personal property and taxed as personal property, but of course the ground values there belong to the railroad and the railroad returns on them as a part of its value.

MR. HANTEN: The railroad doesn't return any value.

MR. GLASS: Theoretically it does. It may not. But if there was a house or elevator built upon the right of way of a railroad, by its leave and permission, the man who put his building there would be taxed on that elevator as personal property, and the railroad would be supposed to pay the taxes on their land in their return.

MR. T. D. FOSTER (Colorado): Improvements on leased ground are treated as real estate in Colorado. Replying to the gentleman from South Dakota, that situation in Colorado would be dealt with by the assessor. In the instances where this occurs in my county, I determine about what I would value that land at if I would lease it to some other person, what it would be worth to me, and I assess the railroad at that amount. Railroads are not supposed to turn in any value to the State Board of Equalization except on such property as is used strictly for railroad purposes. Everything else is assessed by the local county assessor.

MR. J. E. CUSHMAN (Vermont): Answering the gentleman from South Dakota, as far as Vermont is concerned, our legislature in 1908 undertook to deal with that proposition, and we passed a law that all such lands shall be set in the grand list as other property is set. We segregate our sources of revenue in Vermont; railroads and other public utility corporations, and banks, pay state taxes and no local taxes. In this regard the land owned by railroad companies leased for commercial purposes is then set in the grand list. Our statute provided that buildings erected on this land shall be real estate for the purposes of taxation, and shall be assessed to the owner thereof, and if the man who owns the building is the elevator man, then it is taxed to him instead of the railroad, and the ground site is appraised as any other piece of ground in that locality, at what it would sell for.

Suggestions for Program at Next Conference

MR. CORBIN: This meeting is the result of a committee being appointed by the taxing officials and other administrative officers who attended the last Conference. That committee requested the officers of the International Tax Association to provide a place on the program for this session, which they did. I wish to ask whether it would be advisable to continue that committee, or merely to have it understood that the officers of the Association are hereafter, if they feel the time of the Conference has not been wasted here, to provide some place on the program for a similar informal discussion by tax officials.

MR. GEORGE POTTLE (Maine): I think this session this afternoon has been quite as beneficial, and certainly quite as interesting, as any session held during this Conference, and I hope some provision will be made in the next Conference program that one session shall be set apart for just such discussion as has been carried on this afternoon.

PRESIDENT FOOTE: I think it would be very well indeed if the tax commissioners would suggest to those who have to make up the program for the Conference the particular subject or subjects that they would like to have discussed at the next Conference "round table" session, so that you will come prepared to discuss such subjects, and such other matters as may be brought up. Then we can print the list of subjects and invite all the tax officials of the country to come and join in the discussion.

MR. A. C. PLEYDELL: Mr. Foote's suggestion is that a list of topics for discussion, informally, at such a session as this, should be prepared in advance, but no speakers shall be assigned to these topics.

It would be helpful also if, in addition, the tax officials and others send in to the program committee of the Association suggestions for topics and speakers for the regular sessions, so that addresses on such subjects can be arranged for as far as practicable, still leaving one session open for informal discussion.

MR. CORBIN: The result of our deliberations, as a committee, in connection with this meeting, was that the taxing officials are very busy. We tried to get suggestions from

them, but did not get many. We finally decided, as far as our committee went, to have a meeting of this kind so far as we were able, with the assistance of other officials. I would like to nominate Judge Leser as chairman of the committee to arrange for next year's session, in coöperation with the Association, with power to add other members.

(The motion was carried, and the Chair appointed Judge Oscar Leser of Baltimore as a committee of one, for the purpose indicated. The session then adjourned.)

SEVENTH SESSION

THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 1, 1910

CHAIRMAN, HON. Z. W. BLISS, RHODE ISLAND

PROGRAM

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS