The record-union., 1892-07-19
SCARCITY OF KICKS"
The County EquaIizers Had Little
Work to Do This Year.
Only Five Applications for Reductions
of Assessments-How it Happened
Encouraging Enterprise.

The Board of Supervisors had ''soft
snap" this year, so far as its labors as a
| County Board of Equalization were con-
cerped.
The law makes it incumbent upon the
board to devote the second and third
weeks in July to hearing complaints Of
persons not satisfied with the County AS
SCISSORS idea of the value oftheir property,
to correcting any mistakes that may have
been made and to equalizing the roll in
general.
QUITE A DIFFERENCE.
Last year the board was compelled to
put in month of this kind of work, and
tiresome work it was.
But this year, from some unaccount-
able cause, the board has had to labor a
small portion of one dag.
This was for the simple reason that out
Of the entire county there were only five
complaints or requests for reductions.
These five applications were taken up
yesterday and disposed of, after which
the board adjourned for the year.
Whats the cause of it?" asked a re-
porter OF Supervisor Bates.
Dunno" was the reply. 81 expected
to see whole houseful of them in here,
but L guess they all forgot it. 1t may be
one OF those freaks of human nature that
yoG can't tell anything about"
Chairman Greer's explanation was that
the assessment this year is uniformly
lower than last year, and in consequence
the people were satisfied. He also
thought that the Assessor had made his
levies so evenly that nobody could find
fault.
Assessor Irvine, when approached on
the subject, puffed up like a toad and,
tapping his brain-boX, said significantly
'Mer'
ASSESSED TOO HIGH.
The first case taken up was that of the
Sunset Telephone Company. Assessor
Irvine has assessed the company'S plant
IN this county at S54, 4,7I0, which included
valuation Of $l00 each on the 400 odd
telephones operated by the company.
This. the latter thought, was unjust, and
asked that the telephones be reduced to
80 each, thus reducing the entire assess
ment to $4,000.
Assessor Irvine said he based his fig
ures on what other counties had done.
Some of them had assessed as high as $500
per telephone. San Joaquin, Yolo.
Marin, Santa Clara, Sonoma and Ala
media had all assessed telephones at SIOO
b. Z. Steinman addressed the board in
behalf OF the telephone company. He
SAID the latter was a new enterprise and
needed encouragement. Last year it had
lost money in Sacramento, but intended
to persevere. 1t was time, ne said, that
Sacramento abandoned the practice of
driving capital and enterprise away
'by assessing them out OF their boots.'
regarding the counties Mr.. Irvine had
referred TO as examples he followed
Mr.. Stelnman said the Assessors in
formation was not reliable. Santa Clara
HAD REDUCED
The assessment on telephones to SIS, and
so had san Francisco and other counties.
The company had not asked Marin and
oIo County to reduce, because so few
telephones We're there as not to make it
an object. "Pll tell you what it is, now,
boys" said Mr.. Steinman, in conclusion;
IF you want to see some smOkeStacks in
this town ana county, you've got to do
something TO encourage capital and en-
terprise, and not drive them away. This
company intends to do right. It has
erected line buildings in San Francisco
and other cities, and has just authorized
me to purchase a lot for it here in Sacra-
mentO for another fine building"
The Supervisors expressed themselves
as being desirous of lifting the burdens
from deserving enterprises, and ordered
the assessment on telephones reduced to
$25.
ANOTHER ENTERPRISE.
"Now, that's right in line with the re-
quest of the Folsom Water Company.p
said Supervisor Equalizer Bates. And
50 it was. The Folsom Company had
been assessed $50, 900 for its big dam at the
prison. Mr.. Bates said this was an en-
terprise that deserved encouragement
and moved that its application for re-
duction to $4,000 be granted. The mo-
ton was carried.
The application of J. 3. Welty. a
farmer living near Fruit Ridge, for a re-
ductlon OF his assessment from $40 to $50
an acre on 100 acres was also granted. 1t
was explained that the land had pro-
duced nothing for several years.
The complaint of +. j. Gregory that
ST., 800 was too much of an assessment on
his block of land in the eastern suburbs
of the city, was rejected. Assessor Irvine
opposed a reduction vigorously. de-
claring that the land is already assessed
too low.
: The application of Thomas J. CIunie.
Tor reduction Of the assessment on his
warehouse and furnishings of his opera
house in this city from $500 to So. 800.
was also rejected.
This completed the list of five COM
plants, and the board adjourned sine die.
DLIIT DOOmuT nom ANN