396 RURAL NEW YORK 



liquor licenses, the series of general and special cor- 

 poration taxes and a number of miscellaneous items, 

 largest among which are the stock transfer tax, mort- 

 gage tax and motor vehicle tax. There is no per- 

 sonal property tax. 



There is but one assessment roll for property. For 

 revenue purposes the assessment is supposed to be at 

 the full value, by which is meant the amount of 

 money the property would sell for at a fair, free and 

 well advertised sale. As a matter of fact, this is not 

 the case, and in 1912 the assessed value of all real 

 property was estimated to be approximately two- 

 thirds of the true value. With respect to farm lands, 

 the rule generally holds that the better the land the 

 lower is the assessment relative to the actual selling 

 value of the land, and the poorer the land the higher 

 is the assessed value. Probably, this condition is due 

 to the general lag of one value in following the other. 

 Farmers in the more remote and poorer regions 

 where sales are slow often report that land is as- 

 sessed for more than it would bring at a public 

 sale. 



The average value of farm land including buildings 

 as determined by the census of 1909 ranged from 

 less than $10 in thirty-four counties, embracing all 

 the higher and poorer parts of the State, to more 

 than $125 near New York City, and $60 to $100 for 

 the land adjacent to the larger cities and embracing, 

 in the main, the lower lying valley and plains lands, 

 the average being made by counties. From a study 

 of the assessed value of townships that are known to 



