Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1915-09-09
fRY G. c. Melntosh.l

10y Gs ~ NIClULOotlsJ
The nine typical coal counties In
West Virginia bear nearly one-third OF
the entire assessment on real estate
and personal property in the state. To
be exact, their proportion is Big
(thirty-one and six-tenths) per cent.
This statement, verified by the re:
ports of the state auditor, shows in
impressive fashion what the coal de-
yelopment has done for West Vir-
ginia's government.
The counties taken into considera.
ton in this finding are Mcdowell, Fay:
cite, Marion, Logan, Kanawha, Harri.
son. Raleigh, Mercer and Mingo. They
are named in the order of their ton.
mage yield.
: a, amount of assessment returned
to tie state for state purposes for the
year 1914 from these counties, was
$303,547,172. The total assessment re,
turned by all of the counties for 1914
was $4,000, 435. AS calculation will
show, there remained Of the total as,
sessment for 1914 the sum only OF
$645,547,263 to be distributed among
all the other forty-six counties of the
state, and including the cities OF
Wheeling, Huntington and Parkers-
burg, as well as others Of less size,
wealth and Importance.
It will be equally interesting to
know that the nine counties named
paid more than one-fourth of all the
capitation taxes collected for the year
1914. The total capitations collected
for that year was $247,25O. OF this
sum the nine typical coal counties paid
$75,231. In this connection it may b
remarked that the coal producing
companies of the state greatly facili.
tate the collection of capitation taxes
by lending their office organizations
TO the work In some of the coal coun-
ties, at least, the assessors place
their capitation tax tickets against the
workmen in the hands of the company
officials ant, lin course, the amount is
deducted from the wages of the men
and returned to the assessor A state
law provides for this manner OF col.
lection.
Mcdowell county affords the most
conspicuous example, showing the
wonderful extension OF business
brought about by the coal develop
ment The Norfolk & Western rail
road was completed in 1889, giving an
outlet both to the west and seaboard
for Pocahontas coal. Four years pre-
vious to that time the total assessed
property valuation in Mcdowell coun
ty amounted to the insignificant sum
Of $365,553; six hundred and four cap
itations were collected. The small
county of Brooke at that time carried
valuations on the tax books about two
times greater, being. 1862, 447. Now the
valuations In Mcdowell county are
$34,O54.014, while those of Brooke
county are $10,275,2OS. The 1914 cap
itations were 1880. At the tax rate
of six cents, which was in force II
1914, Mcdowell county was assessed
for the use Of the state fund the sum
Of $20,452.40. This vast and prosper
GUS development of the banner Goa
county came only when railroad wal
projected through the extreme south
ern territory of the state, and an oppor
tunity was given to take the producj
Of Mcdowell county to the market
Mcdowell county produced In 1911
over fourteen million tons of coal.
The same avenue of transportation
developed to an amazing extent the
counties Of Mercer and Mingo.. Priol
to the opening of the coal mines II
Mercer county the property valuations
were $1.Os8.426; now they stand q
| $26,511,b2S. q development brought
about almost wholly because Of thu
coal deposits Of that ana contiguous
nazntiah 0ae 8 the most rrenparouI