Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-08-12
TAX DODCINC
AS A BUSINESS
Eight Timber Companies Own
Half the County and Pay
One-Sixth the Taxes
CORRUPTINC INFLUENCES,
How Uncontrolled Tax Boards
In Other Counties Deal
With the Evaders
CORRUPTINC INFLUENCES

Reports from other timbered coun-
ties indicate that Chehalis is not alone
in the effort 10 secure a just proper
ton OF taxes from the timber before
ii is cut off. in Clalam county, where
a cruise of the timber is now being
made. and the reports already in and
before the board of equalization show
an increase OF standing timber OF
two and a quarter billion feet over
the estimates heretofore handed in
By the owners One concern owning
10000 acres found their assessed valu-
alton increased 4b36.410. and set up
a roar that sounded just like that
heard las week at Montesano. In
Clallam county. the timber is assess
ed at $1.op per NJ. and the land at
$500 per acre
In Pacific County
In Pacific county, where the cruise
was made several years ago, the as
sessod values have been increased
from q YaJio OF 30 per cent to 60 per
cent. and the loudest remonstrances
are from the holders of large tracts
OF timber. We note from the record
of the board Of equalization i'll that
county, that q businesslike method
has been adopted in cases where the
owner contends the county cruise is
too high, and find it to be exactly the
procedure suggested for Chehalis
county by the Herald. A party com
planned that the cruise was too high,
and the board made an order to have
the land recruised, upon the owner ag-
reeine that if the new cruise came
nearer the figures of the county cruise
than the cruise he had made, he was
to pay for the recruise. 1t is noticed,
also in Pacific county that the Wey-
edhaeUser Timber Co. and the North
ern Pacific Railway Co. which con-
Germs sell lands with rights of way
and other valuables reserved, are as
sessed 30 cents an acre on land which
are subject to such reservations Why
not Chehalis county also?
AS Others See Us
The Herald has been adversely
criticized for terming the largest hold
er OF timber lands in the county
menace to its development, and is
pleased to find itself not alone in
this opinion. as will be seen by the
following article from the current
number of Little Logged-Off Lands"
a monthly publication issued at Seat
tie, in the interest of the settlement
and development of Western Wash
ingtOn. Read it,
Are the large timber land owners
in the state of Washington aiding in
or placing obstacles in the way of
agricultural development of the
country?
Are those of them who have declar-
sell land logged-off to those who de-
sire it for farming purposes sincere
in these declarations?
To the first question the best in
formation suggests the answer that
large timber land owners in West
ern Washington are doing what they
can to retard the development OF
the country
To the second question the ans
wer must be that in a majority OF
cases the assertions OF the timber
land owners cannot be accepted as
sincere.
The failure of timber land owners
to place upon the market land which
they have cleared of timber not only
prevents the cultivation of this land
and the consequent lessening of the
burden of the cost of living, but
places upon the already improved
land of Western Washington a much
greater tax than it should be called
upon to pay.
Take, for instance, glance at the
map of Chehalis county We show
you reproduced herewith the hold
ings of the timber companies in that
Count the black and shaded
sections and you will find that these
great timber companies hold much
more than half of the total area OF
the county. Take a second glance
and you will find that in scores of
instances the sections not held by
the timber companies are entire sur
rounded by timber company hold
ings.
Go 10 Aberdeen of Hoquiam and
ask the real estate man how busi-
ness is, and he will tell you that it
would be good if he could get land
to sell. Show him tnen a section not
held by the timber interests and he
will snow you in all likelihood that
it is unavailable because to reach it
Cu must traverse SectlOH, OF at
least one OF four sections, held by
the timber men.
And these timber men don't want
these in-between sections settled up
on Perhaps for this they cannot be
criticised for there is always in the
heart, or what serves for the heart
of a timber land holding company,
the great fear of fire, and the settler
in most cases is the forerunner OF
the forest fire Justice to the tim
Der land holder should therefor alb