The log cabin Democrat., 1913-05-29
TO ASSESS ON 50
 PER CENT BASIS
ASSESSOR JONES' POLICY
PROPERTY IN FAULKNER WILL BE PUT DOWN AT EXACTLY
 HALF VALUE. HE SAYS.

IIidI percentage dS Sdll DS ueleIIlilIeu, according to Tax Assessor w. N. Jones, who will begin his rounds of the county at Wooster next Monday. As sessor Jones is strengthened in this de- termination by letter from Tax Con- missioner F. E. Brown, who states that much of the property in Faulk- ner county is assessed below 50 per cent of it's real value, and urges the assessor to bring it all up to that fig ure. Commissioner Brown also says that while livestock values have been up to the standard, it appears that a large amount is not assessed at all. His letter to Assessor Jones is in full as follows:
 Little Rock, Ark, May 23, 1913. MT. w. N. Jones, Tax Assessor, Con-
 way, Ark:
 My Dear Sir and Friend-Replying to yours of the 18th inst, will say that while the law in terms provides for an assessment of all property at it's actual value, yet by common con- sent and in view of the decision of the supreme court it is being attempted to get an assessment on a 50 per cent basis.
 We are sending you a general letter to all assessors in which 50 per cent assessment is recommended. Now with regard to the assessment of your county, the livestock assessments so far as values are concerned are about on an average with the state, the state being horses, $45; mules, $58, and cat tie $812 The averages for Faulk- ner county for 1912 are horses, $47, mules 58, and cattle $11.26. l would judge, however, by comparing the cen sus returns of 1910 with the assess ment for that year, that there is quite a number of livestock not being assess ed at all in Faulkner county. From the census report of 1910 there were on farms in Faulkner county: Horses, 4,176; mules, 4,285; cattle, 15,713. As sessed all told in the county by the assessor: Horses, 3,448; mules, B., 444; cattle, 10,174.
 You will see from the above there were 728 more horses, 841 more mules and 5,539 more cattle on farms than were assessed in the county. l note, however, there were assessed last year more horses and mules than in 1910, but fewer cattle, the number of cattle assessed being 9,924.
 Now, as to the real estate of Faulk- ner county, it is unquestionably as- sessed very much below 50 per cent of it's actual value, according to the cen. sus report of 1910. Seventy-two per cent-299,614 acres in Faulkner coun- ty was in farms (by farm is meant all lands held for farm purposes, for instance, where one has a 160-acre tract with house and five or 10 acres in cultivation, the whole tract is count ed as farm) valued at SILLY per acre, aggregating $3,346,0S3. Fifty per cent of this value is $1 ,673,041, the total assessment of all acreage lands both farms and wild land in Faulkner county for 1912, was $1 1884, ,503. Sub tracting 299,614 acres in farms from 417,456 acres-total assessed in the county, gives 117,S42 acres of wild lands taxed, worth say, $3 per acre, making $353 ,526, 50 per cent of which ise $176,763. Subtracting the $1,334,- 503-total acreage lands assessed from $1,673,041, 50 per cent of the farm values, gives $33S,53s; add to this the $176,763 wild land value, makes $515 1900, the acreage land ap- pears to be assessed below 50 per cent of their value for 1912.
 Town and city lots were assessed in 1912 at $600,000 approximately. If this species of property was assessed at no greater per cent of it's value than the acreage lands, the real es- tate of Faulkner county is assessed something like $65O,00O to $750,000 below 50 per cent of it's value:
 It would appear also that the assess ment of moneys, credits, manufactured articles and merchandise in Faulkner county is assessed at very low fig ure, the assessment being as follows: Merchandise, S131 ,230; manufactured articles, $6S,350; moneys and credits, $69 745, the latter item being a ridic- ulously small figure for a county like Faulkner.
 I am going to ask you to put forth