The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-02-18
Commissioners Say Wayne
County Official and Depu-
ties Are Not Far Wrong in
Making Assessments.
NO FAULTTO BE FOUND
Mathews Impresses on Depu-
ties the Need of Assessing
All Property At Its Exact
Value.

That Wayne county is not far wrong
In her methods of making assessments
and carrying out the spirit and the
letter of tax laws is the opinion of
county officials after hearing men,
bers of the state board of tax COM
missioners here yesterday.
County Assessor Mathews said to-
day he would instruct township as
SCISSORS to bring assessments of real
estate to more nearly their real value
than formerly, and to cease the prac-
tice Of leaving assessment sheets at
homes for individuals to fill out.
Assessing will start in the county
March 2, and township assessors will
meet in Richmond February % to re-
ceive their supplies. Returns must be
made in seventy-fve days, or not later
than May Is.
About fifteen of the twenty depu-
ties which Wayne Township Assessor
Potter will have on his staff this year,
will be engaged in assessment work in
Richmond. At the recommendation
of Auditor Bowman and County Asses
sor Mathews, the work will be classi-
fed and men who understand the spe-
cial classes of assessments will be
given that work to do. This plan was
carried out in Richmond with success
last year, and will be more fully en-
ployed this year
Change in STAFF.
1t is understood that there are sew
eral changes in the assessing staff,
but the list of deputies of the town
ship assessor will not be made pub
lie until supplies are distributed and
everything is in readiness to start the
work
In order to carry out the recon-
merdatiOn Of Daniel Link, state tax
commissioner. Assessor Mathews will
send to indianapolis for a list of all
automobile owners in the county. He
says many automobiles have hereto
fore not been assessed, and those
which are listed are entered at va
rious amounts ranging from $3.50 to
$500.
Only four counties were represented
yesterday at the assessors meeting.
They were Fayette. Henry Delaware
and Wayne. Members of the tax COM
mission said the meeting here was the
best held in the state. They found
no fault with any of the counties rep
resented Besides the members of
the tax commission-Daniel Link, Mr..
Houck and Eben Wolcott-County Au-
dtor Bowman and Assessor Mathews
talked
Tells Of Conference.
Mr.. Bowmans talk was confined
mainly to review of what has been
done at the tax conference at Bloom
ington last week He spoke of the
criticism on work of the tax board Of
the state and of the manner in which
Mr.. Link had defended the commits
sioners by throwing light on uneX-
planned subjects
Mr.. Mathews gave short talk, say
ing farm land in Wayne county had
risen in value during the last few
years, but that the increased value
had not been met by the assessors.
The state tax commissioners showed
how the application of the low on as
sessments in deducting 25 per cent of
the value the assessors place on real
estate, brings down the assessed value
of land too far below what it should
be, unless the property is listed at
its full value
The average assessments or wayne
county land being about so per cent
of their full value, after deducting the
% per cent. the taxpayers are paying
onl only 35 or 40 per cent of the real
value of their property. whereas, they
should be paying on IS per cent.
Mr. Bowman and Mr.. Mathews OBJ
ject to the system of assessors leaving
assessment sheets at houses wehe no
persons are at home. The sheets con-
tain many questions which should be
answered correctly, and the purpose
Of using such sheets is lost by leaving
them for inexperienced persons to fill
ont