The herald., 1893-08-31
LIKELY TO Be 4 SMALL RAISE,
The Result Of the Supervisorial
Labors in the North.
A Doleful Tale of Hard Times Here
Which May Keep Down Taxes.
Rcturn OF the Lsborers from sacra'
msnto-A Full Report OF tho Pro-
ceedings Before the Board
Of Equalization.


not decide on the Los Angeles county
assessment until next Monday.
Chairman John w. Cook and Super
visor E. A. Forester of the board OF au-
pervisors returned from Sacramento yes
terday noon after an interesting tussle
with the state board.
Mr.. Cook stated to a HERALD reporter
during the afternoon that the delegation
presented some strong arguments against
any raise in the county Q assessment and
backed them up with formidable arrays
OF figures. MIR. G. j. Griffith and Aaron
Smith, representing the Citizens Reform
association, we're also present and rem
dered valuable aseietance in presenting
the county's case thoroughly.
Mr.. Cook said that the board received
the delegation with courtesy, and he be-
lieved that they would not make larger
raise, il any, than from to 10 per cent.
He had heard outside that before the
presentation of the facts and figures by
himself and associates they had contem-
plated 20 per cent raise over Assessor
Gray's figures OF VA, ,736, ,067, which was
raiee in itself over the county assess-
ment of last year.
Mr.. Cook also said that the state rate
for the ensuing year will be from 10 to
90 per cent higher than last year.
The main contention OF the state
board, In their talk in his presence, was
on fruit lands, which they stubbornly
insisted should be assessed higher. In
reply to this the delegation showed that
the fruit lands should not be raised.
They were q email percentage OF the
acreage in the county. Grain lands in
many places were actually selling fo< the
assessed valution, and that even under
such circumstances the county assessor
had rsised the assessment 15 per cent
over laat year. s
Mr.. Forester devoted himself more
especially to- the city valuations. The
hearing was quite long one.
The Sacramento Record Union made
quite full report Of the hearing, and
from 1t is taken the following salient
points of the arguments: las
THE PROCEEDINGS.
In the afternoon j. w. Cook. chair
man Of the board Of supervisors. Super.
visor E. A. Forester, Aaron Smith and
G. j. Griffith, capitalist Of the county,
appeared in behalf of Los Angeles
county. They presented such formid-
abd appearance that the board did not
feel com petent to stand them off till two
belated members made their entry, and
the interest on the $74, 4,7S6.067 assess
ment Of the county during the half
bour's delay amounted to nice little
aum.
Mr. Cook said the county was placed
| in diaadvantageous position through
| the fact that the assessor was not able
| to be present. He desired to call atten-
tion TO the fact that their fruit lands
| had greatly decreased in value. Not
withstanding this, the assessment had
been raised on such lands 10 per cent,
apd that made II, much higher than 1t
z 'He read i cSmihunicasion from the
assessor TO him, stating that he had
given careful attention to the value OF
citrus fruit in the San Gabriel, Azusa
and Pomona valleys, and had raised the
assessment on them s28l ,675, although
he much doubted the justice 0f doing 30.
Property in the city north of Temple
street he had not reduced this year, but
it would evidently have to be reduced
next year, as at this date 1t would not
not bring within one-third as much as
it ie assessed for in payment of just
debt from a solvent debtor. His per-
sonel property he had raised about
1870, 900 over last year, when it was very
low.
Mir. Cook read figures to show that
although the acreage of the codnty was
2,650 $50, only l 1,O84, ,077 acres outside oi
cities was assessed, and 63, $50 in cities
and town lots, leaving 1908, $50 not as.
sessed, IL being government land. Be-
sides, the San Gabriel reservation took
4S4. 900 acres more from the roll. Con.
siderable land had been taken up by the
Proyidencia Land and Water company
and others simply for the water privi.
leges, the land being nothing except fol
the springs on it.
The companies who brought water
| down on their fruit lands, he said, con.
tended that "a the lands could only
grow fruit through irrigation, the pipe
| lines should not be assessed in addition
to rating the land high as fruit land.
The pipes, OF which there were 20 miles,
were assessed at $4,000, but it had
never been done before.
How PIPES ARE ASSESSED.
Water and gas pipes in the county are
assessed at $570,505.
Mr.. Colgan said that amount would
not cover those in the city alone.
Mr.. Swan said there was no doubI
that some property of that kind had
been assessed, but it could not be told
from the report which company or com
panies were assessed. A blank is fur.
nished by the state board for the pur.
pose of stating those things, and Mr..
Gray knew it perfectly we'll, but he has
left those columns blank. He should
have appeared here to answer those
questions and others which this board
wished to ask. 1t is an unfortunate
thing for the county that he did not dc
30, as it leaves the board without any
means Of information on this and 9
number of other points.
AMOUNT OF FRUIT LAND.
Mr.. Cook went on to state that only
46, 1870 acres in the county were fit fol
fruit raising, and the average assess
ment on it WAS about s12O per acre. O
this only 81 ,837 acres are actually gel
out, there being 2,228, 800 citrus trees or
it, about one-tenth OF that number be-
ing in bearing. There are also l8. .25(
deciduous fruit trees.
Taking the percentage as basis, ht
said that 80 per cent of the land in the
county was unfit for cultivation, 28.s
per cent was grain land, 34.4 per cent
pastnre land, Az per cent fit for citrus
| fru;to and q q nar cant dnciduoua frui1