The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-08-28
WALLACE: WOULD IN
CREASE: VALUATIONS.
State Tax Commissioner Recommends
That Valuation of Farm Lands be
Increased to Reduce the Levy

That Valuation of Farm Lands be
Increased to Reduce the Levy
Bismarck, N. D., Aug. 2s.-As a
means of increasing the assessed
valuation Of North Dakota's taxable
property to point where it will be
possible to reduce the mill levy, and
to thus effect paper saving to which
the administration may point with
pride, Tax Commissioner George +.
Wallace yesterday served on tax sup
ervisors and county auditors in con-
ference here notice that he would ask
the state board of equalization to
boost the county boards figures on
farm lands all the way from 10 to rs
per cent. Cass, Grand Forks, Penn
bina, Trail, Walsh and Richland will
be the only counties to escape a hori-
zontal increase in the assessment of
farm lands, if Mr.. Wallace has his
way.
The assessed valuation Of the farm
lands of northwestern North Dakota
as returned by the county boards, and
the percentage of increase which Com
missioner Wallace suggests are as fol-
lows:
Ward, S14.64, 20 per cent; Mclean,
$15.49, 20 per cent; Mountrail, $3.50,
20 per cent; Burke, SASS, 20 per
cent; Bottineau, $2O.40, 20 per cent;
McHenry, $16.41, 20 per cent; Will
Hams, $12.86, 20 per cent.
Auditors and supervisors in the
counties where Wallace proposes a
strong boost in the assessed valua-
ton of farm lands are making siren
uous protests. They contend that in
the first place the tax supervisors,
county auditors and county boards Of
equalization did their work; conscien--
tiously and that they are in better
position than Mr.. Wallace is to know
the actual and. true value of farm
lands in their respective communities.
They seem inclined to consider Mr..
Wallace's arbitrary proposal an in
suit.
Furthermore they point to the fact
that the assessed valuation of rail-
ways is already fixed, at about 300
per cent over last years values, and
that the assessment of farm lands
as returned by the county boards of
equalization already is relatively high
er than that of the railways and 9TH
er property in the state. A further
increase in farm land valuations and
a decrease in the mill levy will result
in imposing a huge additional burden
upon the farmers, they contend, while
the railways will. be relieved to just
this extent of their share of the tax
burden. ~ gti a5 EliiI
Farmer is Penalized aadt4
"I cannot understand" said one
Slope county auditor today, "why Mr..
Wallace, appointed by Governor Fraz-
Ter and presumably a member of a
farmer administration, should seek to
penalize the farmer by increasing his
tax burden, or by reducing the rail-
ways taxation at the expense Of the
farmer. Mr.. Wallace's plan of re-
ducing the mill levy from four to
three and of boosting the farmers
assessed valuations an average of 20
per cent to make up for it will save
the railways $218,OO0 in taxes on their
assessed valuation of $218,967 ,43S, as
fixed by the board of equalization at
Mr.. Wallace's suggestion. On an ac-
tual 100 per cent valuation farm lands
will be boosted 333 per cent. In many
instances farm values have actually
been multiplied by seven, and there
are few0cases where the farm lands
are not returned at 400 per cent of
last years figures. But even if re-
turned at 1893 per cent of last years
assessed valuation, which was $751;
459,525 on lands without improve
ments, the assessed value of farm
lands this year would be $737, AGO, POI,
and Mr.. Wallace's proposal to boost
the average 20 per cent would mean
an assessed valuation for farm lands
of $685., 952,221.
cit is all we'll enuogh to say that
if the state mill levy is reduced from
four to. three, drop Of rs per cent,
and the farmers valuations are in
creased but 20 per cent, he will still
be five per cent better off than be-
fore, but this is overlooking the fact
that the one mill school levy and the
orle-half mill soldiers bounty levy is
assessed against every dollar Of this
valuation, 50 the farmer is actually
paying AS mills on this huge assessed
Valuation Of sSS4,952,221. In other
words, before he even begins to pay
his local and special improvement
taxes, the farmer will have contri-
buted for state and school purposes
alone $3,982,28A. His tax bill for
state and school purposes for this one
year would be twice as great as the
amount levied from all sources for the
states general fund for the last two
years.
eff it is for this that the farmer
has stuck. God save the farmer"
r. III. Emerson Receives Interesting
Letter From Nephew.
The following interesting letter has
I been received by r. II. Emerson from
\ his nephew, George ii. Emerson, who