The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-06-10
ADJUSTING ASSESSMENTS

County Commissioners Collins, Rec
tor and Walther have been in session
since Monday morning. The town has
been filled with land owners who OBJ
jected to the raise In the assessment
which was necessitatsd under orders
from the state department and the
recent laws passed by the legislature
when the limitation of q tax law
was put on record.
Very few are dissatisfied with the
work Of the assessor. II was thought
a few weeks z that he would be
mobbed and IL they did not kill him
he would be driven from the country.
Many vile remarks were made against
the raise he was making, but things
have changed nov and after the mat
ter was thrashed out Il was found TO
be q fact that MI. Briscoe had made
a fair assessment in most every case.
OF course some mistakes slipped in
mostly on account that he Is not q hin
du Or fortune teller and he is not al
lowed expense money for transporta-
ton so therefore, he could not get all
the assessments correct by the man
g in which he Is required TO secure
his lists.
We heard of one catt.e man who, IL
Is said owns several hundred head of
stock but only pays taxes on about Y
of those he owns. He has them rent
ed to other farmers to keep for him
and these other farmers IL they are
supposed to pay taxes on them, do not
WI any cattle when the assessor calls
for their lists. This is what makes
the taxes high on the small farmer,
He does not have any way Of hiding
that which he has. Another thing ID
show you what the assessor has u
contend with is the fact that all cat
tie r scheduled alike. A COW 4O
years old must be listed the same as
n four years old. A good mich COW
worth 500 to $3.50 is listed the same
as IN old skate that never gave q
gallon of milk nc one time in her life,
AS long al this kind Of tax law is sup
posed to be followed there will be q
number Of dissatisfied people. Some
people do not believe in taxes in any
form. These same people do not be-
lieve in q staple form Of government
Good schools, good roads and good cit
izenship are the result Of taxes and
when our county officials and employees
r paid by popular subscription Their
we are ready for the worlds end.
Our present county treasurer, Lee
G. Pearson, has made q record by col.
lecting about 90 or 81 per cent Of the
whole amount Of taxes. This fact ia
appreciated by the people who be-
lieve in u government and are will
ing TO help pay the expenses Of il
upkeep. It makes our taxes less and
gives u county a good reputation,
II looks like u citizens are prosper
Gus and energetic and when every
body pays their part II does not make
it so hard oil those who are always
willing to pay their share. This same
thing is known TO every live member
of any organization where they are
obliged to dig down in their pockets
and pay the part some other member
should have done.
While there are n few objections Ia
the assessments and perhaps a few
will blame the assessor most of Us
who know what he has TO do and the
way he has to do it, are proud of the
showing he has made for himself and
u county, and providing the stats
board does not add to this assessment
we feel sure that none Of US will suf.
fer to any great extent.
During the month Of May Mr.. Pear,
o collected something over $4,000
in tax money.
Mr.. Pearson and his deputy, Mrs