Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-06-11
NFL ATED GOVERNMENT
VALUATION Is CHARGED
City Owned Bridges Listed as Great
Northern Property and Other
= =s:s Astounding Items.

- oS~AeSSs
Emphatic protest against the ten.
tative value Of the Great Northern
Railway Company's property in Min,
nesota proposed by the Division of
Valuation, Interstate Commerce Com.
mission, has been filed: with that body
by the Minnesota Railroad and Ware.
house Commission. The Government
engineers have fixed value OF 49,
1886, 400 for the Great Northern's ply.
steal plant in the state, covering 21O6
miles Of single track, with buildings
and equipment, but exclusive of lands
and right Of way. The Commission
contends that this figure is excessive
by at least $13, ,O04. >~~-
How or why the Government engin-
GERS ever got so far out of the way is
not easy to understand. An informal
analysis of the valuation report by
the Commissions engineer, Mr.. D. F.
Jurgenson, reveals numerous grave
mistakes, to speak mildly. It is
found that arbitrary percentages and
estimates, having little or no rela.
ton to facts and actual figures, have
been applied in determining values
and that gross errors, seemingly in.
excusable, appear repeatedly through.
out the report.
| Possibly the most startling Of all
the errors is to accredit as Great
Northern Railroad property thirty.
five bridges, built, owned and paid
for by the cities of St. Paul and MINI.
eapolis. This little item alone adds
1918, 153. Other bridges which actually
cost the railroad company $685.. O57,
are listed at 1911, 900, and twenty:
nine railway stations, which cost the
company only $159, 419 are recorded as
being worth $2O1, 407. But those items
are trivial in comparison with such
things as engineering, grading and
track laying, in which the mistakes
foot up to millions. The division OF
valuation appears to have allowed
| $l,147 mile for track laying and sur.
facing. Practical experience in Min.
nesota has demonstrated time and
again that the expense of such work
ranges from $500 to 5000 a mile.
Therefore, the figure of 1891, 900 for
that item should be corrected to read
$1,617,OO0. In the matter of grading,
the division Of valuation allows an
excess of 6,439,211 cubic yards by
manipulation of such dubious items
| as "subsidance" and "shrinkage."
The Commission therefore would cut
$2,261 900 from the grading allowance.
| By the use Of various falacious meth
DDS, the Government engineers have
| figured the allowance for engineering
at $2,765,00O The Commission in
sists that fully $1,752,O00 should be
| cut out.
Another vagary in the valuation is
to allow such generous sum as Sc,
| 344, 249 for "loss of interest" during
construction, while making no decduc-
ton, as an Offset, for revenues during
the hypothetical construction period.
The revenues, according to the Com
mission, would greatly exceed the
imaginary loss of interest.
Thus far the Commission has at.
tackled the valuation report only along
broad and general lines, but is con
WINGED that if more details were avail
| able and careful check was made,
the valuation could be reduced by
another 100000 or $1,000, 900. : It is
hoped by the Minnesota Railroad Com
missioners that the Interstate Com
merce Commission will accord hear
ing on the protest from Minnesota and
an opportunity be given to attack the
valuation with verified facts and
| figures.