The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-03-20
CONFERENCE
OF AUDITORS
And City Boards of Review
Which Convened at Colum
bus Yesterday-Can
Depend on Peoples
Property State
ments Import
ant Facts.
OtnItcd Press Leased Wire

cent of what people who appear be-
fore taxing officials say can be de-
pended upon TO be untrue"
This was a st1temcdt made yesterday
day afternoon by Frank A. Sarstedt,
member of the Cleveland board Of re-
view. before the conference of 200
county auditors and city boards of re-
view which convened in Columbus i'm
the morning for a two days session.
The meeting was called by the Ohio
tax commission for the purpose. main
~, Of devising method of obtaining
a more complete return of personal
property and discussing taxation prob
lens in general.
Speaking on THE Assessment of In
oorporated Companies" Mr.. Sarstedt
said: "The chief thing is for a taxing
board to gain the confidence Of the
public, the owners of large companies.
and to Impress on them that all are
To- he treated alike. This is the best
method | know to obtain results"
Personal Taxes Sought.
Introductory remarks were made at
the morning session by II. NJ. Dittey,
chairman of the commission. He spoke
OF the desirabltty Of having all prop
erty on the duplicate, at its full value
IN money. The most important ques-
tion before the conference. he said,
personal property.
He deplored, the fact that tax re-
forms begun two years ago only made
provision for assessing real estate,
banks and public utilities. While un-
der new laws, an advance has been
made in assessing the property of pri-
Vate corporations, and to some extent
individuals, through the work of the
city boards Of review and county au-
d!tors he said, much remains to be
accomplished IN securing complete
return of personal property by cen
Trailing the assessing in the hands
of county assessors.
THIS, he said, has resulted in real
estate. hanks. public utilities, manu-
featuring concerns and some individ-
uals being assessed at nearly full va
lue, while chattels, moneys, credits
and other classes of personal property
are classed substantially as IN form
cr yca-s.
Governor Sends Letter.
Governor Harmon. In letter said
81 desire to express my great inter.
est in the purposes of the convention
and to encourage the taxing officials
OF the state to get better appralse-
mcnt OF personal property this spring
The success Of our tax reform I'm Ohio
has been extraordinary. but 1t would
have been much greater except for the
failure to secure II more efficient sys.
tenn for the yearly appralsement OF
personality. such MS was proposed by
under the present laws for another
year and un'ess we get together and
push the work, the taxpayers Will have
to suffer for another year from the re-
suit Of incompetent work in this di-
rect.on. Having on hand the decen-
rial appraisemcnt of real estate last
year prevented auditors and boards OF
review from giving attention to per-
sonalty which they otherwise might
have done. If they see that the APP
praisers do they duty this year. we
can have personal duplicate worthy
of the state, There is nothing as
wholesome and necessary as the rule
of absolute equality among the classes
and our tax reform cannot be COM
plete until the personal duplicate is
brought up to an equality with other
sorts of property"
Personal Tax Discussed.
Il. NJ Fullington, auditor of state,
practically claimed credit for having
suggested that the tax limit law be
passed. He told of Instructions he is
sued in 1909 to the effect that all real
estate be assessed at its true value,
at was asserted" he said. that the
carrying out OF these instructions
would be injurious to the interest OF
the owners of real property, but be-
lieved then, as / firmly believe now
that If all property was appraised al
its true value in money. and full re-
turn made OF all personal property, the
tax rate would be so low that real es-
tate would not bear the UNEQUAL bur-
den OF taxation under the system then
In vogue"
Attorney General r. S. Hogan ex-
planned the duties of the county au-
ditors and city boards Of review.
Resolutions requesting the tax com
mission to issue ironclad instructions
to personal property assessors were
adopted
TO lift Bond Exemption.
c. Nj. Luthy, member of the Colum-
bus board of review, said he expected
to see many of the incorporated COM
panies, where the stock is owned by q
few persons surrendering their char
ters, hoping as partners to evade the