Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-02-29
WILL INCREASE
VALUATIONS
Assessor Jones Says He Will
Try to Assess on Forty
Per Cent Basis
WORK BEGINS MARCH !
Official Explains Method
Adopted in Listing Tim
Der Lands

Plans for placing equal valuations
on city and other realty in Chehalis
county and appointing various depu
ties to have charge of this work that
will increase the assessed valuations
of Chehalis county from 500 0,S65,377 tC
approximately $26,O0O,OOO, or forty
er cent of the actual value of Cheha
lis county, have been completed by
County Assessor F. E. Jones.
According to information given q
Herald representative Tuesday at Mr.
Jones office, he plans to raise the
valuations on timber lands approXi
mately $3,000,000. Farm and city
lands will have to stand an increase
of 100000 and logged-off lands will
go up to $o an acre. The raise on
logged-off lands alone, Mr.. Jones fig
ures, will give Chahalis county $500,
more in taxes. The proposed increase
will bring up the valuations sufficient
to compel the state tax commission to
raise the valuations on public service
corporations approximately $1,OOO,OOO
The valuation of public service corpor.
ations is in preparation to the as
sessed valuations of county.
Mr.. Jones said: 81 am giving my
deputies instructions to assess all
property on q 40 per cent basis. The
ave-age SBses.ssA valus1tn cf the
counties Of the state is 1898 per cent
and if we make this increase, We will
make the showing the state desires
OF u.s."
II desire to say that at the time the
Herald published an article saying
that the county cruiser had turned
over a number of townships to my
Office, that there we're only two
townships in our possession at the
time. Mr.. Marshall, tax agent for the
Weyerhauser syndicate happened 10
be here the day following the verbal
order to turn over the cruises was
made, and he asked me to be allow to
see them. He also asked permission
to make copies, which l allowed him
to do.
"Mr. Marshall got very little infor.
nation from this Office at that time
as he found only few sections of tim
ber his company owned had been
turned in"
'How about there being 16 different
classificatiOns of timber in the cruis
ers report and you have only room for
four on your rolls?" was asked Mr.
Jones.
I'VE have a margin in which We
have to put the other classitications.
Mr. Jones then turned to his rolls to
show the reporter how it was done
and after an examination of three
rolls, found just one instance, where
classification, other than spruce, fir,
cedar and hemlock was made and this
was of a section heavily covered with
pine. He then explained that it had
evidentally been omitted and before
the rolls would be made up, he would
see that the classifications would be
placed on them.
"Will you explain why Mr.. Marshall
appeared here so quickly after the
rolls were turned over and why no
record was made of the order on the
commissioners proceedings.
"If you will look up the minutes
of the county commissioners Of
Sept. z, 1911, you will find that an ord.
er was made to the effect. that the
cruises be turned over to the assessor
as fast as completed. We nearly had
to call in the sheriff to get possession
of the cruises" said Deputy Assessor
Ruth Townsend.
An examination of the Commission.
ers proceedings showed that an order
had been issued September to this
effect, and Clerk Duncan Campbell ex'
planned that with one order on the
minutes, he did not consider the ord
er of Feb. 6. necessary.
Ed Hoover, chief clerk In the cruis-
er's Office stated that the cruises had
not been finished, that was one rea'
son they were never turned and that
the demand was never made for the
cruise, prior to the last order of the
commissioners.