The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1913-08-21
CORPORATIONS
WANT JUSTICE
LUMBER COMPANIES FILE COM
PLANTS WITH IDAHO BOARD
AT BOISE.
County Officials Attacked-Unjust Dis
elimination Is Charged In
Assessments.

BOISE, Aug. 21.-Both the state tax
commission and the state board of
equalization have been listening to
complaints today from representatives
of corporations and petition for re-
duction of the assessments made in the
various counties, especially in north
Idaho.
Representatives of the Northern Pa
sific railway company complained OF
the assessment made on it's timber
lands in Latah county. This COM
plant was lodged particularly against
the classification. 1t is charged that
they were classified by the assessor as
timber lands when they should have
been classified as cut-over lands. 1t
is further charged that the county
commissioners acting as county
board of equalization neglected to COR
rect this error. A demand is made up
on the tax commission for a reclassi-
fication of 4110 acres SO that it may be
assessed at 1886 an acre. 1t is now
assessed at something over SIG an
acre.
This matter was taken under ad
visement by the tax commission. Lat,
er a recommendation in the matter
will be made by that organization tt
the state board of equalization.
Lumber Companies Complain.
The state board of equalization
heard petitions and arguments from
several representatives of lumber COM
panies. The arguments consisted
largely in pointing out Inconsistencies
in the assessments and alleged discri-
limitations against the corporations.
An illustration of this is cited from
Clearwater. Mr. Francher of the Mil
waukee Lumber company submitted
figures to show that in Clearwater
county 390,254 acres of timber land
is assessed at $6,0S2,766 or $l5.oa
an acre on the average.
or this, according to Mr.. Fanoners |
figures, the various lumber companies |
operating in that county own 229,590 |
acres and this is assessed at 1890 |
649 or $1729 an acre on the average; |
while the 160,664 acres held by indi
is assessed at $2,112,017 or
S1314 an acre on the average.
Hit Corporations Hard.
By these figures it is intended to
show that the holdings of the large
are assessed $4.15 an
acre higher than the timber held by
others than the big corporations. An
appeal is made to the state board of
equalization to make reduction of
lgainst the corporations.
Assessors and other officials in the
in which this timber is To-
lated do not deny that the assess
nents are higher against the lano
leld by the big corporations than
gainst the land of the individuals.
'hey justify this by insisting that the
umber companies have secured the ;
ream of all the timber in that sec
ion and that their holdings are mut
lore valuable than the scattered
laims held by the individual settlers
Where Land is Liability.
w. d. Humiston of the Potlatch
lumber company before the state
oard of equalization of the assess
lent made against his company in
atah county on timber where the
ompany owns the timber alone and
OF the land. He pointed out that the
ssessment on the timber and land
where his company owned
9th was something over SIC an acre,
lille the assessment against the tim
sr alone, where the company does
ot own the land, is A cents an acre
mber and land combined. AS the
lt-over land held by the company is
;sessed at something over 81 an acre, F
, urges that 81 an acre should be ii
,ducted from the assessment against O.
e timber where the company does b,
1t own the land. In other words, p
!, insists that if timebr and land COM CT
ned is worth SIG an acre, and the G.
nd alone is worth 81 an acre, the "
nber alone should be worth the diff
renee or SO an acre. CT