The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-07-28
Jenkins, Bills, Millick, Eccles Hotel and Others to
Shine in Limelight in Determining How
Equalize Inequalities in Tax
Apportionment
OF TAXES ATTENDED
WITH DIFFICULTIE AND CANS
Silks for the Starving-Destitute Woman Invests
$24.5O for Fancy Dress and Shoes and
so Cents for Necessities

| complaint of F. M. Fisher. Fisher
had made comparison and said that
his own was too high or Browns
was too low. Browns house was
considered and Mr.. Bills raised it
from $4,000 to $1,000. There was
nothing personal there either. They
decided to reduce Jenkins from
$4,000 to $4,000, and asked him If
that would be all right. He replied
that it would not, and that he was
going to follow it up till he got JUS
tice. He thought that values should
be equalized nearer than that.
Assessor Malcolm Speaks
Assessor Malcolm said it was i'm
possible to analyze and compare ev-
erybody's values, and that whenev-
er anyone tried it, they got into so
many complications there was no
end to it. All they could hope to
do was to correct the most glaring
inequalities Under the law the as
SCISSOR makes affidavit that he will
assess everything at its cash value
and the real basis adopted long ago
and followed and accepted by, GUS
tom is SO per cent of its true val
ue. Every assessor in the state vio-
lates his oath Of office in following
that custom, and when efforts had
been made to put it back on the cash
value basis it resulted in failure.
Nobody ever found solution for all
the problems arising in assessing
property. Mr.. Bills home cost less
than others that were just built late
ly, but he does not get any more out
of it. 1t is just a residence, that's
all, and the man that built early
when prices were low was probably
entitled to the benefit of the cir
cumstance of building during low
market.
Once Was Enough
Commissioner Christensen said
that if anybody thought he could
revise the values and get at any
satisfactory rating he was very much
mistaken He said that E. M. Ken
nedy tried that when he was on the
board, and he got into such a whirl-
wind and commotion that he was
sick of it. Mr.. Kennedy never tried
to revise assessments again except
where he just had to.
The Johnston Addition
Mr. Jenkins raised question
about lots down in Johnston's ad-
dition, and said they were unequal
there They looked it up and found
that Peter G.. Johnston and D. A.
Jenkins owned lots 1 to 19 inclusive,
assessed at $500, or about $36 lot,
and James D. Johnston owned three
lots better situated, but near by, and
these were assessed $133.33 a lot.
Jenkins said he had no complaint
there.
Eccles Hotel Company
George Anderson, representing the
Eccles Hotel company, said that
their seven and four-fifths lots were
assessed in the past four years at
$4,000, $4,000, $1S,7Oo, and $751;
500, and they had had no objection
to the advances because the lots
were worth more each year.
The improvements were listed for
the same years at 5000, $4,000,
100000 and $37,000, respectively.
They thought that was too high for
the present year, raise of 35 per
cent from last year The reporter
offered correction, saying it was
an advance of only 25 per cent in the
year.
The furniture and fixtures for the
past three years were assessed
$4,000, $500 and $4500. They
claimed that the furniture was de-
preciating instead of increasing in e.
value and that next year they would
have to begin replacing it. 1t was
unjust to advance the assessment SO
per cent when it was depreciating SO
much. The board agreed that there
was chance that it was wrong, but
Mr.. Bills said that so far as the
buildings were concerned, they had
raised the rents Of the garage 40 per
cent and Mr.. Anderson admitted
that the rent of the bank had raised
20 per cent, but still that was not
so much of raise as others had
made, and the raise in rents was
made to meet the rising costs of OPP
GRAFTON and not because the buildings
were worth more or because it would
cost more to replace them. The in
vestment was already fixed by costs
at the time of erection, but operating
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