The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-01-19

SCISSOR to. attend to II in proper man
,aer and not be calling in the SOCK.
mems secretary and quizzing him
and allowing 1t to be published in
the newspaper and in the official
record and fail to note and to state
that the herds Tin question may have
been taxed fully in some other
county and especially in Bonneville
county where half of the lease lay.
The commissioners said they
could not very we'll change the rec
ord now to show that Farmer said
that half or part Of the lease lay
in Bonneville cOuntu, but they might
make an additional record to say
that Farmer said that stockmen
usually paid grazing fees on about
as many animals as they had or ex-
pected to have and that sometimes
they actually grazed a great deal
less than they paid on. They be-
lieved it was due to them and to
Mr.. Farmer to have the record say
that, and they believed that Mr.
Trego was willing to cover that over
sight fully in his report Of this meet
ing. The commissioners did not con-
slider Farmers testimony absolute
nor final; it was merely a step in
getting at the real facts and Trego
just happened to walk in and hear
a section of the testimony lasting
until his dinner time, and, of course,
he reported it as tax article, and
told in the article how he came to
get the items that made up the
article.
Somebody at Fault
There was one thing, the commits
sioners said, that was rather signifl-
cant: They had called in the range
rider, Mr.. D. w. Tolmie, who rode
the range in 1921, and had required
him to testify, and he had given
them information as to the actual
number Of animals on the range and
1t indicated that the assessment had
not been made as it should be. They
were willing to grant that this was
not the stockmen's fault, but the
:stockmen must remember that 1t !
was the duty Of the commissioners
to protect the county's interests and
seek out all the. means of getting |
information and calling In Farmer
and Tolmie was a part of that kind !
Of ehort. The stockmen were a part |
Of the citizenship Of the county and |
they ought to be fair in the matter
and not seek to block the efforts to |
learn the truth.
Mr.. Hansen replied that they were
not criticising the commissioners nor
anybody else who makes an effort
to get the tax burden adjusted, and |
that all they wanted was fair treat
ment and an honest effort to do
them justice. He said that in view
of the leased lands being half in
Bonneville county and part of the
stock grazing in Caribou county, Mr..
Trego's newspaper statements and
the ideas. based on them should be
cut down to about one-third before
they would correctly represent what
the assessor, would be justified in
placing on the, records. Atg II
The commissioners stated that the
assessors from Bingham and Bon
neville county had compared their
assessments Of herds mixing back
and forth between the counties for
1921, and had found that Bonneville
assessed about $4,000, worth of
stock from Bingham county, found
in Bonneville, and Bingham county
had only about 100000 worth of
Bonneville stock that, had come over
the line, and the Bonneville man
had offered to let one offset the
other 1t would save. a great deal of
work. and bookkeeping, and would II
not make an actual collection of II
very much MONEY. While accepting
this settlement, the commissioners
Of Bingham county do not feel that
Bonneville county has given us any
thing, because they are satisfied that
the Bonneville assessor had been
more active and persistent in going
after the herds and getting them
on the books, and they wish it under
stood that they believe the stock
Is there ready to be assessed if our
county assessor was as active as the
other one.
Mr.. Hansen said that he was so
sure that Ethel Elsmore and her
father and brothers have not as
much stock as has been represented,
nat II the commissioners and Mr..
rrego would take a trip to Gentle
'alley and go right to their feeding
grounds now they would find all |
heir stock there and could count
hem, and he,r Hansen, would nav
heir expenses of the trip if they
hose to 60. .r
Commissioner Williams said he
lid not think the board wanted to
10 that, but he was satisfied that
hey are arriving at sufficiently
GOD understanding of the situation
nat they will be able to direct the
assessor as to how to do Justice to
his matter in 1922.
-.S.-
Oenfisfe Fv+..cx