Daily Inter Mountain

ASSESSMENT
OF RAILROADS
DEER LODGE COMMISSIONERS OBJECT
TO MAIN TRACK MILEAGE BASIS.
ASK THIS COUNTY TO JOIN
IN PROTEST TO STATE BOARD
Sidetracks and Spurs. Not Assessed at
All--Silver Bow Bears Burden
of Taxes.
The board of county commissioners of
Deer Lodge county called on the commis-
sioners of Silver Bow county today and
requested the latter to join it in a protest
to the state board of equalization against
alleged unfairness in the matter of assess-
ing railroad property in this state. The
Deer Lodge delegation stated that the
main lines of railroad companies in Mon-
tana had been assessed at the rate of be-
tween $6,000 and $8,000 per mile, while all
of the side tracks and spurs, which com-
prised greater number of miles than the
main lines, had not been assessed at all.
This they considered unfair, and a dis-
crimination of one class of taxpayers
against another. They said it was their
intention to ask every county board in the
state to join in the petition.
Although no definite understanding in
regard to the position of the board of this
county on the matter was arrived at during
the meeting, Chairman Clark said after-
wards he favored the move.
There is a general objection all along the
line among taxpayers in Silver Bow county
over the action of some of the other coun-
ties of the state in reducing their assessed
valuation in order that the bulk of the
taxes for the maintenance of the state
would fall upon this county. The valua-
tion of property in Silver Bow county has
been increased nearly $10,000,000 within a
year, which taxpayers aver would not be
so bad were it not for the fact that Lewis
and Clarke and other counties have reduced
their valuations, thus throwing almost the
entire burden of support on Silver Bow, the
smallest county in the state.