St. Paul daily globe., 1893-08-13
A FRUITLESS FUSSING.
THE BOARD or EQUlLEzATi0R WINDS
UP ITS LAB0RS,
BURNS LAST WORDS a THREAT

Clothing House Managers Secure
Reduction After a Vigorous
Protest - The Same Gronnd
Covered Several Times - Re-
ductions and Increases Noted
in Detail.
The board of equalization held two
long sessions yesterday and adjourned
sine die. Mayor Wright came into the
. morning session rather late, and re-
marked that he was sorry he had not
been present at the meeting of the
board of county commissioners the
evening before, but that he had been to
Chicago. He did not appear at the
afternoon session.
Assessor JohnStone was present at
both sessions yesterday. He stated that
he had. been i'll at his home -7ith an
attack of cholera morbus, which was
the reason for his absence for a few
days. He was still rather weak yester-
day.
The board disposed of a considerable
amount of business. The morning ses-
sion began with a small-siZed scrap over
the action of the day before in raising
the assessment of the Plymouth, the
Hudson and Browning, King S Co:
clothing houses.
The auditor read portion of the
minutes IN which he claimed that the
vote had carried by which the Plymouth
and the Hudson had been assessed S40,-
800 each and Browning, King IL Co.
$4,000.
MIR. Van Slyke called attention to the
fact that no such record had been made.
He had decided the day before that the
motion referred TO had been lost, and
one carried which fixed the two former
at So, 600 each and the latter at SIS, 900.
A warm discussion was had over the
matter, which turued on the point as to
whether the deputy assessor had right
to vote in the absence of his chief. The
Snag was gotten over by taking the
whole matter up again, and the assess
ments were named at the larger
amounts.
The Protest Renewed.
Late in the afternoon session the mat
ter was taken up again after protest
had been renewed by Manager Fagley,
OF Browning, King IL Co.. and was set
tied by assessing that firm $4,000 and
the Plymouth and Hudson at S32, QUO
each. The auditor not only voted
against this move, but gave emphatic
notice that it would do no good, as he
would raise their assessments after the
board adjOurns to S95,OOU for the Plym-
outh and Hudson and to larger amount
for the other clothing house.
The opinion OF the county and city at
torneYS relative to mercantile corpora
tons was read. 1t was on the line i'll
dicated in the GLOBE Yesterday. The
case of the Northwestern Fuel company
was then taken up. After some discus
sion SWORD return was submitted. to
the effect that its capital stock of $780,
900 is not worth more than SS00,000. To
offset this the real estate and corpora
ton debts would amount TO 5000, 900
more than the value OF the stock. This
settled the matter of eXempting the
capital stock from taxation. and the per-
SOnal property valuation of the cOrpo-
ration was fixed at $1,000 for the pur-
poses OF taxation.
Some Reductions.
The Osgoou x Blodgett Manufacture
ing company was granted reduction
to $500, because of the damage to ma
chinery by fire. Other changes were
made as follows: Hanan Shoe COM
pany, sworn statement of $4,000 ac-
cepted; the stock of Mr.. Harmon in the
Snow, Church company was left off the
books; Pioneer Fuel Company,
reduced from $4,000 to So. $50; Lehigh
Coal company, assessed at SOTO in
place Of arbitrary assessment of S15,-
600; Ohio Coal company fixed at S1l 800,
i'll place of arbitrary sum of S25. 600; Sc.
rurity Trust company reduced from
$4,000 to $4,000, as recommended by
the assessor after conference with the
board and Mr.. HOdgS0n. The PROPOSE
ton to assess r. II. Newport IL Son
S25,0 coo was lost, and their office fixtures
were placed at 500.
Auditor Burns suggested that the
firm as agents held tax certificates
worth S25. 00O.
Mr.. Lavallee suggested that the audi
tor might place tine amount on the tax
books after the board adjourned. The
response was made by Mr.. Burns that if
he did it would be swept off by the
board of abatement, as in cases last
spring.
Ihe Northwestern Fuel Company was
assessed at $4,000. g. Gotzian IL Co. and
Griggs, Cooper Il Co. were left at the
figures returned by the assessor after
an effort being made for reductions.
The sheds rented from railroads by the
Pioneer Fuel company and the land on
which they stand were ordered put on
the tax books.
Mr.. Van Slyke made a motion to
adopt the iobbers' union report of the
values placed on firms in the wholesale
district. The proposition was debated
at some length, but was not adopted.
The assessor stated that in case the mat
ter was gone into he would recommend
tie reduction of the assessment placed
on the stock of Wright, Barrett d Still
company was raised to Sl,050; Fair
banks Packing company, $1,000; c. y.
Rice d Co. were raised to $4,000; Ma
tiOnal Investment company arbitrarily