The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-08-20
TIMBER LAND REDUCED
FARMS RAISED
State Tax Commission Raises
Canyon County's Assess
ment 25 Per Cent.

The state tax commission has, as
usual, recommended to the state board
of equalization that the assessment
of farm lands in Canyon county be
raised 25 per cent, and that town
property be increased 10 per cent.
Apparently, this was done in order
to make up for marked cut in the
valuation of timber land.
The net increase made in the values
placed on lands other than timber
was So, ,397 ,391, and the net decrease
in the timber lands was S2,747,0 ,084. In
Clearwater county it was charged by
the representatives from that county,
the tax commission had increased the
value of cut-over land in that county
from s12 to SIS an acre, and at the
same time it had placed value on
the land and timber where the white
pine timber had been untouched at
S13.44.
Yesterdays Statesman gives the
following report of the tax commits
sion's work:
Infantry, cavalry and artillery
were brought into action by the coun-
ty assessors on Tuesday in riddling
the report of the tax commission on
agricultural lands, timber lands,
grazing lands, business lots and resi-
dence lots. When this report was
thrown among the assessors in the
afternoon by the state board of equal
ization they fell upon it like hungry
wolves, and when the storm blew over
it was found that they had unani-
mously laid it on the table with the
understanding that they would fight
out the issue with the tax commission
before the state board of equalization.
The chief roar against the report
came from Latah, Adams and Clear
water counties because of heavy cuts
in the valuations placed on timber
lands. These cuts on timber held by
corporations were strongly eontrasted
by the assessors with increases on
farm lands held by individuals, and
the changes were run on this issue.
Representatives from Clearwater
county were especially indignant be-
cause, as they claimed, the tax COM
wholly ignored the cruise I
they had made of part of their tim .
ber They ignored all the informa-
tion secured in this way and in every
other way by the assessor and COM
and arbitrarily placed
value on the timber without making
an investigation Of any kind. This
was their chief complaint. They had
a certified copy of the cruise, they
said, at their room in the hotel. 1t
had cost the county large sum and
they did not propose to have it ig
nored.
They insisted that when timber land
values were cut it placed just that
much greater burden on other proper
ty, and that when agricultural land
values were raised in the face of the
cut in timber values it was time for :
every farmer in the state to register
4 protest.
In the recommendations made by
he tax commission to the state board
If equalization, agricultural lands
we're raised from S112,916,175, the val
he fixed by the county assessors, to
by the tax commission.
Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham and
Clearwater values were increased 8
,er cent; Kootenai, Minidoka, Oneida
md Shoshone counties were increased
10 per cent; Boise county was increas-
d 15 per cent; Canyon county 20 per
.ent; Gooding county 20 per cent; Lin
,oln county 20 per cent. Power and