The record-union., 1895-08-29

I SesSeu IOT S1oU AHOlAeE pieCe III l4o
Western Addition, mortgaged TO the
bank for 81 900, is assessed at 5000.
Mr.. Briggs made various explanations
in each of these cases as to why the as
sessments were Sc low. lie mentioned
case where a piece was mortgaged for
S34, 900. and the court had been petitioned
to allow it to be sold for $50, 900, and II
was assessed for Sl2.950. There was,
he said, b very peculiar state OF affairs
existing in regard 10 mortgages to-day.
/ The property on Front and Battery streets
cannot be sold to-day. There are no pur-
chasers, and it would not fetch the face of
the mortgages.
Mr.. Beamer said that what the board
! wanted was TO compare the assessment
OF San Francisco County with that OF
other counties, and unless il could be
shown that it was as high, comparatively.
1t must be considered loo low. Man after
man from the interior counties had stood
up before the board and offered TO give
bonds to sell their places far below the
! assessed value. This state Of affairs is
widespread, and all the counties are sur
1ering from il.
Mr.. Briggs said that thousands of peo-
pie were out of employment in San
i francisco, and there was great stagnation
IA all branches OF business except sugar
rennIng. The number of vacant houses
IN ISJl was 2,604, and it has increased each
year until last June there were 5049 va
cant. That shows the state of business.
Equalizer Cheesebrough asked il the
general depression throughout the State
did not affect San Francisco, and Mr..
Briggs said it certainly did. Property
has been held too nigh for years all over
tho state, and the water will have TO be
squeezed out OF it.
MIR. Beamer said there were about 200,-
600 acres in his county that the owners
would like 10 have the water squeezed
out of Then he drew out clipping from
the Post relative TO a lot OF cottages in
san Francisco that he said caught his
eye, ana he went and made q personal
inspection Of them. He did not think
the owners OF those cottages would kick
much over the Assessors valuation, even
il it was raised considerably.
Mr.. Briggs said he had sympathized
with the cottage owners IN assessing their
little homes.
Mr.. Colgan asked about the outside
property that in 1890 was assessed at
FL, ,9Ol, ,425, in 1891 at 81, 900, 900 and in
1879 al 81 81, 800 Mr.. Briggs said it was
cut up into lots and had now been re-
duced to acreage again, but would much
OF 1t be cut up into lots again next year.
Then Mr.. Beamer asked about some
property belonging to the Franks estate,
insured for S01, 900 and assessed for S22,-
900. There were a number of other
pieces, assessed in about the same rela-
ton TO the mortgages. The answer was,
regarding most Of them, that the mort
Cages were family affairs and bore no
relation to the value of the property.
one was assessed for $40, $40 with a S25,-
600 mortgage to Q. and NJ. Dore. A piece
comprising an acre of the Winter estate,
appraised at $50, coo and assessed at 81 800,
Mr.. CheesbrOugh gave d graphic descrip-
uOn Of, and the methods and reasons for
the appraisement Of 1t and the rest the
estate. which made very entertaining
matter to lis en- to. and which Mr.. Briggs
thought justified his opinion OF apprais-
ers.
a number OF appraisemeuts of other
pieces of property showed large dis
crepancy between the appraisements and
the assessments.
Mr.. Beamer said also that in looking
over tho appraisements he found several
hundred thousand dollars of solvent cred
It's which did not seem TO find their way
into The assessment roll. He thought il
would be well for the Assessor to watch
those things little closer, as it might
foot up large amount in the aggregate
and make quite an addition to the roll.
lie read a list or l33 pieces of property
in the BarStoW estate, appraised on the
aggregate at Sl,6lS.000 and assessed at
$o43,0o5 J. b. Haggin, he said, was as
sessed arbitrarily for So 600 in money and
no solvent credits. James Flood is as
or solvent credits. Daniel Meyer, who
owns blocks Of Sacramento City lands, is
assessed for no solvent credits. ID. q.
Mills and John Mackay are assessed very
lightly on arbitrary assessments.
Mr.. Herzer explained that they were
very hard to find and that many of the
large business houses refuse to sw ear to
their solvent credits.
Beamer could not understand how it
was that j. q. o. Brien, George Whittell
and such men had no solvent credits, and
why Holbrook, Merrill 81 Stetson and
many others had TO be arbitrarily as
sessed. He read long list of prominent
men and capitalists who seemed to have
little or no money or solvent credits
Mayor SutrO is assessed for 81, 800 on
the land at Sutro's Hights, where he
lives, end Sl,50 for improvements. His
persona property is assessed, part of it
being - for q cow and S450 for liquors,
presumably to make milk punch with.
Then Mr.. Beamer paid his respects to
the newspaper assessments. The BuE-
leti2 was assessed at $3.50, the Report
at $50. 800; the CdU at 900 and the k1c-
of3t3Ie} at 81, 900.
Mr.. Herzer said that when no assessed
the Cutt for $4,000, he know that it sold
for $500, 900, and that new press had
been put in at a cost of $50, 600. He
thought it was assessed fairly. The
1860. coo paid for the CAL, he thought was
for the good will. He did not think that
the court held that the price OF the CuIt
was Tor property. He did not think that
thegood will should DO assessed.
Mr.. Beamer said that anything that can
be transferred from one person to another
can be assessed, as it has a value for
which money was paid.
hIr. Herzer thought that the Examiner
and the other papers were assessed higher
than any other papers in the State. He
increased the assessment of all these
papers because the board had 'ikioked''
about their former assessment, He az
sessed the Examiner himself, on his own
Judgment.
Mr.. Morehouse asked if the new $50. 600
press Of the CdU was good will, and Mr.
Briggs replied that after it had been in
use month it was d secondhand press
and was not worth more than S30. 600.
Mr.. Beamer said tnat none of the
papers were assessed last year for over
$1,000. \ small raise was better than
none, and the San Francisco delegation
silently folded their books and stole
away.
Peace Disturbers.
The cases of Frank Martin and W. e. |