Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-08-04
APPEAL IS TAKEN
TO COMMISSION
FROM THE NORTH
Lumber Companies Claim
That They Are Entitled to
Reduction in Assessments
of Their Property.

Believing they are entitled to q re-
duction in the assessment Of their
timber holdings in northern Idaho of
S439 POS, several timber companies Of
the panhandle, including the Potlatch
Lumber company have carried an APP
peal to the state tax commission and
state board of equalization from the
action of the assessor of Clearwater
county and the board of county com
missioners sitting as board OF
equalization in the same county. The
case is one of the most important Of
its kind that will be heard by the
commission.
Clearwater county has the timber
cruised and from the figures secured
in this way placed a valuation on the
standing timber in the county. The
companies protested but the commits
sioners denied their protest and they
carried an appeal to the state commits
sion.
What Complaint Alleges.
The complaint Of the timber COM
panies takes that of the Potlatch
Lumber company as a basis for ap-
peal. The complaint first alleges that
Patrick H. Blake as the legally quail
fed assessor of Clearwater county, in
assessing all real property, 1T is his
duty to actually determine as near as
practicable the full cash value Of each
tract or piece of real property as
sessed."
Second-That the Potlatch Lumber
company is the owner of the land as
sessed to 1t in said county for the year
1914, and that said lands are largely
timber lands; that a large portion Of
the timber land is owned by non
resident individuals and corporations.
Third-That said assessor in the dis
charge of his official duties, assessed
all timber lands IN said county Of
which said Potlatch company is the
owner greatly in excess Of its full cash
value; that said assessor has assessed
n great many tracts of real property
owned by private individuals at fig
ures ranging from so to 70 per cent
of their full cash value; that said as
SCISSOR did not actually determine. as
near as practicable, the full cash value
OF each tract or piece of real prop
erty assessed" and that said assessor
in so acting "Willfully and knowingly
listed and assessed or suffered to lie
listed and assessed and entered upon
the assessment rolls of his county"
numerous tracts of real property at
less than their full cash value and
numerous other tracts OF real property
at more than their full cash value;
that the difference in basis IT valua-
ton and classiflcIt. on OF the Potlatch
Lumber compan. property and that
of private, resident individuals
warrants said {, mpany in believing and
alleging that it has been made the
object of invldious assessment; that
sho lid the present valuations ami clas-
sifications Of lands in Clearwater
county be permitted to stand on the
assessment rolls for 1914 II will result
in a gross and dispreportionate share
of the common burden Of taxation in
said county being exacted from said
Potlatch Lumber company.
The complaint concludes with the
prayer of the petitioner for a reduc-
ton in the aggregate sum OF $439, 2ss, !
in order TO make such ass ssment con-
form TO the full cash value thereof; and
also prays for such further reduction
Of its assessments on timber lands as
will make such assessments conform
to the full cash value thereof; and
also prays for such further reduction
OF its assessments on timber lands |
as will make such assessments conform /
to the percentage less than the full |
cash value thereof at which other
property was and is to be assessed |
and equalized as aforesaid, to the end |
that the common burden Of taxation /
In said county be sustained y COM
mon contributions of the taxpayers in !
proportion to the fun cash value of /
their property.