Rowley v. Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co.

Supreme Court

Rowley v. Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co.

293 U.S. 102, 55 S. Ct. 55, 79 L. Ed. 222, 1934 U.S. LEXIS 8

Supreme Court of the United States·Decided December 3, 1934·No. 9·Published·Cited by 79 cases

Opinion

Mr. Justice Butler

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This suit was brought in the district court for Wyoming by the company against the treasurers of four counties to enjoin collection of a part of the taxes for 1931 levied upon its railroad property therein. The laws of that State required all taxable property to be assessed on the basis of its actual value. See State Constitution, Art. XV, § 11. Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1931, §§ 115— 119, 115-511, 115-1804. The complaint rests upon the *104 claim that for a number of years, including the one here involved, the State acting through its board of equalization and other taxing authorities systematically and intentionally discriminated against respondent’s railroad and in favor of all other property, in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, in that it regularly taxed the railroad at about 133%% while taxing all other property at about 60% of actual value. Respondent tendered and paid to the treasurer of each county the amount it claimed would have been levied against it if all taxable property had been assessed upon the same basis of valuation. The total claimed by the four counties was $168,606.12; respondent paid $101,163.67, leaving in controversy $67,442.45.

Petitioners’ answer denied discrimination. There was a trial at which much evidence was introduced. The district court upon specific findings of fact concluded that respondent’s railroad property in Wyoming had been substantially and arbitrarily overvalued. It found that, with exceptions that are here immaterial, all other property had been assessed ,at its actual value. It entered a decree requiring respondent to pay additional taxes amounting in all to $33,519.46 and enjoining collection of any part of the balance.

Petitioners seek reversal upon the ground that respondent failed to exhaust an administrative remedy open to it by appeal from the determination of the state board of equalization to the district court under § 115-512, Wyoming Compiled Statutes, 1931. They also maintain that under § 115-311 respondent had an adequate remedy at law and therefore was not entitled to relief in equity. These contentions depend upon serious questions of Wyoming law which have not been decided by its highest court. This court is reluctant, in advance of decision thereon by the state courts of last resort, to construe state *105 statutes of doubtful meaning or to decide other questions of state law as to which there may be substantial controversy.

In this case it is not necessary, for, upon an analysis of the grounds of the decision below, it is clear that respondent was not entitled to an injunction. Respondent does not challenge the finding that other property was assessed at actual value, and so there remains only the claim that its railroad was intentionally and arbitrarily overvalued by about 33%%.

The company had 278.35 miles of main line track in Wyoming and that constituted 3.29% of the main line track included in its system extending into nine States. Neither it nor the board dealt with that in Wyoming as a separate line; both appraised it as a part of the system. They took the value of the whole, attributed to Wyoming a portion and divided it among the four counties. The only matter in controversy is the amount to be assigned to that State.

To ascertain system value, respondent made calculations based on a five year period ending with 1930. It found the average market value of its stocks and bonds, deducted non-operating property locally taxed, added the remainder ($385,800,085) to an amount produced by capitalizing at 6% average net operating income ($364,-771,720). The sum divided by two produced $375,285,-902 which the board accepted for the purposes of its calculation, though one of its members testified “ there are certain flaws in it.”

To ascertain the value to be taxed in Wyoming respondent found for each year and also the average for the five-year period the percentages that Wyoming traffic units (ton miles and passenger miles) bore to the system total, the corresponding relation of use of rolling stock (car miles and engine miles) and of gross operating rev *106 enues, and by the calculations printed in the margin,1 arrived at $5,849,570.

In pursuance of § 115-1803, respondent filed a return showing “ grand total valuation $8,281,950.” It attached a statement which includes the following:

“ The valuations shown in this return are based upon the estimated cost of reproduction new of the physical properties . . . less depreciation, and without further *107 reference to the market value of such properties, or . . . of the stocks and bonds ... or the present earnings ... or the present or future earning capacity or possibilities of such properties. It is claimed that the valuations stated in this return do not represent the fair cash value of the property for purposes of taxation. The value as to the system .. . and as to the part in . . . Wyoming is clearly and fairly set [forth] by the figures contained in the exhibits attached to this return . . . and which . . . show that the total true value . . . in . . . Wyoming, or properly allocated to the State does not exceed $5,849,570.”

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