The morning call., 1894-08-24
ASSESSMENTS ARE RAISED
Over a Million Added to the
Old Valuations.
CORPORATION LAWYERS OBJECT
City Fathers Sit as Board OF
Equalization and Readjust Gen.
trail Pacific Assessments.

lie AIlJ ODuDCll VI OdAid oihbihS iao
night as board of equalization, carried
the anti-ralroad war right into the pocket
of the great monopoly, and decided that
in future the Southern Pacific Company
will have to pay a just proportion of the
taxes in that city.
The railroad cOmpany's assessment was
raised from little over half million dol
lars to over a million and half.
The board sa', notwithstanding the
opinion of City Attorney johnson that the
City Council could not legally sit as a
| board of equalization after the 10th of
August, and during It's deliberations some
| glaring inequalities in the assessment rolls
were revealed.
Much of the credit for what was done
last evening is due to Councilman Henry
P. Dalton, who introduced a resolution
notifying the Contra Costa and Oakland
| Water companies. Pacific Improvement,
Central Pacific Company. Northern Rail-
road Company, Sunset Telephone Com
pany and the Oakland Waterfront Com
| pany TO appear before the Board of Equal
iZation TO show cause why their assess
ments should not be increased.
! Not satisfied with the opinion of the
| City Attorney several members of the
! Council laid the matter before Messrs.
Davis. Hill. Powell and Pringle. the spe-
| cal waterfront attorneys for the city.
! These gentlemen concurTed In the opinion
that the Council had the power to sit as a
| board of equalization and that their pro-
| ceedings would be legal Accordingly the
| corporations were again notified TO attend
| the meeting of the board.
Alter a few assessment matters of minor
/ importance had been disposed OF the clerk
| called the roll of corporations, and the fact
WAS revealed that they were all renre-
scented by Attorneys j. c. Martin, Ryer
and WaIkinson.
! Mr.. Martin arose. and on behalf of the
| corporation objected 10 the proceedings OIL
! the ground that the board had no legal
! existence and no power to further alter the
assessment rolls. He was Interrupted by
| Councilman Dow, VINO said that inasmuch
| as tie Council had accepted the opinion of
| attorneys for the city on the legality Of
| their existence as board of equalization.
| ii was only a waste of time 10 hear any
! objections on that point He was followed
| in the same vein by Councilmen Dalton
and Barnard.
Dow made motion, which was sec
| onded, that no further argument be heard
on the question of Jurisdiction. After
considerable discussion. in the course of
| which City Attorney johnson reiterated
his opinion against the legality of the pro-
| ceedings, the motion was carried by a vote
| OF ayes against noes.
When the adjustment of the Central Pa
| cifc COmpany's assessment was taken up
Smell became fearful that any action in
That direction might jeopardize the assess
ment rolls of the city, and said that he, as
| a straight forward. cOnscientiO man, did
not propose 10 further any mans election
| boom.
He demanded to know from the CITY
Attorney If the sitting of the Council
illegally as a board of equalization would
/ vi lot a rnll
City Attorney Johnson replied that in his
opinion the board was sitting illegally
and the assessment would be jeopar0ized
or set at naught.
The assessment of the Central Pacific
Railroad Company was then taken up
and the services Of Auditor Snow were
| secured on motion of Mr.. Dalton to show
the exact amount for which various Dor
! tons of railroad property are assessed
| Dir. Dalton furnished some interest
! ing statistics regarding this assessment.
| He claimed that it should be raised from
S607, 600 TO S1,S60,000
| In support of his claim he furnished the
| following figures. which, be SAID. repre-
sent veIp moderate eslimateEof the real
| value OF the property aud improvements.
| CreOSOte Works. $40 coo; 1000 600 railroad
| ties al 20 cents. $500 COO; steel rails. Sl4O.
coo; $4,000 tons coal at 81, S100, COO; ma
| chinery in planing-mill, $4,000: machin
|
machine-shoDs, S250,000; material in store
rooms, $4,000; 5000 600 feet of lumber
| $500, 600; car repair yards. So, 600; gas
house and Improvements, $4,000; I'm prove
ments at rOundhouse, $4,000; depot at
| pier, 100000; Long wharf and improve
ments. S250.0O0; total, 81. $50 600.
! Comparing the 81 60-100 acres con-
tanned in the railroad yard" said Mr.
! Dalton. with an equal area of residence
property adjoining which is cut up into
! 25-foot lots, L find that whereas the former
is assessed at $1S4. 800 the latter is assessed
| for fifty times that amount. This il not
just
II think that the railroad company
should be compelled to pay exactly as
much as the poor HORSEPOWER, and am
in favor of taxing them for every dollar
| they own"
Dalton moved that the assessment on the
| depot at the pier, long wharf and improve
ments thereon be raised from $50, 900 to
| $3.50, 000
Capell proposed an amendment reducing
| the raise to S250,000. The amendment was
carried, with only one vote In the negative
Watkinson voted no because he would not
| run the FISK OF jeOpaTdiZlng the assess
ment-rolls. Again, on motion of Dalton,
| seconded by Manuel, the assessment on
the West Oakland yards was raised from
| $1S4, 800 to S26S. 400. 1t prevailed by vote
of ayes to 3 noes.
| DdltOn Iuen moved Jnat the southern
Pacific Company be assessed $500, 600 for
| 100000 ties valued at 90 cents apiece
J Out of the discussion on this came a SUBJ
| stitute motion 10 assess ties, rails and lum-
| Der, coal, and other personal property in
the West Oakland yards, including an
| other piece of property outside of the
yards for S750.000. All Of this is at pres
ent assessed for only Sos, 900. The motion
was carried by vote ayes, noes. Dali
ton called the attention of the board to the
fact that six ferry-bOats owned by the
Southern Pacific Company are assessed
for only S69, $50, quarter of their value.
| He spoke of other valuable property
owned by the railroad company which
does not appear upon the assessment-rolls
at all.
On motion of Dow the board adjourned
) until next Monday evening, when the as
sessments OF the Contra Costa Water Com
| pany and other corporations will be given
due attention.
In behalf Of the railroad company At
| torney Martin objected TO the entire pro-
ceeding. and when E. Black Ryan, also of
the railroad, was called upon as a witness,
he refused to testify. alleging that he re-
fused to recognize the jurisdiction OF the
| board.
|
General Durando Dead.