The record-union., 1892-09-02
HAD 4 FIELD DAY.
San Francisco Officials and State Tax
Equalizers.
A Reduction'of Thirty Per Cent. on the
Tax Roll Denied-Shau the
Roll be Raiseds


Roll be Raiseds
The San Francisco forces arranged
themselves in a formidable body before
the State Board of Equalization yester-
day morning, and proceeded to fire statis-
tical information into the alleged inf1a-
tionists of county assessment rolls. The
city and county was represented by
Mayor Sanderson, s. r. Ellert, j. w.
Burling, John Hoesch, Assessor Siebe
and several others, including Supervisors,
real estate agents and others.
Mr.. Hoesch was armed with volum1-
nous schedule of the assessed valuations
taken from the records of Alameda
County, and opened the conference by
proceeding to read from his little list"
Before he had proceeded far the board
wanted to know what he proposed to
prove by giving the assessments OF Ala
media property, and if he gave the figures
as evidence under oath.
Mr.. Ellert said the object of the data
submitted was to show that the city and
county of San Francisco was assessed
higher in proportion, as compared with
Alameda county.
Mr.. Hoesch said he also wanted to show
that the assessment of property in Ala
media was very low, compared with its
real value.
Members of the board then wanted to
know upon what basis he arrived at a
valuation, and discussion ensued, at the
end of which Mr.. Hoesch proceeded with
his report.
The first item was a statement of the
valuation of the Spring Valley Water
Company's property in Alameda County,
for which he had been told they had
afo inn nffa nf
assessed at much lower valuation.
After an examination of Oakland water
front property he found that, while it was
said to be worth Sl2,000,0 600, he found it to
be assessed for S100,025.
The Pacific Iron and Nail Company
was assessed for real estate $4,000, and
improvements S6S,000. which was ridicu-
lously low.
Columbus Waterhouse, owning block
No. 264, which is marsh land, is assessed
on $1,000, while the property is mortgaged
for 600 and the mortgage was assessed
about the same.
The Judson Manufacturing Company
was assessed for real estate at $4,000, and
Improvements $4,000, while it had been
recently conveyed at 100000.
The Postal Telegraph Company was
assessed for $3.50, and the Western
Union Telegraph Company for $22,511.
After giving the valuations of the AS
SCISSOR in numerous other cases, he re-
ferred to figures for sales between
October. 1891, and March, 1892, in Ala
media County, which showed real estate
assessed at 494 per cent. and mortgages at
Cog per cent.
In San Leandro township he quoted
Daniel Bests property, which is assessed
at So, $50, with mortgage on it for S12, coo.
"Yes, l know about that" said Mr..
Morehouse, 81 hold the mortgage, and
it's good.'
After giving many figures taken from
the records, Mr.. Hoesch claimed that
while Alameda was assessed at a valua-
ton Of 664 per cent, san Francisco was
assessed at so per cent The personal
property roll, he said, gave an assessment
OF SD per capita in Alameda, as against
S24 in San Francisco. Money per capita
in Alameda was shown to be 67 cents, as
against S24 SO in San Francisco.
The latter state of affairs was accounted
for by gentleman present, who said that
the Alameda people kept their money in
San Francisco, and the comparison was
not a fair one.
At the conclusion of the reading Mr..
Morehouse asked Mr.. Hoesch to leave his
data with the board for further investiga-
ton and comparison.
Mr.. Hoesch then read some compar-
isonS Of assessments in Santa Clara
County, showing 1t to be assessed for 60
per cent. on real estate and "a per cent. on
personal property, and making a large
discrepancy between its mortgages and
assessed values.
The board asked various questions as
to this showing, and pointed out that
there was wide difference between city
and country property, and also where
mortgages are held by individuals or
banks. The latter have rules and re-
strictions limiting their loans on security,
while individuals act Independently, re-
lying on their own judgment or esti-
mates.
Mr.. Morehouse stated that the heavy
mortgages on some property in these
counties were explained by them to have
been the result of ''booms," when land
went up higher than the board ever ex-
pected to get it again.
Mr.. Hoesch did not think this was the
case in Santa Clara County.
About this time Mr.. Hebron wanted
to know further about the Spring Valley
Water Company's property valuation,
and it transpired that in all the company
had about Sc, coo, 600 worth. OF this, Sl0,-
000,000 was in bonds, and in fixing its
water rates the company figures on max
ing at least 6 per cent. on their invest
ment over and above the running ex-
penSeS.
When Mr.. Hoesch got through with his
list of items Supervisor Burling came
forward with tabulated statement of the
values placed by the Assessors of Ala
media, Monterey, SOnoma and Yolo on
watches, sewing machines, vehicles,
horses, mules, hogs. cattle and goats.
This little list showed San Francisco to
be assessed higher on all these things
than the counties selected, and Mr.. Burl-
ing smiled a victorious smile.
All the San FranciScanS also smiled in
an interrogatlve style, as though to ask
"How's this for high? Why, in Alameda.
per capita, folks only had 268 cents worth
of jewelry, and in Monterey 19 cents
worth, while San Francisco folks were
assessed 81 IL per capita"
The San Franciscans were still smiling
when Mr.. Morehouse wanted to know
where MIR. Burling got his figures.
The latter replied, with the air of
victorious general, that he got them from
the Board of Equalization's figures of last
year. Your own hgures," said Mr..
Burling, "for 1872
Then came the disaster. Mr.. More
house said Mr.. Burling was laboring
under mistake-those figures were not
the boards. In fact the board had no fig
ures. Those were simply the estimates
of County Assessors, and had long since
been found to be very unreliable and not
to be depended upon.
This statement overcame the metropol-
itans like summer cloud, and when Mr..
Hebron said that of course live stock
was of better value in San Francisco, be-
cause none but choice stock was sent
there, they almost surrendered
"Ah, but how about jewelry?" asked
Supervisor Ellert.
''Why," said Mr. Beamer, ''people out
side of San Francisco can't afford jewelry.
Mr.. Swan, from your city, is the only
member of this board that wears dia-
mond. Look-look at %
This was the final blow to the line of
argument followed by the San Francis