Evening journal., 1917-03-20
Marsh CO. BALKS
ON Increased TAX
Official Tells Court $500 an
Acre Would Be Fair
Assessment
COMMISSIONERS WILL
CONSIDER APPEAL


Opportunity was taken by the Cherry
Island Marsh Company, through Will
liam G. Mahalfy. 10 appeal to the Levy
Court today against the $50 per cent.
increase Of assossable valuation on
the cOmpany's 1892 acres OF land
alons the river front, as was done by
resolution at the meeting Of the COM
missiOners last week. Mr.. Mahaffy
presented q resolution adopted at a
meeting OF the directors OF the com
pany last Saturday in which the Levy
Court was asked to assess the prop
ertv Of the company at $500 ar acre.
Part OF the tract lies in the Ninth
ward Of Wilmington and part in
Brandywine hundred. and the assess
ment was increased from S11S,340 to
S7S1000 The property has been
owned by the company for $50 years
and Mr.. Mahaffy said IL had paid
more tax per acre than any other
property Of it's class in Delaware.
Half a million has been paid as taxes
during the life of the company. he
said.
The meadow land appears on the
records of the company as fol-
lows:
Philadelphia, Baltimore & Wash
ington Railroad Company, c. w. Wen
ling CP., B. & ". r. r. Coz. Della
ware Forge and Steel Company,
Homer B. Talley, Wilmington Ter
minal Company. Edge Moor Iron
Company, George A. Talley. National
Dredging Company. Shellpot Land
Company. j. Atwood Wel6in, Gordon
Monges Est, John T Talley. Pure
Oil Company. Aubrey Thatcher. Land
18th Improvement Company Stephen
Downey, Sydney W. Mahaffy. William
F. Sellers. Catharinc Gillespie The
Pullman Company. Equitable Guar
antee and Trust Company. trustee
Thomas T. Weldin, Preston Lea estate
and Electric Hose and Rubber Com
pany.
In order to show the differences in
assessments on the various parts OF
the tract last year Mr. Mahaffy pro-
duced figures 70 show that 3 per cent
Of the $40 odd acres was assessed al
1894 an acre 3 per cent. at $500, "a
per cent. a. 5000; Il per cent. at S175;
per cent. at $40. "a per cent. al
$50 3 per cent at sos. and per cent
not assessed. The average assessment
last year was $3.50 an acre. He argued
that the sum OF 5000 an acre would
be a reasonable and equitable assess
ment..
Commissioner Burns stated that the
resolution passed last week was
adopted for the purpose Of getting al
opinion from the property owners, and
disapproved of q general assessment
OF 5000 an acre. He called attention
70 the fact that some Of the land-tha
owned by the Delaware Forge ant
steel Company. the Philadelphia, Bal
timore and Washington Railroad Com
pany. the Edge Moor iron Company
was worth much more than som
other parts of the tract.
Mr.. Mahany replied that the Ian
was practically ali unimproved land
Speaking for himself and the vii
mington Terminal Company, he SAT-
that they had rot received 500 iron
their holdings for fifteen years.
Charles Warner Smith, attorney
speaking for the Delaware Forge an
Steel Company, said there was no dis
pos:tion on the part Of the compan
To shirk any part of its share OF taxes
He spoke deprecatingly OF the pros
poets Of the river front being develop
cd soon. saying that the project ha
been discussed Tor sixty years.
Mr. Burns and President Feuracr
held that assessing the tract at $50
an acre would not be fair; that
some of the land is worth only SO
acre. it should be assessed at thi
figure. while if some is worth Sl'Ol
an acre it should be assessed at sue
figure.
The PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Cen
many paid from $3.50 TO 5000 an acr
for the ground they purchased. NJ
Mahaffy said. He denied that til
land had increased in value in recei
years. He held that the bank tax
s2.57 q year which has been paid &c
years is fair and equitable.
Taking a tract of land and assess
ing it at so much an acre is the nett
cd used by our grandfathers,' sal
Mr.. Fcuracre. of the owners Of III
land will not SET valuation on the
holdings the Levy Court VIII have
do it, ne said.
Comm 5sioner Eliolt denied tia
any Of the owners of the Cherry Il
land Marsh Company were holdin
their land at such a high figure as
prohibit the building Of road TO II
river. Commissioner Burns stated th'
the valuations placed on the proper
bv the Levy Court had been decide
upon after the prices paid for pro-
erty in the general neighborhood
the tract had been learned.
A committee consisting Of Comm
sioners Burns. Elliott and Purks, vi
President Fouracre, was appointed
confer with a committee from Il
Cherry Island Marsh Company a.
decide upon the assessment. 30
committees will have power TO acl