Skinner—Appraisal of Railroad Property. 811 
in their respective localities, and the average of these opinions 
and that of the appraiser were taken into consideration in 
making up a final estimate of value. 
In the counties of Waukesha, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, 
Waupaca, Portage, Wood and Pricey which best represent the 
most valuable right of way of the company, the most compe¬ 
tent men obtainable in each locality were hired and sent out 
with instructions to make a personal canvass from farm to farm 
and lot to lot abutting the company’s right of way. These 
agents first asked the owner of adjoining property what price 
he would be willing to pay for the right of way in its natural 
state, then what price he would be willing to place upon his 
own property exclusive of improvements, and finally the price 
at which he would sell a strip of land through his holding for 
railway purposes. The appraiser was required to give his opin¬ 
ion of the average valuation of the adjacent property for the 
preceding five years without improvements. In addition to 
all these items, the assessed valuation of the property for the 
last preceding assessment was noted on the blank furnished the 
appraiser. The appraiser’s valuation for the five-year period, 
increased by amounts varying with the different localities, but 
on the whole less than the percentage determined by the engi¬ 
neer of the state board, was taken as the value of land for right 
of way purposes. 16 
Methods similar to the above were employed by other roads, 
though none of them carried out the work with such detail as 
that employed by the Wisconsin Central company in the coun¬ 
ties mentioned above. Several of the roads, notably the Chicago 
and Northwestern, refused to recognize the principle of an 
added increment for right of way purposes, and consequently 
their figures represent what has been called the ordinary 
value. Others adopted the principle, but allowed the applica¬ 
tion of it to depend upon the character of the land and the 
16 I am indebted to Mr. George A. Kingsley, tax commissioner for the 
Wisconsin Central Railway, under whose immediate supervision the 
valuation for his company was made, for a detailed statement of the 
methods employed. 
50—S. & A. 
