Williams news., 1913-02-01
GOV. HUNTS CALL
Recommends Amendment of Title XIV of the Revised
 Statutes of Arizona.
COUNTY DIVISION COMES BEFORE BODY

Nestling modestly among the fif- ty-seven existing laws which Gov ernor Hunt, in his call convening the Arizona legislature in extra ses sion, recommends be amended, were four words which brought great rejoicing to the people of Will jams and the western end of Coco nino county. Those four words, County and County Officers" will permit the forthcoming session of the legislature to take upthe matter of county division and which, had they been omitted by Governor Hunt from his call, would have precluded the possibility of doing so. True, the recommendation is short and sweet, but, unlike Mer cutio's wound, it is as deep as a well and broad as a church door, and therefore sufficient.
 It is with no small degree of Sat isfaction The news points to the fact that not single argument in support of the dirisicn of CoconinO county that has heretofore appeared in these columns has been refuted. Further, in submitting figures to show the probable value of the as sessable property that would be contained in the proposed new county it was necessary to estimate the value the tax commission would place upon the railroad property that would be in the new county, and under date of March 9, 1912, we made the following statement:
 "The western end of Coconi-
 no county possesses 45.6 per
 cent of the total assessed prop
 erty in the county. Add to the
 west ends proportion of the ,va-ue of the property, that of
 the Santa Fe and Gvand Can yon railroads property in the
 west end at $2O, ,OOO and $7, 500
 per mile, respectively, and the west end would have, in the event of county division, an fs-
 sessed valuation of over $2, 99O,- GOO. The Southern Pacific, single track line, at present is r assessed at s17,0OO per mile,
 and the territorial board of f equaliza' ion placed a valuation upon the Grand Canyon rail- 7 road of $7, ,OO0 per mile in 1907.
 (See Schedule 'D' of the board { proceedings for 1907, p. ID. t These estimates were criticised D. s opponents of county division at tn e time they were made in 1912, an i it is claimed they were too higE Q But what has been the result? Tn e tax commission has been appointe
 by Governor Hunt since we mad n our estimates; the commission ha Il assessed al railroad property. witt in the state for taxation, and W n find that instead of overestimatin n the values of the Santa Fe an
 Grand Canyon roads, we underest
 mated them. The Santa Fe is a It sessed for taxes for the year 1912 ; > $25,OOO per mile and the Gran Is Canyon railroad at S8,000 Der mil t. In one instance we underestimate J. the amount by s2,OO0 per mile, an
 in the other instance $1,OOO D IS mile.
 at As yet the county authoriti have not published a statement y the financial condition of Coconir sS county for 1912, nor have we seC
 the assessors books for the ye " 1912, but passing our stateme 1c upon the assessment of 1911, al SC adding to it the valuations plac
 upon the railroad mileage with ne the limits of the proposed nt in county by the tax commission, of now affirm that: should the fort
 coming session of the legislatu