The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1912-05-15
SAYS ASSESSMENT TOO HIGH
George Wingfield Addresses
Letter for Publication About
Mining Valuation.
Reno, Nevada, May IL, 1912.

Churchill County Standard,
Fallon, Nevada.
Gentlemen:
The writer wishes to call the atten-
tion of che people of Churchill county
to the unfair and inequitable treatment
afforded the Nevada Hills Mining Com
pany on the question of the taxation of
its property in the county.
Last year, before its mill was in op-
GRAFTON, an assessment of s45, 900, was
levied on this part of the property,
which action lin taxing an unfinished
and non-producing milling plant we
believe to be unprecedented in the State
of Nevada. Not satisfied with this, an
extra assessment of one percent was
levied as a school tax against the Fair
view school district where less than
twenty pupils attend school. This made
the total rate S3.54 a hundred to be
paid on the assessment and also as bull
lion tax on the net production OF the
property. They seemed to be unwilling
to give the company a chance by spread
ing the tax over few years but in
stead demanded "all that the traffic
would bear"
The company duly entered its obJec-
ton to this assessment of S45, 900 upon
its uncompleted mill, on the grounds,
first, that il was something unknown in
this state to tax an uncompleted mill
ing plant; and second, that it was un-
fair to tax any property and at the
same time to tax to the full extent the
net production of that property; that if
this Is done, then the farmer should be
taxed on his land and also on its net
annual production, which of course,
would be palpably unfair
The Nevada Hills Mining Company is
a corporation which Is controlled by
people who are residents and business
people of this state; people who have
always spent in the state the money
that they made there. In contradis-
tinetion to the treatment afforded an IN
dustry fostered by the people of the
State and an industry which should be
encouraged as the greatest in Nevada,
we beg to call attention TO the treat
ment rendered another industry pro-
NOTED by outsiders, viz; The Nevada
Sugar Company. whose assessment
reads as follows.
Real Estate 8 100.
Machinery $500.
improvements 10000.
Total 1850.
We are all well acquainted with the
property of the Nevada Sugar Com
pany which, il is reputed, cost more
than the Nevada Hills mill, the two
plants having been completed at about
one and the same time. A comparison
of the assessments set forth herein
makes further comment superfuous and
such fragrant discrepancy between
the two is almost enough TO lead one
into thinking that favors have been
shown one industry at the expense of
another, possibly on account of the fact
that the Board of Equalization is COM
posed mainly of men interested in agri-
culture; or possibly because the deputy
assessor was connected personally with
the Nevada Sugar Company and felt 1t
incumbent upon him to see that it was
given the fullest protection.
We most sincerely trust that the
people of Churchill County will in the
future see to 1t that the citizens of this
state who come into their community
with large sums of money to invest,
are not again afforded such lack of
fair consideration.
Very truly yours, GEO. WINGFIELD