The Valuation of Public Service Corporation Property: Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers,; vol. LXXII, June, 1911, ASCE 1190Riggs, Henry Earle
General
The Valuation of Public Service Corporation Property: Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers,; vol. LXXII, June, 1911, ASCE 1190
that, by reason of a change in the art, we may have depreciation through
obsolescence, we admit that through a change in the art we may have
appreciation through the opposite of obsolescence. This being the case,
the use of "mortality tables" to determine present value is misleading,
unless it is done with the full itemized accounts of maintenance, which
are seldom, if ever, available. The author's position in regard to the
need of inspection of each item is well taken.
_Dead versus Live Properties._—These, perhaps, are not happy
expressions, but they serve to emphasize a vital distinction which must
be made in the valuation of properties. The difference may be as great
as between a corpse and a man; here, also, the distinction is hard to
define. We say the soul has departed, or the spark of life is
extinguished, but these expressions do not contain a satisfactory
scientific definition. So, as Mr. Riggs points out, the physical
property of a going business may not be valued as so much junk, even if
the non-physical values are to be determined separately.
_The Franchise a Contract._—The Courts hold a franchise to be a
contract, something often forgotten, both by the public and by
corporations. The speaker, however, understands this only to mean, even
where the franchise is in perpetuity, that the property of the
corporation cannot be taken for public use without just compensation. In
a sense, then, there can be no such thing as a perpetual franchise.
Using the word franchise with its restricted meaning, the
unreasonableness of the rates may be measured by the value of the
franchise.
_Physical versus Non-Physical Values._—The following division has been
made by the author between physical and non-physical property, for the
purpose of valuation:
"That the Physical Value, or present value of the physical property,
should fairly represent the actual capital invested in the property
at the date of appraisal; that it should be made up of the sum of
the various elements which constitute the cost of reproducing the
property together with any appreciation which may have been added to
any of them, less all depreciation.
"That the Non-Physical Value is the difference between the 'fair
value' as defined by the Courts, or the reasonable value of the
property as a business or producing property, and the physical
value, or actual present worth; and that the only proper method for
determining such values involves a study of income accounts.
"This Non-Physical Value may be: positive, or a value in excess of
the physical property, or negative, or less than the physical value.
In the case of a property having a negative intangible value, a
deduction should be made from the physical value."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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