The Mena weekly star., 1917-08-23
THAT kc. $. RY. LETTER.

Polk county from north to south are making much of letter re- lceived a few weeks ago by Joe Lew lis of Hatfield. This letter. written lby E. Phelps, Tax Commissioner of the Kansas City Southern, has much in it worthy of thought, and is here given:
 Kansas City, Mo, July 3l .l9i7 Messrs. Lewis X Hasten,
 Hatfield, Ark
 Gentlemen: Your letter of July 18th, addressed to our vice presi- dent, Mir. ]. F. Holden, asking infor- nation as regards the attitude of our company toward the good road movement in Polk county.
 Noting your statement to the ef- feet that the persons who are cireu- lating the petition are informing the farmers that the Kansas City South ern Will pay one-third of the cost of the road will say if this is done 1t is heinz done without the authority of this company or any official con- nected therewith
 Tn a letter Co Mir R. Golf of Mena, Ark. under date of October 2, 1916, our president, Mir ]. A. Edson. tated the general policy of our com pany on this subject, which is to favor the building of good roads on the grounds that they tend toward the development and upbuilding of the communities through which they are built.
 The benefits accruing therefrom go principally to the farmer in re- ducing the cost of transporting his products to market and in enabling him to market such products when lprices and conditions are favorable lregardless of weather conditions af- feeting his haul to market Mer- chants in the various trading com lmunities along the highway will be benefited only second to the farmer. The railroad will be benefited only in an indirect and somewhat remote way through the gradual increase in the density of traffic Mir Edson further stated i'll his letter that our company would not voluntarily as- sume more than 10 per cent If the cost of the Highway
 l believe nothing has occurred since the letter referred to above was written to change the condi- tions. other than that general con- ditions are at this time somewhat less favorable toward the under taking of large projects involving great increase in taxation, than they were at the time this letter was written No man can tell at this time the lengths to which the na- tiona Government will go in the matter Of taxation and il hehooves |all thoughtful citizens to approach problems of local government in a conservative spirit
 Yours very truly,
 F. Phelps
 Tax Commissioner.
 "a tho second paragraph it will be noted that Nr Phelps states. in ef- feet. thal Lewis. or Lewis X Hasten, have slated that persons circulating the petitions for the highway are informing the farmers that the Kan sas City Southern will pay one-third lhe cost of the road" II so chances that The Star is in a position to state that it does not believe any man working for the highway stated that the K. C. s. would pay one- lhird the cost Of the road, but it was commonly stated that as it was paying 30 and 70 per cent in the two counties below Polk, it seemed fair to assdme that it would pay 33ia per cent in polk county this as- sumption being based on the theory that Polk county folks are just asI good as those in Little River and Sevier. and were entitled to approx imately equal consideration.
 Mir. Phelps then builds up quite an argument to show that the railroad should not be taxed, just as tax commissioner would be expected tol dc He argues for a reduced tax for his company, just as some other folks argue with the tax assessor to cut down their assessment on lands and chattels.
 But here is an interesting point;
 When this same Mr. Phelps was
 in Mena some months ago, attend
 ing a meeting of prominent busi-
 ness men working for the high
 way, he asked these men if they
 did not think 33is per cent was
 enough for the railroad to pay as
 it's share, and contended for that
 figure,
 In letter to Mir Golf as stated. Mir ] A Edson. president of the railroad, did. as stated, say that he would not voluntarily assume more than 10 per cent of the cost of the But as before stated by 1 The Star. taxes are not based upon what individual taxpayers y0LUN- FIBER to pay, but on the figures 1 levied by tho tax assessor
 Then comes MT. Phelps argument as to general conditions being un- f......a.l l.f. tg .t i,