The record-union., 1895-08-17

He thought the cold, adobe land around
the bays was assessed too high. many of
them producing no income to their own
erS.
In the afternoon Controller Colgan
went after Mr.. Splitter with sharp stick
on the question of the assessment OF trees,
be and Mr.. Morehouse claiming that by
low assessment on trees on few choice
small pieces of land Splitter mad done an
injustice to other taxpayers having
equally good land but no trees, but the
latter and the Supervisors did not see it
in that light.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.
Frank Mattison. Assessor of Santa
Cruz. and f. a. Him. a taxpayer and ex-
Supervisor, were the next to tace the
music.
AT the request of Mr.. Mattison a COM
munication was read from B. +. Porter.
forty-year resident in the county, who
claimed that the county was assessed en-
tirely too high in proportion TO the as
sessment of his property in several other
counties.
Mr. Mattison said that there was de-
crease in the roll this year from last
years assessment OF $3.50, 4l5, or Bill pei
cent. The county had a boom in 1887 and
on the following year raise of nearly
two million dollars, and in 1892 and 1893
he had made a similar raise, principally
on railroad and other corporations. PeO-
pie are 10th to admit that there has been
a depreciation in their property. but it
has much deprecated within the past
two years.
AT Santa Cruz, during the boom. con-
siderable acreage was cut up into lots,
which sold well to non-residents, but
cannot at present be sold for one-ti fifth the
price paid for them. Here was the main
reduction made by him on inside prop
erty. There is also general depreciation
in the lumber business, on account of
which he had reduced the assessment on
timber lands.
Mr.. Him, who is large timber land
owner, said that lumber was lower than
ever before and that labor was also low
and building improvements should not
be assessed as high as IN the past. He
was offering his lots and other property
at greatly reduced rates from a couple of
years ago, but could find little or no sale
for it, even at those figures. The banks
in which lie was a director were trying 10
keep up the price of their lots and realize
as much as possible from them.
Mr.. Cheese brOugh asked Mr.. Him
about a block of his property that was
assessed for $50, 900, and which brought
il 500 a month, and which was called the
best property in town. Mr.. Him said it
was not the best. There was better prop
erty there.
Mr.. Cheesebrough took advantage OF
Mr.. Hihn's statements to pull little
notebook on him and question him on
number of assessments that seemed to
show a discrepancy between apparent
values and the assessments, and in some
instances between a mortgage and an as
sessment, but Mr.. Him seemed TO think
the assessments were fully high enough.
Mr.. Arnold asked how it was that the
City Bank returned only S400 for furni-
ture aud typewriter, when the Bank Of
Hollster turned in Sl24,0 in county
bonds, warrants and other solvent credits
that had been turned III by the Assessor
OF San Benito County.
The Assessor said that the banks paid
taxes on their mortgages.
In the evening Assessor Merritt of
Monterey County, with Supervisor Thos.
G.. Field, ex-Mayor Ball and Jesse D.
Carr of Salinas, and d. Jacks, a large
landowner, asked lenieney for that
county.
They presented statements showing
the depreciation of farming and other
property in their county and the fact that
low prices had rendered the land nom
supporting, and for these reasons ask ed
reduction in the assessment OF the
county.
They also argued that the assessment
roll had been steadily increasing since
1890 in spite of these adverse circum-
stances, and should therefore be lowered.