The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-22
WHY PROPERTY Is LOW.
Depreciation Attributed to the
UnruIy Behavior of the
River.
ovERFLoWs AND THEIR CAUSE.
Debris From Hydraulic Mines Said
to Be Again Filling Up the
River Bed.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Aug. N.-The
Sacramento River was the principal topic
| under discussion before the Board of
Equalization to-day, when Suffer and
Yuba counties appeared to argue their
assessments. According to the gentlemen
who appeared for these counties the Sacra-
mento River was responsible for all their
woes, and unless something could be done
to check its propensity to run over its
banks property in these counties would
keep going down in value until some day
it would not be worth anything.
A. II. Weber, one of Suffers property
owners, offered the board the total gross
receipts of ten ranches if they would pay
the taxes. They have levee tax of per
cent and 2 per cent and other taxes, ex-
elusive of interest on bonded indebted
ness. Mortgaged land, he said, would
never be offered for sale on the foreclosure
of mortgage, because nobody would buy
it, and holders of mortgages prefer to rent
the land and get enough out of it to pay
taxes.
Mr.. Weber admitted he owned Govern
ment bonds, bank stock and real estate in
Santa Cruz, Monterey and Yolo counties
If he had not these vast resources, he
claimed, he would not be able to pay taxes
on his Suffer County land. Nothing. he
stated, can be raised on the ranches in
Suffer County represented by him. Corn
grows about three feet tall and then turns
yellow and dries out. Potatoes rot in the
ground because the soil is too cold, owing
to the debris washed in from the river.
Equalizer Arnold asked whether Suffer
County had made an exhibit at the Colum-
bian Exposition.
Weber replied that no exhibit of the
products of that county had been made.
George Ohleyer remarked that Suffer
County was inhabited by as neat and in
dustrious a class of farmers as there is
anywhere in the State. Their orchards
and their fields show this. But there was
very good reason why the people had not
sent their money East like Los Angeles
and the rest of Southern California. That
was because there were three or four coun-
ties in the northern part of the State that
had made the most supreme efforts at self
preservation and preservation OF the navl-
gable waters of this State from Red Bluff
TO San Francisco. That is where their sur
plus money and energy had gone outside
of the expense of cultivating their fields.
The expense years ago, he added, had been
borne by the State at large, but since the
Supreme Court decided the law invalid
the total expense of guarding against hy-
draulic mining debris had been borne by
the afflicted counties.
Assessor McRae spoke about the drop in
the income value of real estate, and Equal
izer Morehouse said that the taxrolls
showed that for years and years land had
been assessed and sold all over the State
at more than its income producing price.
Yuba County showed a decrease from
last year of something over $63, 200. AS
SCISSOR T. Bevin followed with statement
OF the reasons which had induced him to
make this decrease. 1t really was not
worth talking about, he said.
Supervisor Atkinson said the river had
been gradually filling up with mining de-
bris A two-thirds interest In the West
ern Hotel property, Marysville, was offered
recently for $4,000.
Supervisor A. G. Irvine told about some
alfalfa land that this year had been flooded
by slickens and water which destroyed the
crop. He had very grave doubts whether
that piece of land could ever be reclaimed.
Calvin w. Hutchins said that there was
just as good land in Yuba County as any
where else in the State, but slickens from
the river was destroying all the crops.
Last March his alfalfa was kneehigh, but
because of the Judgement of debris the cold
waters from the melting SHOWS overiowed
the land and killed the crop. He told of
man who put q levee around his haystack
to keep the water from it. There was a
great deal CT damage by overAows and
backwater. He then spoke of the filing
up Of the river channels with debris from
the hydraulic mines, and predicted that
the channels about Mare Island would be
filled up in time. Some day vessel would
be wrecked on debris bar in San Fran
cisco Bay, he added, and insurance rates
would go up and then hydraulic mining
would be stopped.
Supervisor Irvine informed the board
that the average yield of grain for Yuba
and Suffer counties this year was five
sacks per acre. There was no grain to be
exported.
Yuba and Suffer counties finished with
their arguments by noon, and as the board
had half day before them with nothing
to do, they decided to listen to ]. P. Vim
cent, Assessor of Fresno County, who hap
pened to be present and who was to have
been given a hearing to-mo rrow.
Mr.. Vincent read long list of statistics,
| showing that Fresnos assessment had
| fallen off from last year something over
100000. Fresno County, the Assessor
said, had lost $4,000 or 1900 acres Of land
since last year, owing to the neglect OF
owners and the fact that many of the vine
yards had been plowed up. One vineyard
OF nearly 1000 acres had been so treated.
Horse Meat for Hogs.
SACRAMENTO, CAL, Aug. 21.-An es-
Enlistment for canning horse flesh has
been built near the County Hospital, just
outside this city. The horses will be
slaughtered and their meat cooked and
canned for food for hogs. Those having