Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-07-10
TIMBER LANDS
CONTROVERSY
Assessor Wiley Will Ascer-
tain Positively the Guam
tity Of Timber on Lands
BY COUNTING THE TREES
Amount Found Will Go on
Rolls, Whether More or
Less Than Cruise

MONTESANO, July 9.-The action
of the county commissioners in sup
porting the assessor in his proposal
to count the trees on such timber
lands as are contesting the valuation
placed upon them by the county
cruise, is creating considerable dis
cussion here. The cost will approx
mate 5000 section and the count
of trees will begin at once, first on
the Mason County Logging company's
five sections, the Eugene France and
Edward Lowe five sections and Chas.
Arland one section. The cruisers
will report on every 40 acres as it
is cruised and the new figures will
be used in the assessors records as
returned to the equalization board.
Count viii Be Final
The assessor figures that the pro-
posed proceedings will scare most of
the timber holders out of bringing
any suits. He said whatever is found
on the lands counted before the
equalization board meets will be put
on the rolls regardless of whether it
is more or less than county cruise
shows, and then added:
Ive been over the Bordeaux and
the France and Lowe timber enough
to know it will run so per cent in
crease on the Bordeaux and rs per
cent increase on the France and
Love-" said Assessor Wiley, in talk
ing Of the matter.
A. c. Girard gave out the following
interview:
81 want to give out correct
statement Of this. I don't want the
people to get a wrong idea about
what We are trying to do. This
isn't an effort to sustain the cruise.
"Our object is strictly to get an as
sessment valuation. No cruise is ac-
curate, and by counting we will get
at the accurate value. Therefore
wherever there is dissatisfaction with
the county cruise we are going to
count the trees and get at the ex-
act amount. If that amount is less
than the county cruise shows we will
reduce the figures and if it is more
we will raise the figures.
"The county has already spent $l3,-
600 in recruises on a cruise that cost
the county $4,000. At this rate 1t
is going to cost the county $15O,OOO
to protect its cruise. We will get
cruisers at IS day and the cost
per section will not exceed 5000"
What Caused Trouble
The trouble over timber valuations,
with the consequent large expense
both to owners and the county, is d.
rectly tracable to the refusal of Will
lis G. Hopkins and Geo. l.. Davis, at
the time a majority of the board or
county commissioners, to permit
Chief Cruiser ]. A. McGillicuddy to
complete his work. When the held
work of the cruise was finish 4, Mr..
Meg had a large por'
tion of the county in his private
books-informed the board that there
was Is or 20 sections the reports on
which he was not satisfied with and
that he intended to recheck them.
This the board refused to permit, ana
the lands of the Mason County Log
ging Co. and France and Lowe were
among the sections he wished to re-
check.
This explanation is due to the pres
ent taxing officials, who are likely TO
be criticized for the extra expense
entailed by the recruises, yet who are
not at all responsible. The official
county cruise is law to them until
proven incorrect, and nobody will con-
tend that discretion should be given
any official to lower or raise the guam
tity of timber on q tract as shown
by that cruise.
Such authority would amount to q
notification Of the cruise that cost
the county $4,000 in money and re-
ouired ten years of agitation to Sc
cure. There is but one thing for the
officials to do. II the cruise Is wrong
correct it and then stand by 1t.