Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-24

| in the minds of strangers who visit or
read of Wichita.
| REALTY.
! Our very steady and rapid increase IN
substantial wealth has tended to reduce
the rates of taxation, while the thorough
system and equitable scale upon which
Assessor Green has determined the valua
| ton of each of the 100,0 600 and more pieces
| of realty. with TOO and more different adj
ditions to the city, have given no one just
cause for complaint. The rate OF assess
ment for the present year in this city as
| levied by Mr.. GREEN'S
THIRTY PER CENT
of a fair cash valuation for each piece of
property and its improvements. The lots
| on the several streets have graduating
scale, which is in strict keeping with their
relative locations and other modifying cir
cumstances The inside lots, for instance,
on North Main street fronting west be-
tween Douglas avenue and Second
street are each assessed at S4,000-wlth-
| out taking taking into account any OF the
| improvements. On the other side of the
| street they are a few hundred dollars
| lower. Further up on Main they become
cheaper. A corresponding graduation Is
| found on Douglas avenue and all of the
business streets. In the central business
! portion of the city, where ground is most
valuable, the assessment of lot is deter
mined by considering the number of square
| feet as well as the front feet. In the resi-
dence portions of the city the assessments
are made upon q basis of the front feet
| only.
The improvements are carefully noted
and every detail considered. A building
with good deep basement is assessed
| higher than one without any The loca-
| ton, as we'll as the number of stories and
| the character of the material used is a
point Mr.. Green has given much attention.
| As a general rule business buildings of the
same size and material are assessed alike.
| One story brick business houses of % feet
| frontage range from $500 to $500; two story
| ones from 500 to 1000 each; threes at
| 81, 400 to S240O; tours at s., 800 to s., 500
apiece, and so on up to the highest build
| ings in the city. Some of the farthest
| outlying lots which are not improved are
assessed at figures that will astonish
the nonresident owner. who is
accustomed to paying anywhere from 4 to
| s per cent annually OIL his property in the
way VI boACo, anu BSi Go iiiOIN
| in interest, and on valuation that would
scare plucky Wichitan to death.
PERSONAL PROPERTY.
Mr.. Green has been city assessor since
| 1880 and was in charge of the work all the
| time from 1873. Prior to that, in 1874, he
was the township assessor. There is no
one in the city so conversant with the per-
sonal property owners of the city as Mr..
Green, who, with his long and continued
| experience and acquaintance, has been re-
| markably successful in ferreting out the
| hidden wealth of people who were indis
posed to bear their proper proportion of
our taxes. When it is remembered how
rapidly and how many new people have
| been coming into Wichita in the past few
years it will be no difficult matter for one
| TO understand the enormous task the as
SCISSOR has had to perform. Not only
has Mr.. Green kept trace of all
of these people, but he has,
with an argus eye, succeeded in 10
! eating just about all of the wealth
they possessed. While he has been keep
| ing trace of personal property and also the
vast number of pieces of property brought
| into the city limits and the millions of dol
| lars worth Of improvements placed on the
same that gentleman has succeeded in re-
| ducing the business of assessing
ToA SCIENTIFIC BASIS
| The books in the assessors Office are
| models of neatness and systematic pre-
| cision. The realty books are five in num-
| Der and comprise 1000 pages of neatly
written names OF property owners,
| together with the valuation of each lot to
| itself and the valuation of the improve
ments in a separate column. In the front
| of each of thsse five books, which are let
tered from A to inclusive. is an index of
the name of each person who has property
| listed in that book and noting every page
on which that person has property accred
tied. 1t also by index shows all of the
additions represented in that book
Then for all of these FIVE books Mr.. Green
has prepared an index showing on what
is listed or certain named
persons property may be assessed
For the personal property returns, he has
prepared. in heavy binding, FIVE books,
containing in all, over $50 personal prop
erty statements, which are the original
statements filed out and signed By the tax:
payers themselves. There is also a COM
plete index for the five boks, and any
mans personal property statement can be
turned TO on moments notice. From the
returns made in these books, is made up
the large personal property-book, con-
sisting of over fifty pages Of names. oDpo-
site which are placed, In their proper col
umns, the number and special valuation
OF articles OF personal property included In
the forms provided by law. From these
thousands of individual assessments is
found the total number of each kind Of
property and the total number OF all COM
bined. From these totals Is struck sn
average price or assessed value. The to-
tails and averages are than transferred 70
the abstract which is returned 70 the
county clerk. and after having every piece
and kind of property, real. personal,
railroad or otherwise, passed upon
and eQualized by the county
commissioners After passing through
their hands the abstract is sent 20 the
state board Of equalization and there
given irs final revision and returned TO the
csuass board who then make the levy for