The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1914-08-14
ASSESSMENTS UNDER
NUMERICAL SYSTEM

etc, which has appeared in your
paper at various times and being
somewhat interested in matters of.
this nature both from the standpoint
of taxpayers and as one who has
helped with the work of assessing,
having done both office and field
work, feel that | am in a position
to reasonably discuss this matter
and shall greatly appreciate your
kindness by allowing me the space
in your valuable paper in which to
give an outline of some of the work
which has been accomplished by the
present assessor and his deputies and
will, | am sure, be of interest to
every one who is in the least con-
cerned regarding the assessment of
property.
The Numeral system which is now
being employed in the assessment
for real estate is in my opinion the.
only scientific method of listing land.
Under this system each forty acres:
of land is described, assessed and
listed separately and therefore errors
in description and the failing to
assess all property is practically
eliminated, and such a thing as
double assessment of any piece of
land is utterly impossible. The num-
erical system gives a double check
on the work; makes location of land
on Record easy and rapid as the
books are self indexing and makes
comparison of one piece of land with
another convenient and thus aiding
materially in equalizing values of
land and improvements. Odd tracts
have been distracted and given tax
numbers. This does away with the
old way of describing such land by
metes and bounds are lessons the
possibility of errors in description
and also saves time and expense.
The old method of assessing and
listing of real estate which was used
previous administration was defec-
tive and very unsatisfactory due to
the fact that property owners en-
tire holdings were usually punched
together and assessed and listed
under single description, and ma
turally such manner of assessing
would be opened to many mistakes
which would be very difficult to
detect.
Permanent field plats of the en-
tire county have been made and at
no additional expense to the County
as the present officers of the assess
or's office have been qualified to do
this work themselves. Upon these
plats are classified the various kinds
of lands with their values and also
the values of improvements. If de-
sired, assessment of real estate may
be made from these plats next year
and this will mean the saving of a
vast sum of money to the county as
it would do away with the sending
out of men to get these values.
Furthermore, these plats are Of great
benefit in equalizing property and
which as you all know is one of the
most important factors of taxation.
The office plats too have been
corrected and much improved upon
and Messrs. Martinson and Randall
have made numerous new ones
which in value can best be appre-
ciated when outside craftsmen quote
their prices on this class of work.
Early last spring when prepara-
tions were being made for the strenu-
Gus task of taking the assessment
for this year it was very evident
that Mr.. Martinson was not at all!
satisfied with having the work done
in the same unsatisfactory manner
in which it had been done IN <previ--
Gus years and | knew that he was
working on new plan for the talk
ing of the assessment in the rural
I districts. He did not, however,
make known his plan to any of u.s.
until after he had seriously consid-
cred the same as to its practicability
in this county and it was not until
after he had consulted some of the
best authorities on matters of tax
alton that he decided to use this
system of assessing.
As the manner of assessing by
school districts has been explained
in the column of your paper before
will not now undertake to explain
this very satisfactory method of
taking assessments but will only
state that at every school district
which | know anything about have
noted a general feeling of satisfac-
tion amoung all the property
holders as they knew that all were
being treated alike and also can say
that these meetings in the school
houses have been the means where
by more Uniform assessment on