The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-24
THEIR PETITION !
An Oakland Corporation Sur
prises the Board of
Equalization.
ELECTRIC ROADS ARE CHEAP.
Their Owners Sing Dismal Chorus
About Poverty and Hard
Times.

The first genuine surprise was sprung
upon the County Board of Equalization
yesterday, when the following little note
was placed upon the clerks desk just be-
fore the hour for adjournment:
Clerk of the Board Of Equalization: Please
withdraw our application for reduction of as
sessment JOHN BRITToN,
Secretary Oakland Gas. Light and Heat Com
pany.
When the clerk read the communication
the Supervisors could hardly believe their
eyes.
"That's better than this" said Chairman
Bailey, as he looked at his colleagues. The
this" was the lengthy and detailed ex-
animation of Secretary Stone of the Hay
wards electric road, that consumed all the
afternoon.
Yesterday was entirely spent in listening
to the woes of the street railroad magnates.
William Rank and Senator Denison
pleaded for the Alameda electric road. E.
P. Vandercook, who will ask the Super
visors next Monday for franchise to
Livermore, told OF the low value OF the
East Oakland road. o. Rudolph, an agent
for Borax King f. M. Smith, waited for
the Central avenue line. Frank G. Wood
ward and his cloquence on behalf of the
Highland Park road, and A. l.. Stone, the
man who never gave pass, tried for an
hour to convince the board of the utter
valuelessness of the privilege of running a
passenger, freight and mail service over
the public roads.
experienced. Mr.. Chickering, on behalf
of the Central avenue road, denied a state
ment of Mr. Dalton's relating to bid for
franchise made while the Assessor was a
Councilman. Mr.. Dalton said "You did"
Mr.. Chickering retorted, II didn't" and,
to avoid unpleasantness, Chairman Bailey
said, 'Weli, gentlemen, We don't care who
is right, go on with your testimony
Much data relating to the earnings of,the
roads was introduced during the day, and
it is evident that the bicycle has done a
great deal toward reducing the incomes of
the electric lines. The Highland Park lines
gross income is about $4,000 a year. Its
receipts do not pay operating expenses,
and the manager stated that he had tried
to borrow $4,000 on the receipts, and he
had been told that the whole road is not
worth that amount.
During the examination of Andrew
Stone it was stated that the total earnings
of the Haywards road from July, 1894, to
July, 1895, was $4,000 and the total ex-
pense S149, 600, leaving balance of $1,000
for the stockholders.
GLOW much interest do you pay on
bonGs?" asked Attorney Davis.
"Thirty thousand dollars said Mr..
@And you had $1,000 profit after paying
this?'
Eyes SIR
Then you really made $4,000 with
your road in the past year?'
eyes sir"
Mr. Stone then went on to state, as did
all the other supplicants, that there is less
business this year than last and that the
prospect is gloomy and that it was a sur
prise to him that he had ever been con-
nected with such losing property as an
electric road that only cleared $37 900 in
the past year.
The Supervisors action in reducing the
assessments on the franchises OF the Ala
media Water Company to a nominal figure
has caused Misrepresentation in regard to
the action of the board. Although the
franchises are considered to be valueless,
the Assessors figures on the property are
sustained. and these represent a gross in
crease of over 100 per cent In 1894 the
assessment was 10000. Thi. year the fig
ures are S152, $50.
The application of H. A. Hebbard and
others to have some land OH the tidal canal
placed on the assessment-roll was with
drawn by request
A. Marks, who owns the block bounded
by Twelfth. Franklin, Webster and Thir-
teenth streets, asked to have the assess-
ment reduced from $3S, 375 to $1S,850. The
board will resume its sessions this morning.