Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-24
ASSESSMENTS ARE
FOUND TO BE FAIR
tContinued from First Pase.1

fContinued from First Page.1
owner had been offered $4,000 for
it. Investigation showed that the
offer was not cash one but involved
transfers and exchanges of city prop
critics which the owners claimed to
be worth the value of the farm.
Property Owners Heard
During the meeting a number of
property owners in the district were
examined and questioned at length
about valuations of different farm
tracts in the township and in many
instances it was found that by COM
parison with sale prices as furnish
ed by these men, the assessed valu-
alton was high enough.
When the discussion closed and
the commissioners considered what
action should be taken Wells said
he wanted to so over the valuations
of all the properties in the town
ship. although II was shown that
there had been no complaints of in
equalities in any section. In fact
only two appeals for the entire dis
trict were received and when the
commissioners closed the book to-
day the original return of valuations
by Mr.. Cnger totalling about ST.
$4,000 had been changed only 500.
Mr.. Cnger returned a total assess
ed valuation this year for the town
ship of s1,S6l,0l0, or approximate
ly SS5, 900 more than last year when
Sl,s76,115 was fixed as the total as
sessment. Among the property own
ers who We're present during the
meeting were John w. Swart2. Ed
ward G.. Swart2, ii. IL. Hahn. r. +.
Sheesley. Il. IL. Brightbill. John {.
NisSley and Elmer w. Ehler. the lat
ter also appearing as counsel for Mr..
Cnser. in case it would have been
found necessary to go over the en-
tire book.
Return Is $500
NJ. J.. Ludwig, burgess of Pen
brook, and owner of a large farm in
the township. declared that he pur-
chased it for $500 including the
crops valued at about $500. and that
now his assessment is $4,000. He
told the commissioners that he was
positive no farmer in the district,
with the assessments as entered
against them, can make his farm re-
turn more than per cent. on his in
vestment.
Il was offered $4,000 for my
farm Burgess Ludwig continued,
but when investigated found that
the offer meant an exchange of the
farm for a property in the city said
TO be worth that am cunt. but actual
~ only worth $500. The Hetricks
were given similar offer Such in
Hated prices can not be used in maxi
ing valuations. l have been asses
sor for years in that district and ] am
positive that the assessments fixed
by Mr.. Cnger was fair and equit-
able"
Other farmers who were present
nodded in assent and Joined in the
discussion.
Near InlI Value
Mr.. Ludwig was asked about the
assessment of a number of farms
along the State road and in other
parts of the township and in every
instance he said that the valuation
was not too low. one farm assessed
at $500 was purchased for $4,000:
another valued at $4,000 for taxa
ton was hold for 200 and another
sold for $4,000 is assessed at sS,-
500.
Because of the building lot tran
sactions in the township along the
trolley line and paved highway it
was argued that some of the farms
should be increased in value as they
would be worth more than they had
been assessed as farms. Mr.. Lud-
wig declared it would be unfair to
assess on prospective values"
These tracts as Mr.. Unger as
sesses them are farms and are used
for farming. What they NAV he
used for or may bring in the future
cannot enter into the question of
the aSseSsm ents now"
Wells Hears Something
a number OF representative. prop
ert!' owners of the township, prac-
tically all of them owning farms
along the state highway, were pres
ent and said that the HetriclS as
sessment was not too low, some OF
them declaring they would not pay
$4,000 for the tract for farm pur-
poses.
Owners in other sections of the
township have made no complaints
of inequalities valuations, although
Mr.. Cnger has made substantial
increase in the total assessment of
the district.
During the session Wells declared
himself for revising all the valua-
tions in the township and said he
was willing to work as much as nee
essary TO complete the task.
You're the most industrious
man around this office at vast
Ing time" said Commissioners
Sine to Wells. "I can do MS
ms much actual work I'm one day
as Seu would In seven. All the
time that I was away in army
service you blocked the sctivi-
ties Of the office and it was not
until L came back that affairs
could he straiehtened out"
Political Buncombe
1t deVelODed also that Wall, IT,;