The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-11-18
HIRST EXPLAINS ROAD LAWS
Chief Engineer Of Wisconsin Highway
Commission Expected to Decide On
Geneva Road Middle Late Today
Go. Board Entertains Youngsters.

The member Of the county board
began to discuss the problem Of
equalizing the taxes for the year this
morning when the annual report OF
Supervisor of Assessments and Asses
sor of Incomes Joseph E. Dalton was
presented to the board. Mr.. Dalton
did not appear in person to read his re-
port but it was submitted by printed
copies.
In the report Mr.. Dalton gives com
plete tables Of all assessments made in
the county by the assessors and supple
ments these with tables showing the
true value Of personal property and
real estate. He makes no suggestion
as to the plan to be followed by the
board committee in equalization Of
the assessments.
In speaking Of the personal property
true values, Mr.. Dalton said: "These
values are obtained by inspection.
made a number of personal property
assessments in each of the taxing dis
tricts, not knowing what values were
fixed by the local assessor. The same
method was used in all districts and
the ratios obtained and used on the
total personal property, which gives
what term true value or conserva-
tive assessment.
In regard to values placed on real es-
tate as "true values" Mr.. Dalton says:
"These are obtained by using five
year sales method, dropping out all
trades, one dollar sales and abnormal
sales. These sales have been carefully
worked out in fairness to all taxing
districts in the state and are as near
right for one district as for another.
I submit true values both of per
sonal and Of real estate to your hon
orable body, asking that the same be
adopted by you. In so doing, each tax
ing district will pay its just share of
state and county tax as nearly as can
be worked out from sales, inspection
and figures.
The state taxes are apportioned to
each county in the state as a unit, and
it is matter for our county board of
supervisors to so equalize the county
as to have each taxing district pay
its just share.
The territory annexed by Kenosha
city which was taken from the town
of Somers and the town of Pleasant
Prairie has been taken care of, as will
be shown by the sales cards which I
will submit later.
AS per instructions from the Wiscon-
sin tax commission, / have added to
the values of Somers, Pleasant Prairie
and Kenosha certain amounts for street
railways. This represents eighty-fve
per cent of the value of said railways
in those localities and eighty-five per
cent of the tax on same will be return
ed by the state to the above tax
ing districts.'
Tt is expected that the report of the
equalization committee will be sub
mitted to the board before the end
of the week.
This afternoon the members of the
board gave their time to the discussion
Of the road laws passed at the last SEES
sion Of the legislature. A. R. Hirst
of Madison, chief engineer of the high
way commission, was present and ex-
planned the new laws and made sugges-
tions as to how these laws could be
best enforced. During the afternoon
Mr.. Hirst is expected to settle the
questions involving work on the Gene
va road This matter was left open
until after the discussion before the
board No work has been done on the
road and with the coming of freezing
weather there has been no especial de-
mand for the decision of the state en-
gineer. Just at present Contractor
Wade is busy changing over his water
pipes, but it is expected that the work
Of concreting the road will be resum.
ed later in the week if the weather
permits,
A feature of the meeting of the
board this morning was visit from
some twenty of the children from the
Frank school In charge of Principal
Randall the children made the trip to
the county building to get line on
the manner in which the work of the
board is being done. 1t is understood
that classes of school children will at
tend sessions of the board from now
until the session closes.