The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-22
ST. LOUIS NEWS.
AN Assess MENT sQUABBLE- THE
BOARp or REALIZATION AND
THE DISTRICT ASSESSORS.
rhe City Of st. Louis Gets Possession 0l
the st. Louis GsaswOrks-The 81.
j Louis Fire Department
hen DeRar's Estate.
Especial Correspondence of the Democrat

Especial Correspondence Of the Democrat
sT. LOUIS, April 1s. 1878.
The st. Louis Board OF Equalization has just
completed It's work OF examining and correct
ing the assessments made by the district asses
sors. The city Ia divided into thirteen assess
ment districts. with assessor at the head OF
each district. The assessment for State. school
and city taxes are all made at the same time
and by the same men. Nothing Is exempt from
taxation. Jewelry. clothing and household fur
| niture are taxed as we'll as real estate. The
work of the district assessors commences on
! the first OF August and lasts from three to FIVE
months. Their work Is then submitted to an
appellate body composed OF five property hold
ers and called board of equalization. This
/ board has the power OF changing the assess
ments OF the district assessor in part or In
whole. and may increase as well as decrease
+ them, either on appeals or when no appeals are
made There liz always good deal Of com
plant made against the valuation placed upon
property by the district assessors. and this year
the complains seemed more numerous than
/ ever before Real estate values have been fall
ing steadily In St. Louis for several years and
the first OF last August were much below the
] prices at which property sold the year before.
The district assessors, however. made
GENERAL RAISE IN VALUATIONS,
assessing property. particularly real estate,
higher than the same property was assessed Mt
In the fall of 1876. The highest increase la the
assessments was made In the seventh district.
embracing the old eleventh and twelfth wards
In the northern portion of the city, and 1t was
In this district that the loudest complaints were
heard. The property holders of the district held
some seven or eight indignation meetings and
denounced their district assessor and his work
In the most bitter terms. An executive com
mittee was appointed to obtain red uction OF
their assessments. il possible. from the board
OF equalization. and. In case of failure. to con-
test the legality Of the assessments In the courts
They were determined not to pay the assess
ments made by the assessor Of their district.
and they made so much ado over 1t that the
House OF Delegates appointed committee to
Investigate the whole matter.
AN INVESTIGATION
took place. and the result WIS the adoption of n
resolution by the House recommending the
discharge OF the assessor of the seventh dis
triet. In the meantime the board Of e1uaiza-
ton, that had been in session four weeks made
their report They acted upon some two thou
sand individual appeals 1880 more than we're
presented to the board last year.. and made a
reduction In the assessments of the district
assessors In q majority Of the cases, and. in nd
dition to these reductions. they made wholesale
reductions Of from to 20 per cent throughout
the city, with the exception of the district
bounded by Wash street .tand the Missouri
Pacific Railroad and Fourth street and Grand
Avenue. Every assessment on real estate In
other portions of the city was reduced from to
20 h psr cent, and some 81 the on
dueed as much as 80 per cent. The largest
REDUCTIONS
we're also made In the seventh district. Very
few changes were made In the assessments on
aboa
y1se.coo. 900 and the board reduced the amount
asse e The propsr9 81 hs
yhrss banks q doing aYs bgsqss in st. Louis was
sessed the most. sl,e51 4ss. The board also |
assessed S g.. The property OF all banks now
Of these banks. eight In number. was assessed
the decision 81 the Circuit Court In the citys
claim to the possession OF
THE ST. LOUIS GAswoRKs.
This is the biggest suit ever tried in st. Louis.
involving as II does an amount yarlousl esti |
mated at from ~ 00O 600 to $3,0000O0 and 1t has
now been decided by two court. In favor of the /
city; The suit was brought several years ago
to obtain possession Of the st. Louis gasworks |
under an agreement made between the city and |
the gas company In 1sis, which gave to the city.
value o. the first Of January, 1870 In 1863
purchase Of The property. but the attempt was
Fsea b the Suit inst
1873. when an agreement was entered into |
iSs Iselsds f dss I Gonpaa Ss WS "sSInss'
Two districts. one being supplied with gas " By
the st, LOUIS Gas Company and the other by the |
e gaf s sRa W hs aSs p
sn Rhe ws still I'll osadas IN tbs
chalk. one Of the. Judges OF the Circuit Court
decided that the city had the right TO purchase
us tha FIR 1872 ~ sad 9at II ai mot %
After this decision the works were put into the
hands OF O receiver, and appraisers and experts /
was worth In 1870 and the profits of the company
since nat , time The result Of this examination
million dollars cleared By the works since they
were
PLACED IN THE HANDS OF A RECEIVER
were sa sucient TO pay for the property in 1872
ss Gam o e9 sh m be s2ss hd
southern half of the city during the years of /
lses 1897 1853 end 1869 and place about $4,000 to
The total receipts Of the com pany from tanu-
ary ]. 1870, to January s. 1876 1.-THE day tho re-
~ $4,000 were clear profits In 1870 IL "a and 70
the gas consumers Of Ut. Louis paid 81 so per
cubic sst for the they bs
years the price was reduced to 50 25 but In case
the city acquires complete ownership Of the St
Louis gasworks 1t liz xpected that the price
will be reduced to 81 30 per 1000 cubic feet. The
Court Of Appeals sustains every ruling made In |
the case BY the lower court. and there seems
hardly doubt that
THE CLAIMS OF THE CITY
will be sustained also by the Supreme Court in |
case another appeal Is taken. The lower courts
have also decided that the Laclede Gas Com
Ypany must either make some Arrangement
with the city to supply the northern half of the
city. private consumers included, at reduced |
rates. or 20 out Of existence An immense
amount Of money and labor have been spent in |
the prosecution OF this suit. The court records
poo pages each. exclusive Of some six hundred
pages Ia briefs. filed by the attorneys in the
case. The counsel for the city were Leverett |
bell. w. b. Thompson. HI. @. Glover. John b.
anderson and George Fl. Shields: and the