The Alaskan., 1928-08-17

the control or man who has no in- terest in any property or business ip Petersburg.
 There was plenty of evidence that the present assessment was copied to 3 large extent from previous tax rolls. In few cases a little was add- | ed to previous assessment while in the great majority of cases assess ment remained the same.
 We have maintained that the city can secure the services of a high school kid to copy the assessment roIi and present same to the Board of Equalization fer it's consideration It would probably be a saving of hundred dollars to do so Under the present system, The Alaskan will urge. that in the future the Counci! oleet said school kid to copy the rol and present same to the Board. l~ would be just as justifabIe as for any other person so to do. This matter of taxing property is one requiring considerable tech aical knowledge of real estate and its values, taxation and it's various principles and principals. It is ore which under the laws of the Ter 1 .ory must be applied equally and
 justly without favor to one tax payer
 over another Any such action lays
 the city open to law suits and
 he ignoring of taxes The Alaskan
 has maintained that assessments
 heretofore and at present are not
 based properly.
 Section 59, Article 10 of the L&v,
 of Alaska, 1923, provide that 'oil assessments shall be equal and ufi- form and based upon the ACTUAL VALUE OF THE PROPERTY Az
 SESSED, and prior to fixing the raros
 of levy said council shall sit and
 publicly equalize the valuation of the Iprope1 ty assessed
 l During the session mentioned we listened to comparative values 0l properties, on front street with all it's traffic and improvements and prop Ie1ty in the hills surrounded by the
 woods, without streets, water or any !other civic improvement. In pro- Iportion the back hills properties ir Isome instances, because of a li5' ( thew paint, are paying higher rates
 than more valuable properties ou Iffont street In proportion to values, we assert. The difference in the as Isessment were so plain that it caused in some instances the caustic com !ments of citizens present at the meeting.
 !: Time To Quit Kidding Ourselves
 The growth of Petersburg has icone to such a state that it is t!"e
 that it's council and citizens quit kid ding themselves by this amateurish
 method of collecting it's revenues from properties It is high time that 1 the services of one who has had tie training and experience be put in charge of the matter who will pro Lceed to make assessment without r2- gard to this, or that clique, clan, | interest or whatnOt KetchilIal, l lWrangell and Juneau have seen the l Ilignt of day and secured the services Of men who put assessment on such ] a basis that there is no criticism made Of the manner and method nov lin vogue. Just recently Jun 9&u borrowed J. E. Johnson for this worl1 and he made a thorough job and ii there has been any objection or kick as to his methods, we have yet 10 hear of it. Petersburg has grown up considerably and it is time that 1t betook unto itself grown up methods. One lawsuit in court is enough toI have given a lesson. A second one is ineXcusable.
 The Alaskan will ever urge the ar- pointment of J. E. Johnson or any other person so qualified by his train ing to be hired by the city. It is quite possible that because of the hiring of such person, the burden of tax ation might be more equitable equal |