Bisbee daily review., 1922-07-28
James 5. Douglas Urges State Tax Commission To Help Prosperity's
 Return By Reducing Valuations

Urging the state to use the same good judgment that the state expects individuals and corporations to use, James s. Douglas, of Douglas, yester- day appeared before the state tax con ference and suggested that sweeping reductions be made in the valuation on practically every class of property in the state. He also protested against the plan of the tax commission to change the method of placing valua- tions on producing mines.
 Douglas said, in part:
 "I am disappointed to find today that the supervisors of the various counties in the state and the tax commission have fixed a value that is only ten per cent less for 1922 than it was for 1921, because 1 do not think that represents the true value of prop erty in the state. l think that the value of the property of the state as decided upon up to the present time i by your honorable body is wrong. l don't believe it is a true value. l don't believe it is the actual value as 1 intended by law for assessment pur. poses Of course, the question or what actual value" is and what true value is is a matter for discussion and is the matter which you gentle men have been spending your time on i for the past week and the board fol ] the entire year. I believe it is an in 1 Hated valuation for a state in the | position in which we are now in, and | especially delays the return of pros | perity to our industries. I say "the ! I m
 with the exception of one or two in ! dustries in the state, we can hardly
 any of us, claim prosperity.
 Says Method Is Wrong
 "I am frank to say that this condi l ton primarily is blamable on the min ing corporations of the state. It Ii I blamable on the mining corporations because the mining corporations didn
 have the courage at the time that al ! illogical and unwise method of taxa
 tion was decided upon by the tax com mission of the state, to fight the same \ Our present governor, Thomas E
 Campbell, was the chairman of thu
 state tax commission at the time. H'
 takes great pride in the fact-and eX pressed himself so at Nogales las year-that he was the father of-an' in this he was supported by MI ZaIder, former member of the ta,
 commission-tha he was the fathe
 of the present system of arriving a
 the vaule of mines, a system whic
 the mining companies and their mana Il gers and attorneys knew would lea
 us into trouble.
 "As the fat years came on, 191t 1917, and 1918, they had more reaso
 to object to the method, but they wer making great profits and the countr
 in general was in the same class, an the effect of that unwise method lea
 to an increase in value for assessmen purposes, for taxation purposes on al
 classes of property in the state.
 There are one or two exceptions a to the industries in the state. Tn ruling exception is the railroads whic have not been assessed high enoug as compared with other property, an
 the other possible exception at tn
 present time is the sheep industr
 which has probably recovered wonde fully during the last twelve months No doubt the cattle industry will b the next great industry in our state t
 recover! because people eat beef an
 they use leather for shoes, and tn
 effect on the cattle industry will com