The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-09-26
DtM0CRAT|G-M.P.L
HOWL HAS NO BASIS
Survey of Situation Show Publi'
Utilities Bear Proportionate
Tax Burden.

lax 6uI0eh.
A recent editorial published in the
Weiser Signal said:
Surely it is time for the Nonparti-
san League to get control of Idaho
and give the people taste of real tax
reform such as is being given the peo-
pie of North Dakota"
Senator John D. Robertson of Weiss
er rises to remark that after examining
all the evidence in his possession as
tax commissioner that the public utili-
ties in Idaho afe assessed at higher
per cent of value than the average tax
payer in Idaho, in spite of the fact
that the Constitution says "all taxes
shall be uniform"
1918 Board Failed. !.
Failure Of the board of equalization
in 1918 to penalize the Mountain State
Telegraph & Telephone company for
having made false returns may have
precluded the possibility of the present
board of equalization, under the chair
manship of Governor Davis, from pen
alizing now. This is a legal question.
But the 1919 board raised the valuation
of the company from $28 per mile to
$50 per mile.
The Alexander administration
placed valuation of 81 ,840,776 on the
property while the Davis board of
equalization placed the value at $4,000
600. These are the figures that are
now available to answer the walls of
the Democratic Nonpartisan press in
the state.
In recent editorials these papers
have sai' that the agricultural lands
Al IS "A
ments and that utilities are being pro-
tected. On the face of it the charge is
faisehood.
Another item raised by the last
board of equalization was the number
of wire miles which were increased
perceptably.
False Assertions Circulated.
The efforts on the part of opposition
papers to attempt to discredit the
present state administration by crying
that agricultural lands have been
largely increased in assessment while
utilities have been decreased is an at
tempt to bunko the public. A number
of Democratic Nonpartisan papers in
the state have published the misinfor-
nation that the Utah Light & Power
company has been taxed at a very low
figure In Idaho while Utah, which they
claim has less of the comnany's prop
erty within its borders, taxes it at a
much higher rate. The charge of the
hypenated papers is along this line:
"The power trust announces that II
is satisfied with its assessment for this
year. Why not, when it is known that
two-thirds of its property is in Idaho
and one-third in Utah, and yet il is as
sessed for Is million dollars in Utah
and six million, five hundred thousand
dollars in Idaho"
Facts Entirely Different.
This is bold mis-statement and
misinformation cannot be blamed fol-
it but rather it is chargeable to desire
on the part of some of the papers to
mis-state the facts. Here are the
| facts:
An officer of the state of Idaho
visited Utah and while there took ut
the matter with the Utah tax commits
sion. A careful survey made. by the
| Utah tax commission showed that the
value of the property of the Utaf
| Light & Power company was between
$24,000,O00 and SIS 100000 and thai
three-fifths of the system was in Utaf
and two-fifths in Idaho. The board o.
equalization, with Governor Davis sit
| ting as chairman, knowing that Utal
had assessed for $10.500.000. set tn,
Idaho assessment at IS per cent Of
| Sc. 100000. This was a flat raise o
81. 100000 for Idaho, as Coverno
Alexander's administration had set tn,
value at $s,000.000