The record-union., 1895-08-23
all THAT GLIITERS Is NOT GOLD.
DoIeful Refrains That Come Up From
BoomIand.
How Values Have FIopped in AIerced,
MADEIRA and San Bernardlno
Counties.

COuntleSs
The State Board of Equalization yester-
day was engaged in hearing representa-
tiyes from Merced, MADEIRA and San
Bernardino Counties.
Merced was the first on the rack. III
was represented by Assessor J. d. Simon
son and Supervisors J. w. Haley, Z. I.
Nelson and G. P. Kelsey.
Mr.. Haley said very little money can
be raised on property on his side OF the
county. He admitted that he knew very
little about the banks in the county.
Equalizer Arnold asked Mr.. Haley II
he was satisfied that money ana solvent
credits in the county were assessed on an
equality with other property.
ONE CROP IN FOUR YEARS.
Ny. Haley replied that he could not
very we'll tell, because he did not know
much about it. Incidentally he said he
was a stockraiser. The land only pro-
duced one crop of wheat in four years,
and is valued between SO and $50 per
acre. His land back of the hills Is as
sessed at 81 80 per acre. Alfalfa land Is
worth from So to SO an acre more than
land that is not devoted to aifalfa-raising.
ANY quantity of hay can be bought for 50
per ton. ou can get all the alfalfa land
you want" he said, "for fifteen cents an
acre. Hay baling has stopped altogether
on the west side because II would not
pay"
ats as fine hay as mule ever
topped his lips over" remarked Equal
izer Beamer.
Assessor Simonson said there are from
1000 to ], 400 acres of grain which will not
be cut on account Of rust.
Supervisor J. T. Ward of MADEIRA
County, said the cause OF the rust was
heavy winds which blew the flowers oil
the bloom and excessive rain.
HoLLANDERs NOT GOOD BOOMERS.
Assessor Simonson said that on the
Crocker ranch they did not expect TO cut
any grain at all this year, because it
would not pay.
OF the colony of Hollanders who To-
Gated in the county he said there only
remains five or six families. Originally
there were thirty or forty families. Some
have gone back to Holland. and others
have gone to some of the coast counties.
Many of the trees are dying. and there
are but a few good ones left. Some of the
Hollanders. he said. purchased some of
the land while they were In the old ooun-
try. They invested over half million
dollars in the land. They paid Sl65 an
acre for it, and it is now worth about SO
an acre. The ground was worse than
alkali where the Hollanders settled, and
dynamite had TO be used to blast holes in
the ground for setting trees. They saw
on the map whore the land laid and
thought that all of it was Of the same
quality.
Chairman Morehouse asked Mr.
Simonson how it was that Los Angeles
County allowed the Hollanders to get
into Merced County. Mr.. Simonson re-
piled that they came by another direc-
tion. Ii was pity, he said. that they
did not get into some other county. They
have done Merced County more harm
than good.
Supervisor c. C. Nelson said land in
the southeastern part of the county will
sell for $50 an acre, and the best of land
at that. He did not feel as though the
banks were over-asseSsed. They were
not assessed IN comparison with other
property, de had Obtained considerable
Information concerning banks and their
methods during the forepart Of the morn
ing session. In reply to Chairman More
house, he said that he would be able to
assist hereafter in getting better state
ments from the banks.
SHORT ON BICYCLES.
Mr.. Morehouse asked the Assessor how
many bicycles there are in Merced
County. Mr.. Simonson replied that there
must have been mistake in calling them
off in his Office, as there surely were
more than he assessed. The assessment
roll called for only eighteen bicycles.
Supervisor Kelsey said the valuation OF
grazing lands is considerable higher than
its cash value. A couple of landowners
in his neighborhood had offered to
sell bim their land for 8 an acre-the
assessed valuation. On some parts of the
land. he said, there are gravel spots,
fk.pv vyic ka
much as alfalfa land.
MADEIRA HEARD FROM.
When the board met N the afternoon
MADEIRA County was called up. County
A Assessor l.. I. Hoskin and Supervisor
j. +. Ward appeared for that county. Mr..
Hoskin said there is considerable land
in his county which has been Ioreclosed.
About 5000 acres have been foreclosed.
lie had reduced the assessment from 81
to So per acre.
Some of the timber land in the mount
aims which was formerly assessed at s.
per acre, Mr.. Hoskin said he red0ced to
50 per acre. He had reduced the assess
ment on personal property some thou
sands of dollars. Sheep, he said, are get
ting scarce in the county, and there are
not as many horses there now as there
formerly were.
Mr.. Hoskin said there is not half the
amount OF wheat and barley there now
as there was in 1894. The improvements
on town lots have increased $4,000 OF
l1,000. Lots can be purchased now fol
half what they could have been bought
for in 1894. The assessment on lots be
reduced from $50 per acre to $50. Im-
provements on real estate tell $50, 600
Trees which were formerly assessed al
S35 and $50 per acre he reduced to 81
and slo.
MoNEYLEsS BANKS.
Mr.. Hoskin was asked if he had as.
sessed the money in the MADEIRA Bank
He said the bank officials said they haC
no money III the bank. aud what they
did have was on special deposit in SaI
Francisco. The bank had noting to show
for the money deposited in San Fran
cisco.
The Assessor was told that it was hi.
duty to have assessed the money as sol
vent credits.
The best of fruit land in the county
Mr.. Hoskln said, could be purchased fol
$50 per acre. He said be had the assess
ment roll too high last year in proportion
to the assessments of the adjoining coun
ties. There were about six or seven ap
plicatiOns for reductions, but there were
only three reductions made. There are
few mines in the county, but they are DO
doing much now.
Supervisor j. Z. Ward said the presen
assessment of the county is about a!
much as it will stand. There were small
number of applications for reductions
from the Assessors figures, but after tn,
local Board of Equalization explained K
the applicants that the reductions asked
for, if granted, would not reduce thei
taxes, they were satisfied to let their as
sessments stand. a certain amount O
money was required. and it had to bt
collected. The county, he said, is small
and the revenue-producing portion il
still smaller.
a. Al