Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-05-27
MILLMEN MAY
RESIST WILEY
Some Mills Accept Situatior
Gracefully, Others in
Doubt as to Course
WANTS A SQUARE DEAL
In Some Quarters Former.
Immunity Is Considered
Now as Vested Right

Assessor Robert A. Wiley and Chief
Deputy A. c. Girard came from Mon.
tesano last week to assess the ma
chinery and equipment in the mills
of Grays Harbor. They began Fri
day at Hoquiam, and were led to be-
leve that the mill operators wera
about to cooperate with them in the
effort to secure an absolutely eQu1t-
able assessment of all property in the
county, by the cordial manner in
which they were received at the
first three mills visited.
Two of those mill managers ex-.
pressed a perfect willingness to stand
for a square deal, and produced their"
appraisal sheets, made by expert ap--
praisers for the insurance companies,
and upon the basis of which they arc
paid in cases of loss. These apprai-r
sails are upon a 100 per cent. base,-
and Assessor Wiley, after allowing
for depreciation. made the ASSESS.
ments on the basis of 40 per cent,
at which rate all other classes OF
property in the county are valued
for taxation purposes.
The other mills in Hoquiam declin-
ed to permit the assessor to see their
appraisal sheets, and have sought q
combination with the Aberdeen mills
for some sort of concerted action in
resisting the kind of assessment pro-
posed by Wiley. A meeting of the
recalcitrants from Hoquiam and the
millmen of Aberdeen was held in this
city yesterday afternoon, the result
of which is not known as this il
written.
In an interview with Assessor VIII
ey yesterday, he announced his in
tention of completing the assessment
of the mills this week. If the man.
ayers assisted him in arriving at;
correct valuation he would grate-
fully appreciate it, but if they de-
cided not to, he would proceed un-
der the law to estimate the property
himself. Should this not prove sat-.
isfactory, the courts could settle it,
he would have done his sworn duty
to the best of his ability, and tried
to do it with the cooperation of the
proprietors. That if he failed it would
not be his fault
Trust Honor May Prevail
fc IN ho <ko%
men of Grays Harbor will have the
good sense to see the futility of the
attempt to continue the partial i'm
munity from taxation they have so
long enjoyed, and join hands with
assessor Wiley in his effort to place
ALL PROPERTY on the rolls at an
EQUITABLE RATIO. That they will
recognize the taxdodger is rapidly be-
coming extinct in Chehalis county,
his disappearance being coincident
with that of the Boss system of nom-
mating county officers, pay their inst
proportion Of the burdens of govern
ment and keep a watch on reckless
expenditures.
We have on the sworn testimony
of former assessor of this county
that the mills were assessed at a val
uation of ten per cent or less.
When it is remembered that in 1910
a former county assessor testified
under oath, before the State Board
of Tax Commissioners, that he had
not tried to assess the mills at more
than ten per cent of their value it
is not surprising that those whose
property is valued at 40 per cent for
taxation purposes should unite in an :.
effort to throw off this extra public
burden placed upon them.
1t was this union of average tax.
payers that resulted in the election
of r. A. Wiley. His campaign slogan
was "A Square Deal" and he is SIM
ply carrying out his ante-election
pledges in making the present assess
ment to which no fair minded narsou