Show how flow progressives equalize vu alize assessments assels t S the tile editor of tho the news wonders if the average small taxpayers sm small all business bu iines men professional man laborer laborers and farmers realize what a wonderful thing tho the county commissioners have done in raising the valuation of acres of land in carbon county from two dollars and fifty cents per acre to one thousand dollars per acre of course any eighth grade school boy can take pencil and paper and figure figura out the tile difference in dollars and cents but do the people realize what amount of nerve and backbone was required by commissioners benton randolph joo joe sharp and bill hamilton in up setting traditions and precedent by saying to the officers of the mining companies this much you shall pay became you owe it to the county that gives your property protection pi tion benton randolph chairman of the board is au att employed of the independent coald coal fc coke company one of the corporations raised joe sharp is in the employ of the consolidated fuel company as ranch superintendent and W T hamilton the third commissioner is a conductor in the employ of the denver rio grande which is heavily in th the utah fuel company every one of the commissioners took his job in his hands when he lie decided to ask the mining companies companie 3 to pay a holvier he avier share of the county taxes even thou though b the tax is just and proper and the commissioners knew they were taking chances on their jobs but they feel as one of them tut it to the writer that they have taken j an oath to look after the public wel fare and und enforce the I 1 aws alws as they i find them their interpretation of i the laws on taxation convinced them that the raining mining companies should not have grazing land valuations placed on tracts of land holding as many miny as fifteen cottages to the acre and in some sonie instances being the sitio of buildings costing thousands of dollars dollard they figured thattie that the hirning capacity of some of these slightly taxed acres was higher than many acres in other towns taxed at 1200 to per acre and feeling t that way about the matter the they y notified the mining companies that they would like to discuss the ques tion ton with some representatives es of each company two weeks ago representatives of practically all the tie companies concerned met with the commissioners and talked the matter over at that time most of the representatives admitted that 2 50 per acre was not enough on oi which to pay taxes but they balked at 1000 pe aare however but one company talked fight when the commissioner commissioners finally announced that they had decided on 1000 per acre valuation for building sites in the camps at a meeting held on june lath the board passed a resolution fixing the valuation on these building sites a at 4 the figure named and the clerk was instructed to notify the owners that on june the board would listen linten to any objections that might be offered on the day fixed one company objected but mado made such a poor showing that the commissioners did not feel justified in changing their plaus and the valuation of 1000 per acre on building sites in mining camps regardless of the ownership stands unless upset by the courts not all of this land is owned by cor po rations but the commissioner commissioners have hake made no distinction betwee ii land owned by individuals or corporations the descriptions are too for publication but the property in question is located as follows sun nisida acres kenilworth kenil worth 40 panther 20 castle gate GO 60 storrs St orra 20 hiawatha 40 alack hawk 40 winker winter quarters CO 60 clear creek 60 scofield 40 for years and ears ever since mining became an n industry in carbon county this land laud although buted u d for building site has been taxed as grazing land at 2 50 per acre while john smith and bill jones and pete gin who owned little lots in the incorporated towns have been paying at the rate of 1200 per acre 0 or r valuation on a quarter acre many of these people have objected for bears ears but until this acar a without avail it I 1 took look the present county commissioners a year to get their bearings find out what the law permitted them to do and to decide what was just to all concerned once Onee having decided that the law permitted them to assess building bites in mining camps at what they were worth the commissioners decided to do their duty as sworn county officials the coal camps mentioned above have a total population in the neigh boyhood of souls and in these camps on 2 50 per acre land has been conducted the commercial liquor and rental business of these people the mines and rail loads pay out in wages about per month which gives some idea of ot the amount of business done in the camps confined almost exclusively to ground owned by f the he mining companies who tolerate no competition all ail this mind you on acres of land that has been valued by the assessor at 2 50 per acre which netted carbon county about 7 on a five mill levy last year if this 1 aind had been in price helper or wellington it would have brought in four hundred times that amount in taxes it isa is a question with the newmas news as to who is entitled to the most credit the county commissioners for not being afraid to do their duty or those representatives of the coal companies who having been shown where they were escaping their share of taxation calmly consented to the increase let us hope at least that no bitter bitterness noss will follow the determination of the commissioners to equalize tho burdens of taxation the acs believes the mining companies will continue to dig coal pay dividends and prosper it is related to the news by a little dicky bird that one coal company representative stated to a friend that bis his company had gkent sent thousands of dollars annually annu illy to retain the good will of the people of carbon county but he was inclined to believe that the money had heretofore been sent into wrong channels for thee the e was no good will in sight for his part he was willing to pay that money into the county treasury in in the shape of taxes to see if the good will might not come the news believes this man is on the tho right track and that the experiment might be adopted with profit by all corporations IL you want to buy good will gentlemen buy it of the people wb who 0 have it not of a bunch of self styled public guardians commissioners sharp and hamilton are progressives and were elected in the fall of 1912 the former lor four years and the latter for two chairman randolph was elected four years ago on the democratic ticket and has always been a peca peopled les man |