The record-union., 1895-08-21
NOV COLUSA AND BUTTE COUNTIES.
They Each Want a Reduction Of As
SesSmentS.
Wheat Raising Only Helps the Farmer
to Financial Ruin-Land
Depreciating.

assessed too high already, and should
therefore not only not be raised any
higher, but should be reduced.
They showed that much of the land
was used for raising wheat and barley,
and that the prices obtained for these pro-
duets were so low that they could not be
raised at a profit. and the value OF land
had deprecated more than half.
One gentleman named George Abel,
who owned 1000 acres, said he had never
tried any crop except grain, and that
most of those who had tried setting out
orchards had made failure. He said
that when he bought his land for s. an
acre in 1870 it was assessed at 50. and was
worth twice as much then as II Is now
independent of the deterioration OF the
lRnd-because he could then make money
from ii. The Assessor rates it too high,
because he is afraid the State Board Will
raise ne county.
Assessor Herd said that most of Mr..
Abel'7 land was assessed at from SO to
S32 Deing asked about the assessment
of goose land" he said it was assessed
al So.
Continuing, Mr.. Abel stated that he
went before his County Board Of Equal1-
zation and asked for reduction of his
it was entirely too high, but was told that
the board could not reduce his assessment
without doing an injustice to his neigh
Dors.
The value Of river lands being under
discussion, VIII ). Green said that the
Joe Hamilton place was being foreclosed
at $4S per acre, and has been offered in San
Francisco for the past six months for $50
an acre, with no purchasers.
MIR. Price said that his land was as
good as any in the State-he would bar
none-eXcept in location. he paid SlO0
an acre for 1t in 1890, and it was now as
sessed for $50 and could not be sold for
that, although offered at that price.
MIR. Campbell, who farms lands for j.
II. Glide. about seven miles from Max
well, said the quality ran from goose
land" to good land; 1000 or 5000 acres
o. it is hilly. The assessment roll showed
most of il 10 be assessed at from SO 10 SO
an acre. The land that was assessed at
$50 is worth. he thought, about so in the
market About 1000 acres OF the second
grade would be worth from Sl2 TO Sl5, and
the remainder worth S.. he considered
it all assessed too high.
Mr.. Gipson's lands were q little more
loamy than Mr.. AbePs and had some
sediment on it. lie considered his best
land worth $50 an acre. The east part
was second grade land. sHe was assessed
thousand dollars in the last few years and
had had 10 go to the bank every year, but
had to slip IN so that the other fellows
would not see him.
Equalizer Beamer asked Mr.. Abel how
the assessment Of his Alameda property
compared with that on his COIusa prop
erty and answered that the Alameda
property was assessed much lower in
proportion to its value.
Charles Elsie testified that his Oakland
property was assessed by Assessor Dalton
at s., 900 less than last year 1t rents for
500 month less a month than it did be-
fore the gates were put Oh The railroad.
His Colusa property was assessed higher
in proportion than that in Oakland. He
would give bond to give man 0,000
who would sell his Colusa property for
what it is assessed at.
did you tell me this morning." said
Mr.. Beamer, that if you did not own
your Oakland property you could not pay
the taxes on the COlusa property"
~ dad" said Mr.. Elsie.
"Oh, WE'LL" said Mr.. Morehouse. 1--WE
Oakland people have been putting up for
you fellows up there for number of
years past"
a MIR. Schultz, who owns little farm
of 1000 acres in Colusa, which is assessed
as high as $40 an acre, said that he would
have no income were it not for his Oak
land property, one block OF which is as
sesSed at S73, 900. He would be glad to
sell his Colusa property for SI50,O0O. He
bought the bulk OF it from the Govern
ment at 81 % an acre. He would take to-
day 10000 for the whole land.
Fred McFessel who was formerly q
partner with Schultz and now only owns
about 1900 acres. which adjoins the lat
ter, told the same story of depreciation of
land values. lie would take much less
than the assessment for his land His
house and lot in this city is assessed at
s., 900, and he would sell it for S., coo.
4 Mr.. West, who has for the past ten
years farmed the Wolfram place, said
that in that time the yield has decreased
from siX teen sacks to the acre to nine
and q half sacks. He considered the
land, which is assessed at $50 TO $40, to be
worth about $50.
w. w. Williams, who owns 5000 acres
near Williams, told OF six sacks an acre
that was raised on land that cost s. an
acre TO summer-fallow. He gave away
his sheep because it did not pay to pas
ture them. No land had changed hands
in the last ten years in that locality ex-
cept on foreclosure. The Manon estate
WAS foreolosed for SIS. 600. 1t was assessed
this year for Sl0S, $780, and last year for
S157, GOO.
II don't see that you are getting down
TO the river. That is what l want to hear
about" said Chairman Morehouse.
Very well. | will call Mr.. Wilson"
said Mr.. Weyan.
The river is the poorest part of the
county," said Supervisor Wilson, with
smile. He considered the land that was
assessed at S48 to $50 was, as a rule, as
sessed too high. Many questions were
asked him about different tracts. The
front lands. he thought. We're assessed
much lower than the back ones, but he
thought they were all too high. Few or
no trees are being set out, but great
many are being dug out. The Super
visors had reduced only two applicants
this year. Their main aim was to keep
the assessments as nearly equal between
the residents, and as the assessments
were very even in that respect, the peo-
pie did not appear TO ask any reduction
from the board. The total falling off
from last years assessment is only S149,
324, which may be easily accounted for, If
necessary, by the loss of acreage in the
roll
Win S. Green said the river lands for
hall mile back were good lands, but
further back than that he thought it was
no better than plains land, for the plains
land will, in drv season, produce about
the same crop of wheat as the back-rlver
lands. Money loaners object TO loaning
money Oh lhe river land, and break IN
the levee washes out the crop. John
Boggs land Is assessed too high, and on
much of it he could not make his expenses
IN raising wheat this year.
Mr.. Wegan read an affidavit by W. P.
Harrington, cashier of the Colusa Bank,
stating that the value of farmino property
In that county had decreased at least 25
per cent. within the past two wears. and
he said that IN Mr.. Harrington's opinion
the depreciation was about 80 per cent.
Equalizer Arnold read the banks state-
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