as the State Tax Commits
sion had selected 40 per cent, he
would not raise above that.
He said in answer to a question
asked him by Editor Veatch of the
Montesano CALL that he would tax
timber at 81 per thousand feet.
But l note that several large tim
Der companies hold their timber at
So per thousand. How much will you
tax that?" was Veach's reply.
well, then it will be assessed at
$1.2O per thousand was the ans
| wer.
The Tax Commission also came in
for it's share of scorching from Mr..
Jones, as did former Assessor Car
ter, on whom Jones asked that the
blame for the conditions be placed.
He said that he did not believe
conditions were "rotten" in the coun-
ty, as the "agitators" had so stated,
but he was evidently not aware of
the fact that it was the State Tax
Commission which said that the as
sessment in Chehalis county was
both rotten and criminal"
Following his defense of the pres
ent system, Elmer r. Brady, we'll
known attorney, asked the Assessor
if timber section selling for $64,-
900 and assessed at $500 was not
a rotten condition.
Brady then wanted to know why
Mr.. Jones sought to assess the prop
erty per cent when the law specifi-
cally said that it must be assessed
at 100 per cent.
"Our system is rotten to the CORE"
said Brady, "and it will never stand
on the foundation you are placing it.
/ am for an equitable assessment and
the only way to get that is to place
the value at its cash value AS the
law designates. When section of
timber containing 100000 feet, sells
for $4,000, or So per thousand and
it is assessed at IA per cent Of its
value, l want to know what equali.
ty there is in that"
Mr. Jones asked Brady what he
was assessed on his farm, to which
he replied:
81 pay more than 5000 and it is far
too much in proportion to what the
timber is paying" Brady then told
of the tax commission being willing
to lower the levy if the valuation
was put up and made an appeal for
this. He then asked Mr.. Jones who
would determine the value of the tim
ber for taxation purposes and Mr..
Jones gave out the foregoing infor-
nation.
Prior to the taxation matter be-
ing brought up. President ]. E. Cald-
er appointed q man to search all
present for weapons. so that the mat.
ter would not result in bloodshed.
and his remarks brought forth
round of applause. A. c. Girard, OF
the Tax Payers League was present
at the meeting, being deeply inter
ested in Jones' address.