The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1918-11-29
Although Douglas Is One of Nevada's Small
Counties, One-F ourth of All Listed First
Class Agricultural Land in State
Lies Within Her Boundaries

is often said that tie farmers of Doug,
! las county are rich ard can stnad any
! tax that for years these formers es-
capped rightful tax, and now, soak em
or words to that effect
To mulcate abnormal taxes, or tax
es higher thai. the people of other
counties pay, through unjust land
classification. is of no special credit
to any commission or board. The
laws of equality demand that taxation
be so adjusted that each individual pay
just proportion 70 that paid by his
neighbors. or those property owners in
adjoining counties. Many conditions
enter into arriving or determining just
taxation between land owners OF Neva-
da counties.
Some are far removed from main
line railroads and are not afforded
shipping facilities enjoyed by others.
Therefore. first-class land in remote
agricultural districts, while capable
cf producing the same yield of grain
or hay per acre, does not bring the
same returns to the owners as the
same class of land more favored
through shipping facilities. 1t costs
money to haul farm produce many
miles by team or motor truck, and
the charges thus incurred is part of
the cost of production.
In the matter of grazing lands, SIM
iliar conditions are found. Elko
County has thousands of acres of
grazing land tha. is worth far more
than the same class of land in Doug
grazed in Elko county the year around
bunch grass and other feed being a
that the grazing lands in Douglas
county are notoriously poor. While
this fact must be patent to all, the
srszing land of Douglas county and
Elko is assessed exactly the same If
there is difference between first
class and second cass agricultural
land, then there is difference exist
ing in grazing lands.
Anyone who has Travelled through
Washoe Humboldt, Elko Lyon, Churc-
hill and other Nevada counties, must
realize that Douglas county has no
corner on first-class land. Yet ac-
cording to state records 2434 per
cent of all the first-class agricultural
land is located in Douglas county. In
other words. out OF 1878 acres of
of first-class land in Nevada, 3,344
acres are in Douglas county.
The method of arriving at land
classification in Nevada is dead wrong,
because it does not work out on
basis of equality Douglas county has
no more advantages in agriculture
that many other counties in the state.
We do not mean that the land is not
rightfully classified in this county,
but on the face of the records, it does
seem that other counties in Nevada
have more first-class land that is list
ed. If they. have not, and the land is
rightfully Classified throughout the
state, then Douglas holds a unique
distinction in the agricultural history
of Nevada.
When the state board of assessors
meet at Carson, It would seem that
their work should be conducted along
broad lines. Because people of one
community, by thrift and hard work
manage to save and put forth improve
ments, is no reason why they should
be taxed 10 greater extent than their
neighbors in adjoining counties, that
care less for hard work and therefore
show a smaller degree of prosperity.
If the farmers of Douglas county show
n 40 n lc Of