Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-13
SAYS RAILWAY PROPERTY
IS ASSESSED TOO LOW
Real Estate Belonging to Steam
Lines Pays Little in Taxes,
Says Hirschberg.
WANTS ACTUAL vALUAT1o,
Chairman OF Administrative Boar
Says City Has Been Asleep, Wild
Corporation Commission Has lin.
dervaiued Lots.

ntgfM
VIII see that public-service corpor,
tons are assessed on their real es,n,,
IN the same manner as are individu.
property owners, then we can iucre,s,
tho citSs revenue TO from $1,000. oO0 :,
S2,o00.000 more then we are now p.t
ting, declared Chairman John uirsch
bcrg. or tho Administrative Board. veg
tcfdaS. after he had concluded threc|
months work in looking up fgurcs /,
th,s connection There is no reason
why TINS cannot be donc.' he continued
and then we won't have TO issueI
bonds TO keep our streets in condi
ton"
MIR. liirschbcrt, explained that II was
the duty OF the state Corporation Com
mission to assess public works i'm each
county and city. Instead of chcckinp
these figures over. as far as Richmon,
has been concerned. Mr. HIrschberpl
said. the city had been accepting thtl
commissions figures and collecting cit n
taxes accordingly.
SAYS ASSESSMENTS
ARE ABSURDLY LOW
IL Is obvious. from glance ut thc'
assessments on railroad property n
Richmond. as made by the Corporation,
commission. that they are absurd,y{
io"' ueclhFcu me chairman OF thc2
Administrative Hoard He produced a
statement which he had obtained from
the Office OF the commission.
Here" he said, "is the assessment
made on the total value of real estate
roadway and tangible property owned
in the city Of Richmond by the Rich
mond. Fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad. Il is placed by the Corpora
mi a. at Al
one viii stop To think for a moment
he will realize that this figure is ridic1
ubus. The r.. l.. & i. owns a vacant
10; on Broad street. between Laurel
and Harrison street which is WORTH
100000 II !, is worth a penny. I'd
owns a big block around Eliza Stationl
to say nothing of its big freight Depot
and other property"
Other assessments, affecting RichJ
mund. as 10 railroad real estate. road i
way and tangible property are as fol
lows: Atlantic Coast Line Railroadl
$4,000; Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
way. Ss5t.43G: james River Div!sionl
Chesapeake and Ohio. s226,l33: Jarnes)
River Division. Richmond, Fredcricks-
burg and Potomac s3f,l3l; Scnboard|
Air Line Hallway. s2il.s5O: Southern
Hallway. s379:2S.
RICHMOND HAS nEE.N ASLEEP,
SAYS IIIRSCHBI:RC;|
"Richmond has been asleep" resumed
Mr. liirschbcrr. These figures have}
been blindly accepted and taxes coll
lectcd on this basis. The law civesj
the cities and counties the right To-
check over tho assessments made byI
the Corporation Commission"
The law to which Mir. Hirschbcrg rel
fcrreh, in part. is as follows:
THAT tn. clerk Of the Corporation
Commission shall furnish 10 the chair
man OF the Board OF Supervisors OF
each county ana the president OF the|
Council Of each city list Of railroad.
canal telegraph and telephone com
panics within the said counties and
cities. together with the number of
miles Of sa!h railroads. canals. tele-
riiones and tclcgranhs and the assess
incnts made thereon by the said Cor
poration Commissions; and II shall bel
the du,y OF Tho boards of Supervisory
az the counties and the Councils oil
cities TO forthwith cheek over and COM
pare said lists and assessments and
ascertain whether they he correct and
20 notify the said clerk of the corpo ia
ton accordingly. The said Boards OF
Supervisors and Councils Of said cities
may, when there Is reason TO doubt
the correctness OF the assessed length
of any line. require The county sur
vcyor TO make all necessary surveys,
In order properly to verify the assess
.ncnt OF the Corporation Com mission,
end appropriate a sum out the
,,ou unity or city levy TO pay sur
y e,'or for such surveys. IL an 'hair-
mall of the Board OF Supervisors or
president OF any City Council fail to-
call .he attention OF their respective
bodies to the requirements. he shall
he Hnnd not less than $40 nor moro
;han sly for each oifense.