Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-07

of $4,000 of the money of the
taxpayers of this County. Let
me ask the people of the Coun-
ty to decide for themselves
whom they believe to be
"bluffing," Mr.. Davies or the
coal company.
If the Editor is yet of the
opinion that the offer of sale
is not made in all sincerity,
permit me to make another
suggestion. The Penn-Harris
Hotel in this city was erected
and financed by local capital
and at a cost of approximately
one and one-half million dol
lars, and, in view of this fact,
the amount involved in the
purchase of this property
might very easily be handled
and financed by local capital.
If Davies, the expert. COM
mands such unbounded conf
dence, the Chamber of Com
merCe might be willing to take
this up, for here, we are told
by him, there is an actual cash
value of eighty dollars for
every dollar to be invested
to say nothing about the enor-
NOUS profits that will be
earned from the operation of
these so-called valuable coal
deposits.
Another surprising state
ment contained in this editor
ial reads as follows: lone of
the coal companies (Susque-
hanna Collieries) says it's hold
ings are worth less than two
millions of dollars, although
it confesses to a pay roll each
wear amounting to more than
two million two hundred and
twenty-five thousand dollars.
There is such a variance here
and such an absurd difference
between the company Valua-
tions and annual revenue, that
the Commissioners should ac-
cept the estimates of their
own disinterested experts and
let the matter be threshed out
in the Courts, if the Compa-
MES continue to object" Abb
surd differences between the
Company valuations and annu-
al revenues, indeed! Since
when has a pay roll become a
source of revenue to the Com
pany? If our own expenses
were to be treated as revenues,
every mothers son of us in q
very short time, [ submit,
would become most nauseat-
ingly wealthy. What proper
ton do you suppose the pay
Company in this County bears
to it's assessed value?
The Commissioners are also
requested to accept the esti-
mates of their 'disinterested
experts" and, if the companies
object, to let them fight it
out in court" Surely the edi-
tor cannot and does not mean
what he says. 1 am willing to
concede that this expert is just
about as "disinterested" as the
most capricious person could
possibly desire him to be.
About six months ago I in
formed the County Commits
sioners that the company
would be very glad to open its
books, it's records, its maps
and it's mines, for inspection in
order that a fair and just valu-
alton might be placed upon it's
property, and that they were
welcome to go over the prop
erty and into the mines.
have no doubt they so in
formed and advised their ex-
pert. But he has not seen fit
to do so. The acreage and the
tracts are well defined on the
ground, yet he has not seen fit
to make a physical examina-
ton of the property and re-
turns an acreage far in eX-
cess of that to which the COM
pany has. ever claimed title. Its
books, and the books and rec
ords of the mine inspector of
this district, were at all times
open to him for inspection,
where he could have easily
learned how much coal was
mined, and how much waS be-
lieved to remain unmined, but
he has not done so, and has
returned tracts of land which
do not now, nor at any time
did have, a pound of coal be-
meath their surface, as con-
tanning millions of dollars
worth of coal, and has advised
the assessment of property
which is now advertised for