The record-union., 1895-08-28

AOI OOuDlS lH0 ulOIlSaBS.
Mr. Arnold said the Bank of Willows
property cost Sl7, coo, and was assessed at
$4,000. 1t had stocks. bonds and other
solvent credits amounting to 5000.
which he thought should be assessed. lie
thought that If balance were struck ac-
coroing TO its statement TO the Bank Ex-
aminers, it would show about $4,000
surplus, if all credits are solvent. If that
amount were taken OF the goose land"
it would help the farmers.
soLANo COUNTY.
Solauo County was represented by
Judge Curry, Supervisors McGettigan.
Buckingham, Clark and Devlin; Messrs.
X. u. Robbins, George La NJ Mont, George
Dickey, W. d. PennycOOk, u. ". VIII
son, j. \. McInnis and James McCudden
Of Vallejo; MeSsrs. Silver, bIcEWen and
Garnett OF Dixon, and Sheriff Rush. who
came up to ask Tor 10 per cent. reduc-
ton.
The real estate of the county is assessed
for Sll, ,3Z9, 10, reduction OF S4S4, $780, inn
provements, Il. 49, .7o1. an increase of
SO, 30: city and town lots, S9l69Z9, an
increase of 81, III. The total assessment
is 9I7, Sol, ,546 as against S17. .763. .352 last
year.
The Assessor having met with an acci-
dent, Mr. McGettlgan stated that 1act,
and made statement that the land. Us
rule, was assessed far above what the
owners would take TOR it, The crop Is
much poorer than those Of 1898 and 1894,
anu hay, which sold Tor Sl0 a ton last
year, sells now for So.
Judge Curry asked the board to place
valuation Oh the land in the county in ac-
cordance with the provision that it shall
be valued ou basis Of what it would be
taken for by creditor from solvent
debtor. Ii that rule were applied to it, it
would readily be seen that ii was assessed
too high, as much OF 1t would not be so
taken at anything like the assessed value.
| Some of the best farms " i'll not, under the
! best cultivation, return their owners
per cent, and many Will not pay taxes,
let alone expenses, Those who have
money to lOan viii not advance it Oh such
property.
I The Clerk read the written petition of
citizens for general reduction of 10 per
cent.
Mr.. Morehouse asked how many Super
vlsors had signed the petition. and Judge
| Curry said he did not expect them TO sign
1t, as they had refused, as a Board of
Equalization, 10 reduce the assessments
and he could not expect them to stultify
themselves.
Continuing, Judge Curry said that
many taxpayers would be glad TO sell
their places for less than they were as
sessed at, but there were also many who
JIdu COlu IOIAdblo uOllGS VINO, lTOin SSDli-
mont ana love for them. did not wish TO
sell at any price. 1t would not be fair to
assess them at a high figure on that aC-
count, however.
Mr.. McEwen said he had 800 acres in
the northern part of the county that are
assessed at S01; about 700 acres assessed
at Sll; 500 acres assessed at $50; 500 acres
assessed at SO; 80 acres east OF Dixon at
SO, and other land at various prices, 600
10 5000 acres III all. His idea was that
such property should be assessed al a rate
thaV-sgO Ould pay a reasonable rate of inter-
est. Th6sQtereSG OF the banker, the mer-
chant and all other business men is staked
on the prosperity OF the farmer. Horses
are very low, although assessed at about
$40 head. but there Is no sale for them.
The land all over the county IS assessed
for more than it can be sold for.
He was told that there was scarcely a
small farmer IN the county whose present
and coming crops have not chatIel mort
cages on them and unless they have relief
they must be ruined. His land was all
rented and the renters are not making
expenses. de ana others had reduced
their rents from one-Quarter TO one-third
TO give th6H3 a show TO live.
Sheriff Rush SAID, in corroborstion of
Mr.. McEwen's statement, that he had
just placed an attach ment on the sum
mer-fallOw OF one Of his (McEwen's)
tenants.
Supervisor Buckingham said, in ex-
planation Of the Supervisors refusal to
reduce assessments, that they could not
Justly do SO without reducing them all
along the line and raising the rate of
taxation.
Judge Curry said that it was we'll
known that real estate paid most of the
taxes and that county property bore most
OF the burden, while city property
largely escaped It's share. He quoted the
Macondray property in San Francisco.
which the agent told him paid 81 900
taxes q year and was valued at $50, 900.
One of the heirs recently bought 1t in al
Sl99. 900, little more than his ranch was
assessed for, but he paid S.. 900 taxes,
while the estate mentioned paid 81, ,000.
In the country the Assessor counts every
chicken and if he thinks any are going to
hatch soon he waits till they hatch. The
country pays the tax es of the city. An
other thing. country people are more
honest than those IN the city and give in
their property better.
Equalizer Colgan asked him if he
thought the item OF Sl5l 900 for solvent
credits in Solano County was sufficient,
ana was answered that perhaps IL WAS,
/ but he did not know.
I District Attorney La Mont said that he
/ did not believe that the entire agricult-
ural land Of Solano County, not exclud-
/ ing the aca ' alley, could be sold for
| 80 per cent. of its assessed value
! within the next six months or year.
! 4. II. Morrison, a large frnit-raiser of
1 Naca alley, stated IN answer to ques-
ton of Nh Cogan, that in 1880 the
I fruit-growers we're prosperous, and in
( 1891 the Assessor raised them 40 per cent.
! The best land IN Naca Valley this own
/ is assessed at $50 an acre and $40 for
/ trees. The fruit bet had been raised in
/ 1890 for the sake of lowering the rest OF
! the county. lie mentioned an estate Of
/ forty acres that rents tor $1,000. and the
| crop this year only brought 81 800 1t is
! assessed for $40 an acre. The almond
crop has been light for years and the
price is depreciating. The Assessor has
/ not graded the land properly. The fruit
property has deprecated 10 per cent
/ within the last year. The Hatch orch
] ard is assessed at the same price as his
own. II the fruit-growers can pay their
expenses this year and their taxes they
i Will DO well.
! Supervisor Buckingham said that the
! fruit land at \ acavilIe is assessed al $50
( ana the trees bring ii up much higher.
! A portion of Frank Bucks orchard is as
sessed a $500. There have been no sales
for two years past. one piece of hill land
sold for SIS1. 1t was in grapes and as
! fine land as is in the county. Ii was well
/ sold and to q tenderfoOt.
Sherih Rush said he bought 3, 600 acres
OF marsh land near Suisun Tor So an acre
which is assessed for -. and he would be
almost willing to sell it for 81
Mr.. Lamont told OF tract of fruit land
assessed for $3.50 which he was making
arrangements 10 sell Tor Sl50 an acre to a
| fruit raiser adjoining, who would not pay
| that for il if it was not at her door,
Mr.. Arnold asked Mr.. Robbins a num-
Der OF questions about the Suisun Bank
of which he Is President. Mr. Robbins
thought it was assessed for about Sl24. .0JO