The record-union., 1895-07-16

property should be considered in detail
He was ready to be corrected, bat
thought he was right.
Mr.. Ryan said ii that plan was to be
adopted. then wholesale grocery mes-
chant should be required to state now
much. in his opinion. hams, sugar, bacon
and other articles should be reduced.
Whenever the Assessor goes to whole
sale store he asks: How much is your
stock worth?' The railroad company,
he said should be treated as fairly as a
merchant. The contents of the locomo-
tive machine shop, he said, were assessed
at SO, ,0O0, when it should have been as
sessed at $4,000. Many of the machines
are OF old pattern and nearly useless.
Mr.. Berkey said the machinery in that
shop excited his admiration.
es," replied Mr.. Ryan, they keep
1t well polished"
Assessor Berkey said he meant no dis
respect to MIR. Ryan when he would have
to inform the latter that his statements AS
to assessed valuation OF company prop
erty were not satisfactory. He said
competent witnesses had informed
him OF the value Of the property. He
suggested that the board compare the
company's inventories with the as
sessment, and if the latter was too high
he would recommend that it be reduced.
Mr. Ryan said he would have no OBJ
JcCtiOu ~ tHht COulS6 IL OtuSI Property
owners would be required to do the same
thing.
Mr.. Berkey said that in Justice to HIM
self, as we'll as to the company, the in
ventories should be produced and COM
parlson made of his figures and those on
the inventories.
Mr.. Ryan said Mr.. Berkey uor anyone
else is intallible. Merchants and others
should be put under the same rule. Mr..
Berkey admitted that he was wrong when
he assessed 3,097 tons of coal at SIl $40.
when 1t should have been less than that.
Therefore, if his (Ryan's) statements were
not correct, and the Assessors figures on
the coal were too high then both are fal-
libie.
Mr.. Berkey said that if there was not
that quantity of coal belonging 10 the
company on the 1st of March, he was
willing that his figures should be re-
duced. But if the company's property is
too high it should be gone into in detail.
The assessment of last year was wrong.
Supervisor Todd said that short time
ago mum ber of citizens gave their notes
to induce manufactures to come 10 this
city. Those who gave their notes are only
too willing that these manufactures
should not be taxed. He could not see
the utility of assessing every nail or bolt
belonging to the company.
G. I. Jones said the board would never
get through in time If witnesses were
summoned and examined as to the values
of the articles in the various shops be-
longing to the company.
Assessor Berkey said that if the matter
were closed then he wanted 1t under
derstood that he had suggested that the
inventory of property be produced and
exhibited to the board. SO that 1T could be
compared with the assessment made by
him.
EVENING SESSION.
When the applications Of the Central
Pacific Railroad Company were taken up
Berkey said he hoped the board would
not grant the application for q reduction.
He would follow up the assessment made
by him, in the event of the board reduc-
ing the assessments, and would appear
before the State Board of Equalization in
support of the raise. If the board
granted the reduction 1t would be doing
an injustice to the people.
Supervisor Curtis said that he was not
willing to admit that in voting for the re-
ductiOn he would be doing an injustice to
the people. he said he was never preju-
diced against railroads, and wished there
were more in the State. Industries which
give employment to large number of
| men, he said, should be given encourage
uouI duu suouiU uOt De taAeu OuL or 6X"
istencs.
Supervisor Dreman said he did not be-
lieve in assessing the company to the
top notch. He was willing 10 admit that
by voting for the reduction he would be
displeasing many OF his constituents, but
his conscience told him he would be do
ing no more than right in voting for the
reduction. Such labor-employing indus
tries should be given substantial encour-
agement.
Chairman Morrison spoke in similar
strain. He said he had not mot man
who was opposed to the reduction nor
who advised him to stand by the AS
SCISSOR. He said he remembered the time
when city body prevented an ilnpor-
ferred to the Benicia Agricultural Works.
The matter was then put to vote. and
the entire board voted to grant the reduc-
ton to S466, $50.