E EL MI TP HI
rom 3547
INfimtaJ
BULK IATC
U. S. POSTACC
PAID
Ptrmlt No. 2
CHILOQUIN, OREGON
VOL. 4 NO. 4
KLAMATH INFORMATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
CLAYTON CHOCKTOOT TAKES AUTO TECH.,
Q IS SPORTS EDITOR FOR SCHOOL PAPER
APRIL 1959
j 1
"" z4 9 (
P X '
County Decides Against Appraisal
Of Remaining Area This Year;
Accuracy of Old Appraisal Disputed
O
"I've learned a lot more than
I knew before I came here." says
Clayton Chocktoot about OTI and
his auto technology course.
Most of what "I knew before 1
came here" Clayton acquired at
Klamath Falls grade schools and
KUHS. At OTI, where he started
last September, he has been ab
sorbing concentrated information
on such phases as transmissions,
brakes, front-end alignment, rear
ends, clutches, and welding. The
latter subject, consisting of both
arc and gas, Clayton regards as
the toughest not highly tech
nical but hard to concentrate on.
Clayton says the course is based
on "what the automotive field is
they train you in everything in
repairing automobiles. When fin
ished you're qualified to go out
and find out what's wrong with
a car atd fix it".
Clayton wants to do just that'
once through with school. He fig
ures on 3 full years of traiuing
first, however, including a final
year of advanced work in auto
matic transmissions. He plans 3
or 4 years of on-the-job experi
ence and then with the "money
from termination I'll get a shop
of some sort just where it will
be I don't know".
Clayton regards OTI as a
"darn good school", a place where,
if you take a course, "that's what
you study instead of a lot of other
stuff that doesn't pertain to it,
like history".
A full-time activity for Clayton
is bciiu. sports editor for the
school paper. The Miler. This is
a bi-weekly to which he has had
his editorship since the beginning
of winter term. Before that, he
served as a reporter. He covers
all home events, consisting this
term of track and baseball, and
also writes sports editorials.
Not admitting to much back
ground in writing, he declares
that wife I'cggy (a previous co
editor) has given him a lot of
help.
"I didn't think I'd like it but
it's a lot of fun." he sizes his pap
erwork up. "I'll probably be on
it again next year."
Concerning termination: "I
don't really understand it. They
can't seem to come to a definite
point."
He advices that he hasn't been
taking in too many of the meet
ings: "I've heard they weren't
getting any place just argued."
As a withdrawce, Clayton owns
that his main interest is in the
cash settlement: "Otherwise I
wouldn't have anv capital to start
off with." '
As a minor, Clayton is under
trust and gladly: "If I'd had all
(Continued Page 2, Col. 4)
In a meeting of Friday, April
24, the Klamath County Court de
cided against a county-conducted
appraisal of the remaining mem
bers' management area for the
present year. The decision was
reached to put the area on the
tax rolls on the basis of the ap
praisal made for the federal gov't,
under the termination law. The
management area, transferred
early in March from federal gov't,
trusteeship to that of the U. S.
Xat'l Hank, will go on the tax
rolls for the 1960 fiscal year and
must have an appraised value.
Bringing matters to a focus
was the inclusion by County As
sessor I lap Caldwell in his budget
request for the 10 fiscal year-of
a $24, (XX) item for appraisal pur
poses. Such funds, as well as ad
ditional the following year, would
be matched by the State Tax
Commission which by law shares
timber appraisal expenses with
counties.
Meeting with the County Bud
get Board and representatives of
the State Tax Commission it was
decided that the best policy was
to defer any such appraisal made
by the County. Others present
and in concert with the decision
included Tom Watters, former
mgt. specialist, liar I Wilcox of
the tribal land sales office and
'Forrest Cooper, Lake view at
torney. An important reason cited for
the deferral was the fact that the
remaining members will vote at
the end of a 5-year period on
whether they want to continue
the management plan or sell their
holdings. If the latter, the Dept.
of Agriculture has the right of
first refusal. Should they acquire
the property it would become na
tional forest and not subject to
county property taxes. Should
someone else acquire the prop
erty it would have to be reap
praised anyway.
The appraisal used as a basis
for taxation in the I'M) fiscal
year will be that done by West
ern Timber Services for the man
agement specialists as modified
by three separate reviews under
taken last fall. These reviews
were averaged to get the final ap
praisal figure. Regarding its ac
curacy Karl Wilcox stated it
was statistically accurate to with
in 5r. lie advocated acceptance
of the figures, with an adjust
ment for growth, and suggested
a county appraisal later when the
time and money are available.
However, disagreement was
voiced by Buzz Wagner, forester
hired jointly by Klamath and
Lake Counties and the State Tax
Commission. He did not feel the
appraisal-was "a good cruise" nor
a good cruise for county taxation
purposes.
Commenting later on the ac
curacy of the appraisal and its
suitability for tax purposes, Wil
cox stated: "The cruising for the
appraisal of the reservation was
done by parcels of property the
size of economic units 'as re
quired by law'. The cruises that
serve as the basis for the ap
praisal were dne to the required
accuracies of entire units. We did
not get an accurate measurement
of timber volumes on individual
sections that comprise each unit.
The foresters working for the
State Tax Commission would like
to have their cruise information
accurate for subdivisions of sec
tions. They cruise iv a manner
that will give that accuracy by
sections or less. Accordingly Buzz
Wagner felt that the cruise which
was used for the division of res
ervation property wasn't accurate
for tax assessment purpose.
However, for the whole units the
appraisal was well within the 5'J
accuracy range."