The record-union., 1894-08-09
COUNTY AUDITORS BEHIND TIME.
State Board of Equalization Awaiting
Their Reports.
County Assessors Claim General De,
probation of Values In All
Kinds of Property.

The statements of Auditors of the diff
ferent counties in the State, which should
be mailed to the State Board of Equaliza-
ton on the first Monday i'll August, have
not yet materialized largely, only
eighteen having been received as yet,
and the board have not, therefore, been
able to set the days for hearing the
counties.
The Assessors reports of the ASSESS
ment rolls before being acted upon
by the County Boards of Equalization
are all in, but the reports of the Auditors
form the main basis of the board 8
action, which is thus delayed. In ac-
cordance with the law the Auditor of
each county must certify to the State
Board the amount of the county roll after
the County Board of Equalization is
through with it, and until such certifi-
cate is received the State Board must
wait.
In almost all cases the Assessor s figures
are reduced, as many people appear be-
fore the board, asking Tor reduction in
their assessments. County Assessor Ir-
vine has assessed the railroad property in
the city and county, not including tracks,
roadbed and rolling stock, at S512, 49,;
Central Electric Street Railway, with
eighteen miles of track, Sol, 200; Sunset
Telephone Company, including 500 boxes
at 500 each, S43, ,9l0; money assessed, $345,
700; and solvent credits, Sl77,370,
There is IS, 26I 800 value of property af-
fected by mortgages, on which there are
deeds of trust and mortgages amounting
to S4, ,684, 900. He has also assessed 8, 700
calves at So each; I30 beef cattle, $40; 9.100
stock cattle, $40; 1850 colts, $40; SO thor
oroughbred COWS, $50; 1890 American
cows, $l5; 6, 5,420 hogs, S5; l60 thorough hbred
horses, $500; 45 standard horses. 500; 4, ,S63
American horses, $50; IL jacks and jen-
MES, $500; 440 mules, $50; 80, 400 sheep, $l;
5000 lambs, 90 cents.
Two hundred bicycles he assesses at $50
each, the same amount as American
horses, amounting TO st, 200.
He gives the number of acres sown to
grain for the crop of 1894 as follows:
Wheat, $4,000: oats, 640; barley, 81, ,000;
corn, 1900. This crop is grown mostly on
the bottom land along the Costumes. The
acreage devoted to hay is 81, 800
The acreage of growing grapevines,
most of them in bearing, is: Table, 1900;
raisin, 1850; wine, 6,l5O.
Number of fruit trees growing, 4,l00;
apricots, IS, 900; cherry, IA 1000; fig, 1900;
peaches, 237, 800; pear, 2l4,000; French
prunes, 10, 500; other kinds of prunes, 6s.-
600: lemon, 600; oranges, $500; almond.
25, 600; walnut, 1900; olive. 1900.
A large proportion of the County As
SCISSORS write that there has been a great
depreciation of value in all kinds of prop
erty in their county during the past year,
in some cases amounting to % per cent.
Farming interests are much depressed on
account of the low price of wheat and
other grain.
Contra Costa County suffered from a
l@.~ L., II ~Lo <I1
Ramon branch of the Southern Pacific
Railroad two years ago, and the valua-
tions of the land along the road were
raised, but it has so much deprecated that
the old valuation has been restored.
With regard to other property in that
county, Francis Williams. the Assessor,
writes as follows:
.'The Union Stockyards Company's
property at Rodeo is also reduced in
value. Last year the company was pros
porous and commenced business III
April. Then the crash came; most Of the