Gunnison news-champion., 1916-10-20

and described IN Schedule No. 500. be
reduced from SO. 5000 to SZ3. 100. 20;
that the valuation placed upon the lands
assessed to The Colorado Fuel and Iron
Company and described in Schedule No
JJ7, be reduced from $50. 200. 90 to S.S3. e
COO co. that the valuation placed upon
the lands assessed 10 The Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company and described in
Schedule No 5t-. be reduced from SIi,
800 % to 81, 40. % IN order 10 egualize
the valuations Of the said lands described
in said Schedules No. $40, No. 5UT, No.
5US with the valuation Of lands Of the
same character and value owned by other
persons IN the same vicinity in this COUD-
ty. and BE 1T RESOLVED. that the
board requests and petitions the Colo
radO Tax Commission upon proper notice
to this board, TO the assessor Of Gunni-
son county. Colorado, and to said The
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, and
to said The Durango Land and Coal
Company to give hearing to said board,
said assessor. said The Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company. and said The Duran.
go Land and Coal Company. upon the
classification and valuation of the lands
in said schedules mentioned. in order
that proper and classification and val
uAtlon of the said lands in said schedule
mentioned may be determined and or
dered by said Colorado Tax Commission;
and BE IT RESOLVED FURTHER.
that the clerk of this board Is hereby in
structed to send TO the Colorado Tax
Commission copy of the foregoing
resolutions, together with this resolu-
ton.
The above resolution is a lawyer s
Chinese puzzle and about as interesting.
1t means this:
On the ten schedules mentioned.
the commissioners ordered Assessor
Hartman to raise the figures from a
total of Si3s. 205 to the assessment
figures of 1915, or s9ll, ,O55, raise of
nearly half a million. In view of the fact
that Hartman had nearly slipped the re-
duction through, and Commissioner
Whalen did not discover it until the
second board of equalization meeting in
September. a meeting at which the
commissioners are only supposed to re-
adjust matters taken up two weeks be-
fore, there was grave doubt in their
minds as to its legality" unless they
asked the State Tax Commission to pass
a similar resolution directing Hartman
to make the change.
1t means that when the C. F. & /.
Representatives, three of them, spent
about day at the October meeting.
trying to convince the commissioners
they were wrong. that the board was
not convinced except in one particular,
but agreed to pass the matter withou,
recommendation to the Tax Commission
if the c. F. & |. officials wanted hear
ing there.
That the one particular was on the
first three schedules, the raise on which
aggregated sls.s5o. and appeared to be
on land raised from $50 to $40 per acre,
these three tracts was held at $50.
This was unquestionably incorrect
but only amounted to Sl3, $50 out Of
$472, $50 raise. On these first three
schedules. the Tax Commission is asked
to abrogate the raise amounting to $l3,-
$50, or less than three per cent of the
| total
| 1t means that this matter is before
the Tax Commission. and we read in
Sundays dailies that the Commission is
not going to reduce any corporation as.
sessments. There is now little danger OF
Crested Butte, school district, No. 8,
losing third of its assessed valuation,
or of the corporations being handed a
gift of some S.. 900 in taxes on these
schedules alone.
Now who besides the assessor is re.
sponsble for this attempted reduction.
According to the republican central
committee all the candidates are going
to defend Mr.. Hartman We cannot be-
lieve, however, that all of them knew
about it beforehand (some unquestion
ably did) or that they will individually
as well as collectively attempt to justify
it when the facts are before them. Blu,
We do ask the voters, particularly the
tax payers whose taxes were raised a
a result Of these corporation reductions
to ask every republican candidate wher
they come around to explain these points
In view of the above facts is it moi
wise for the taxpayers at this time t
vote for Geo. L, Miller and Clarence
Mcdonald as county commissioners anc
for A. NJ. Thomas as county assessor.
We know that Mr.. Thomas under
stands the tax situation thoroly. He
will make no blunders and he will bs
fair. We know that Mr.. Miller anc
Mr. Mcdonald will hold taxes to the
lowest possible point consistent with
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