Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-06-20
IRREGULARITIES
IN Assessments
Suggestive Statistics Com
piled by Chamber of
Commerce.
II COUNTIES A DRAIN.
They Spent Total of s592,26s.37
More Than They Paid Into The
The Treasury of The State.

Startling Irregularities in assess
ment of taxes in the State of Vir-
ginia are prominently brought out
in the statistics compiled by the
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
which make it easy to compare the
actual figures showing how II coun-
ties out of 100 are an actual drain
to. the state 20 counties producing
/; gain of S298,5463O, not enough
by half to meet the deficit caused
by the drain upon the state treas
ury Of the II counties who spent a
total of S592,26s.37 more than they
paid in taxes, which deficit of half
million had to come out of the pock-
cts of the people in the 90 counties
and 19 cities, through the treasury of
the state.
The special committee appointed
by the Alexandria Chamber of Com
merce 10 prepare and print these sta
tistics for publication and distribu-
tion to interested persons throughout
the state have performed great
service to the tax payers in the 10
cities and 90 counties of Virginia.
This committee of five composed
of John w. May, Chairman; w. A.
Smoot, Jr., G. S. T. Burke, Gardner
L. Boothe, and Geo. D. Hopkins will
cooperate with trade bodies in Rich
mond, Norfolk, Roanoke and other
cities taking. anylfurther steps deem
ed necessary 10 give these statistics
publicity and secure the interest and
attention of the next legislature for
the purpose of having that body pass
a bill which will bring about the es-
tablishmenty of a tax. commission or
board to investigate the Irregularities
in assessments throughout the State
and afford relief to the people now
hearing the greater burden of tax
alton by devising modern system
fpr equal assessments of land values
tc be Incorporated in the laws of Vir-
ginia. -.
With a population of 1850 accord
ing to 1910 census Frederick county,
Nhe northernmost county in the state
at the head of the Shenandoah Valley
is quoted in the handbook of Vir-
ginia issued by the Department OF
Agriculture and immigration of Vir-
einia as zone Of. the best counties
of the famous Valley of Virginia"
Has an area of 425 square miles, the
average assessed value of lard IS
$1,000 per acre" :. (.
Frederick county, is now conceded
to be the largest apple growing coun-
ty in the State of Virginia accord
ing to Geo. W. Koiner the State
Commissioner who states in the hand
book that the 1910 apple crop of ESQ.,
600 barrels brought the growers of
the county one half million dol
lars. and estimates the 1915 crop
will be worth not less than two mil
,ion. dollars, the estimated value OF
o crop of one million barrels, when
the larger part of the apple orchards
will be bearing.
Adjoining Frederick county,which
;s one of the wealthiest in Northern
Virginia, lies one of the smallest
counties in. the State, Clarke county,
with an area of but 1s9 square miles,
and population of but 7,46s' which
is 1882 less than total population
of Frederick county, paid in taxes to
she state s7,251.s5 more than she re-
ceived from the state, while freder-
ick county was a; loss to the state to
the. amount of s2,577.SS, in other
words, i. cost the state over S2,oOo
to support Frederick county whaie
little Clarke county paid the state
in taxes, profit of s7,251.s5.
Seems like there ought to be work
here for special tax commission &c
investigate assessments and the sys'
tenn upon which they are made.
Carroll county cost the State S4o'
534.70, the expense of the county
to the state being that amount more
rthana the sum received from the
county in taxes. This enormous los:
was, OF course, more occasioned
through the cost of bringing tn