The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-02-05
SOMER SYSTEM
HOW IT WORKS
COUNTY ASSESSOR MARTINSON
TELLS OF HIS PROGRESS IN
ASSESSING LATAH COUNTY.
Made Sectional PIats of Each District
and Property Owner Helps
Fix Values.

lnson in an interview today declares
that he is meeting with great sue
cess in the operation of the Somer
system in making assessments of prop
erty in Latah county. He has made
sectional plats of each school district
and personally meets all the farmers
| within the district, all participating
III reaching common basis of value
of property. In speaking of the work
he says:
For the benefit of all property held
tenn Of assessment after we have
worked under it for week, taking
about two hundred statements of real
and personal property at saving of
at least one third in the cost of doing
the work and the result being fully
one hundred per cent better than un-
der the old system, is proving sue
cess beyond my own and the peoples
expectations.
is not an experiment of my own but
is the Somers system introduced by
w. A. Somers who has spent a life
time in the study of assessment and
appraisal of all classes of property,
and where it is being used in some
eastern states is proving to be uni
formly successful.
After studying the conditions in
our own state and particularly in this
county, | have modified this system,
making it more adaptable to condi-
tions | have to meet under our present
laws governing the assessment of pro-
perty.
I'VE have made sectional field plats |
of every section in the county upon |
which we classify all land by forties, |
showing upon these plats the various
classes and grades of land with the !
values per acre for each class and
locating all improvements with their
value.
"A. N. Roberts, who is well known,
and because of many years of ex-
oerience in doing field work has
good general knowledge of the county,
S assisting me.
I'VE first notify a number of school
districts by circular letters, keeping
hem notified a week in advance. The ,
property holders of the district meet
n their school house in the evening,
It which time we discuss the values
If the various parts of the county, the
and values of all live
took, and parts of the revenue law
to assessment and taxes :
nd such other questions as may come
lp. We also fix the value of the best
and which is used as the unit of
alue, and all of the land in the dis
rict is graded over or under this
tandard by the concensus of opinion
f all property owners. We do the :,
anne with improvements centrally To- ,
ated in the district which we have
cen and fixing the value of all other
MS one as unit, the people present ,
iding in these comparisons. The
ext morning we all meet again and
roceed with the assessment, each
ian giving in his property in the pre-
ence of the others.
1--WE classify and assess district
ach day. One of us does the classi-
ing and plat work while the other
kes the assessment and lists the
ersonal property.
with this system / will be able to !,
AXE the assessment of the entire ~
,unty myself and checking up the CO
already fixed for the lands, in
lprovements, and all livestock and II
'rsonal property. | will be able to
AXE a more equitable assessment
an there has ever been made in this
unity before. Last year as in pre- ~
eding years there were many un
ual assessments due to hurried
)rk, many fieldmen, and lack of sys-
N and proper plats. All these
ings we now overcome and save at 81
asst one third the cost of doing the re
,rk d1
People in the districts we have as p'
ssed have all come out and have "a
own a great interest and have been Do
IRE pleased with the results, all :"
wing had a voice in the equalization
the assessments and the grading
d classifying of the lands.
L wish to request that when the
tees of assessment are received
It all property owners come out
d be ready to list all property
ickly.
We are working hard and with the lie
operation of all property holders da.
a most equitable assessment. All pie
,perty will be placed on the same mi
sis." an