Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-09-25

7 ms action of the board was the re
suit Of Il split between the members, i
Wnlch Attorney General ". D. Ranki
and State Auditor George P. Porte
| took one side and Governor Joseph NJ
| Dlxon and Secretary Of State c. I
stewart took the oppHite side. Stat
treasurer }. W. Walker being absent
The matter came up first on tn
| matter Of the assessment of thes
rights In Musselshell county, Mr.. Ran
kin moving that they be assessed at s:
per acre. His vote and that of Mr.
Porter were cast in support of the mo
tIon, while the governor and Mr.. Stew
art voted no. This leaves the assess
ment stand at $40 per acre as returned
by the county assessor. from which al
appeal had been taken by the Northern
Pacific. -
so Cents in Most Places.
"A similar vote was recorded upon the
motion Of MIR. Rankin that the North
ern Pacific company's reserved rights
in all counties of the state be assessed
at 80 per acre. This leaves the assess
ment stand in Rosebud county at So. ir
Falion at 81, and in most of the other
counties of the state at 80 cents, the
latter figure having been so returned
by the railway company.
A similar decision was reached
through e. tie vote when Mr.. Rankin
moved to grant the appeal Of the West
wood Land and Livestock Co. from the
assessment upon it's lands in Cascade
county, Rankin and Porter voting to
sustain the appeal and Dixon and Stew
art voting no. The governor accord
ingly declared the appeal lost.
The forenoon session of the board
was crowded with animated arguments,
Mr.. Ranking being very much on the
aggressive and frequently engaging in
heated discussions with Governor Dix
on and also with County Attorney
Bourqun of Silver Bow. and with John
Simpson, who had been employed by
the commissioners Of Silver Bow coun-
ty to uncover alleged unassessed prop
erty, for which service he is to receive
commission of 20 per cent of the
total of the taxes thus produced.
Holds Contract Illegal.
Mr.. Rankin held that the contract
was Illegal. while Mr.. Simpson de-
Tended the contract and sought to show
that he had brought to light much
property that had not been assessed
by the county assessor.
The two Silver Bow men presented
before the board the matters of assess
ment Of the switchboard and telephones
OF the Mountain States Telephone and
Telegraph Co. in Silver Bow county.
and the assessment of the Butte
Water Co. The assessment of the
water company was not before the
board on formal appeal but it was
brought up by Mr.. Bourquin at the
request of the board after he had re-
ferred to it in his arguments in an
other case as matter of ineauitable
assessment
He presented figures obtained from
the office of the Montana public
service commission in an effort to
sho" that whereas the company listed
it's assets at $1O,332. 900 and placed
the value of its property for rate max
ing purposes at $T,257 $50. it had re-
turned the value Of its property for
taxation at only $3.23O,OOO. The board
decision.
Want Bigger Share.
In the mateer Of the telephone com
oany, Messrs. Bourquin and Simpson
aeld that the switchboard and tele-
phones constituted property properly
assessable in Silver Bow county and
.laimed that it was an injustice to
he county to have this included in
he assessment for the entire system
~ which other counties, in which the
revenue of the company was very
mall, should receive the same propor-
ion OF taxes on mileage basis as
hat obtained by Silver Bow in which
he company earned the big share of
Is income.
That the Butte Street Railway Co. |
las not paid a dividend in over Is |
ears. has not paid interest on it's
SOC, 900 bonds in three years and that |
t can he bought for $1,O0O.OOO, or
bout $JOO,OOO less than 1t is assessed |
t, was made known to the board by
Is attorney, Fred ]. FMrman, in an
ppeal from an increase made BY the
'ilver Bow county board of equaliza-
ion. The company had returned for
axation a valuation Of $1.417, 900.
'hich was raised to $1.511 600. The
ompany took an appeal from this in
rease and also asked that the ASSESS
,ent of $46,OOO for its franchise be
educed on the claim that it had no
loney value. This matter was like
Use taken under advisement.
Mining Cases Heard. |
The returns OF the Butte & Superior
lining Co., upon it's net proceeds.
hich had been held up by the board.
revoked a long and interesting hear
3 Friday night which presented some
teresting questions. The Butte &
lperior. and the Clark interests were
presented by counsel and officials
the hearing which resulted In a post
Of decision. Il
In this case the Butte & Superior
'ught to deduct from it's net proceeds
r the past year 81, 166. .245, on the.
'ounds that jt was credit to which Fl
Continued on PaEe TwoJ