The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-18
Residence Valuations Are
Lowered by Assessor
Dalton.
CORPORATIONS MAY CONTEST.
r. A. Archibald Charged With Grim
inal LibeI-Coming of the
Native Sons.


charging R. A. Archibald, secretary of the
California State Veterinary Medical Asso-
citation, with criminal libei.
The charge is based on resolutions
recently presented to the Board of Health,
IN which the secretary of the association
states that DR.. Carpenter is a candidate
for the office of Meat and Milk Inspector,
and that he is not a proper person for the
office. The complaint also alleges that
Mr.. Archibald ibeled the complainant
by charging him with maliciously ham
pering the veterinaries of the coast in
their efforts to have relief bills passed
by the twenty-ninth, thirtieth and
thirty-frst sessions of the State Legis-
lature.
AS Mr.. Archibald is a resident of Sacra-
mento the warrant has been sent there for
service.
Lowering Assessments.
Assessor Dalton having finished his work
on the main business thoroughfares of
Oakland has put his deputies to work on
the residence districts and the results
attained have been very gratifying to the
property-owners. Where the assessment
OF rich owners of business blocks were
raised those of the less opuIent possessors
y
marked extent, in some cases the decrease
amounting to as much as 40 per cent.
The work of reassessing the residence
districts has Just begun, the First Ward
showing reductions, which, II kept up
throughout the city, viii result in more
than offsetting the increase placed on bust
ness property.
The increase viii come from the corpora
tons who will, in almost every instance,
be raised to figures far above what they
have before been entered in the books of
the Assessors office.
Mr. Dalton has already received intima-
lions that in case the street railroad COM
panies are raised to any appreciable extent
he viii have contest on his hands before |
the Board Of Supervisors, sitting as a
board OF equalization.
- Representatives of a number of the cor |
porations have called upon the Assessor
and asked him what he intends to do |
about their assessments. His only reply |
has been to ask them to file the statements |
required by law. In case they decline to |
do this he will employ an engineer to as
certain the figures he is after.
These figures VIII form the basis of his |
calculations, and not any statements which |
may be sent in after the engineer has be- |
gun his labors.
Nearly a Wreck.
The broad-gauge local had q narrow
third avenue at o'clock yesterday after |
noon. Engine 1898, hauling three heavily |
loaded boxcars and a iatcar, was pulling |
off the main track to give the local a free !
passage, and was still partly on the rails |
over which the passenger would have to |
pass, when the hatCar and one of the box |
cars suddenly jumped the track, bringing |
the train to a stanGstiH almost directly in /
the path OF the oncoming local.
4 fireman with a red flag and signal |
tOrpedoes ran up the line and stopped the |
train in time to avoid a collision. One of |
the boxcars had not only jumped the |
track, but slid nearly off the trucks, and it
took almost an hour of pulling and haul
ing by both the freight and passenger en-
gines to get it back into position. Beyond
The breaking of a few bolts and pins and
the jamming Of the ends Of a couple Of
cars, no serious damage resulted from the
accident.
Had the derailed cars gone on far enough
TO allow another car to leave the track, |
however, the damage would have been
heavy, as the two last cars were loaded
with stone sewer-pipe, much OF which |
would have been broken by the cars over |
the ties.
Must Pay Their Poll Tax.
To their establishment and chagrin the |
employees Of the municipal corporation |
will be compelled to pay their poll taxes |
this year, after having been exempt for |
several years past.
Collector Foster, on looking over the |
books Of the ONCE, discovered to his sur
prise that about 400 men drawing salaries /
from the city had not paid their contri bu- |
rion to the revenue of the county.
He was met with cold laugh when he |
demanded s. from those with whom he |
came in contact. but just at the present |
time the laugh seems TO be on the other |
side OF the house. Yesterday Mr.. Foster
made up complete list of those who had |
not come to time and filed garnishment |
against their warrants when handed to the
Auditor for the latter signature.
The list contains the names of police
men. firemen clerks, laborers, etc. Quite
a number, hearing of the move on the Col
lector's part, paid up at once to avoid |
trouble when their next months salary
becomes due.
Want Their Money.
The Oakland Water Company began
mandamus proceedings against Auditor
Snow Yesterday TO compel that official 10
sign warrant for the February water bill
Of. the corporation for $276.
The Auditor declined to approve the
claim because the company had not COM
piled with the provision Of a law recently |
passed by the Legislature requiring all |
water companies to file with the proper
authorities statement of their assets for
the purpose of enabling Boards of Super
visors, Town Councils and other legislative
bodies to fix just and equitable water rates.
The company admits that it has not |
complied with the law, but denies the right
of the Auditor to withhold its warrants on
that ground. The matter has been set for
a hearing on the 10Th inst.
Sued for the Seats.
The incumbents in the Board of |
Public Works, Mayor Davie, City Attorney |
Piersol and City Engineer Wilson, are not |
to be allowed to hold their seats without a
legal struggle, for the ousted Commits
sioners, Messrs. Hughes and Miller,
through their attorney, George de Cola,
filed quo warranto proceedings yesterday.
The ex-Commissioners claim that the
election which placed Messrs. Piersol and
Wilson in office was illegal, and that they
should be allowed to serve out the terms
Tor which they were originally appointed.
They ask Judge Prick, before whom the
suit was brought, to seat the plaintiffs
and GUST the incumbents.
The State is made party to the suit as
plaintiffs without liability, Attorney Gene
raj Fitzgerald having given the permission
required by law.
H.