The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-08-20
hitter SCRAP
ON TAX ISSUE
A..essors of the State and
Commission Mix 1t
Over Valuations.

/ co,ntv Assessor Hervin Rothwell went
!. Roise last week where he and the
s,hsr assessors met with the state tax
.ommission for the purpose Of adjust
q. rates and striking equitable assess
msnts in all the counties. The commits
s,on did not meddle with the personal
croperty assessments, but when 1t
ssme TO the matter Of land and timber
ne fur flew as the following dispatch
sets forth:
Boise. Aug. 18--Infantry, cavalry and
artillery were brought into action by the
county assessors today in riddling the
,eport of the tax commission on agri-
cultural land, timber lands. grazing
lands business lots and residence lots.
When this report was thrown among
the assessors in the afternoon by the
state board of equalization they fell
upon it like hungry wolves, and when
the storm blew over 1t was found that
thew had unanimously laid it on the
table with the understanding that they
would fight out the issue with the tax
commission before the state board Of
equalization. This phase of The con-
test will no doubt be staged tomorrow
The chief roar against the tax com
mission report came from Latah, Ad-
ans and Clearwater counties because
Of heavy cuts in the valuations placed
on timber lands. These cuts ON tim
ber held by corporations were strong
y contrasted by the assessors with In
creases on farm lands held by individ-
uals, and the changes were rung on this
issue. {
The net increase made by the tax
commission in the values placed on
lands other than timber was $5,397 ,0S4.
In Clearwater county, it was charged
by the representatives of that county.
the tax commission had increased the
value of cut-over land in that county
from $12 to SIS an acre and at the
same time it had placed a value on the
land and timber where the white pine
timber had been untouched at $1a4A
Representatives from Clearwater coun
ty were especially indignant because
as they claimed, the tax commission
wholly ignored the cruise they haf
made of part of their timber. They ig-
nored all the information secured ir
this way and every other way by the
assessor and commissioners and arbi-
trarily placed a value on the timber
without making an investigation of any
kind. This was their chief complaint
They had certified copy of the cruise
they said, at their room in the hotel
II had cost the county a large sun
and they did not propose to have 1t ig
nored
On the strength of the objection reg
istered by Adams. Latah and Clear
water counties against the change II
the timber values, the assessors cam
near rejecting the entire report. TheI
1t was suggested that the action shoult
be confined to the timber counties, bu
1t was finally decided to reject the re
port as it applied to timber land values
The vote on this proposition was 2
in favor of rejection, absent and 2
owyhee and Boise, not voting.
All justified their vote by insisting
that when timber land values were Gu
1t placed just that much greater bur
den on other property and that whel
agricultural land values were raised Il
the face of the cut in timber values
1t was time for every farmer in tn
state to register a protest.