The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-16
His Corporations Ask That a
Million Be Taken From
Their Assessments.
Mr.. MoREHoUsE TO APPEAR.
ALI the State Equalizers Subpenaed
to Come Forward and Make
Explanations.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,
QnS Rrnadwav I11lu Is

made by the Southern Pacific is that it is
being assessed twice for the same track in
this county. Mr.. Dalton has discovered
that there are 200 miles of track in this
county and the State board assesses only
nlnety-six, and he declares he is certainly
entitled to tax the remaining 104. This
statement caused the board to issue sub
penas for ell the members of the State
Board of Equalization to explain matters.
No less than ten applica tons for reduc-
ton of assessments were filed to-day by
E. Black Ryan in behalf of the various
Southern Pacific corporations. They in
cluded the Southern and Central Pacific
Railroad companies, the Pacific Improve
m ent Company and the Oakland Railway
Company (San Pablo and Telegraph ave-
nue. car lines) which ask ed for a total re-
duction of 81, 4O4, 615.
Immediately on the boards coming to
order this morning the clerk read letter
from c. NJ. Coglan, clerk of the State
Board of Equaliza ton. He said the board
would meet next Monday, and as soon as
the request for an extension OF ten days
time was acted upon ne would wire the re-
suit As the matter now stands the Board
of EQUALIZATION must make all calculation
upon closing up its business on next Mon
day. No case can be set for hearing after
time is granted and that fact cannot now
be ascertalped until noon Monday at the
earliest.
Mr.. Ryan then took the floor and pre-
scented his petitions one at time. He
made his arguments in each case as he
presented II. which took him until nearly
u o'clock. The first was the Southern
Pacifics assessment upon one-third OF a
mile of roadway into the gravel pit at
Niles, assessed at $500, and one-fourth of a
mile of roadway TO a wine cellar at Irving
ton at $400, and a sidetrack at Newark for
$500. The Central Pacific Company's
case followed. 1t was assessed for three
and a half miles of railroad and rolling
stock at $125, 600, forty miles OF sidetrack
at 100000, franchise $250,000, Long Wharf
$250. 600.
In taking up the first case Mr.. Ryan
said: "Y our petitioner AYERS that the
State Board of Equalization only has the
power to assess the above property, under
article XII, section 10, of the constitution
of the State of California; that your petit
toner operates its railroad in more than
one county in the State, to wit, in more
than fourteen counties, and has made re-
turn of all the above property to said
board and said board will assess the same
for the year 1896; that said board has
assessed said property for years past, and
the taxes thereon have been paid.
In denying the right OF Mr.. Dalton to
line, Mr. Ryan said: The franchise of
that line has been amalgamated with the
Central Pacific franchise and the city OF
Oakland has no control over that line.
That franchise is now extinct.
The request is for a reduction of the
Southern Pacific assessment from $4,000 to
IS, and the Central Pacific from $685., 900 to
So on the above grounds. Continuing,
Mr.. Ryan said, 1--WE offer no objection to
the amount Of Mr.. Dalton's assessment
but the State board claims the right to
and has always heretofore assessed this
property, which cannot be doubly as
sessed. / would rather accept Mr.. Dali
tons figures. personally, for they are less
than the State board assesses us. The real
contention should be between Mr.. Dalton
and the State board
Then came the petition of the Northern
Railway Company asking for reduction
from $4,000 to $40. This is the Berkeley
branch from Shell Mound. Mr.. Ryan
made the same claim for exemption as in
the cases before mentioned. In the case
of the ferry depot at the end OF the mole
the figures were $3.50 900 for Improvements.
He asked that these be reduced to $50, 00O
and $1,000 respectively, and Tor evidence as
10 their value referred the board to the
testimony in their possession taken last
year of w. S. Palmer, the com pany's resi-
dent engineer. The narrow-gauge depot
was assessed at $45,000 and was only
testimony OF l.. Fillmore, taken last year.
The Pacific Improvement Company
asked that the assessment OF S134 $50 on
the undivided interest in tract OF marsh
land equal to 449 50 acres be reduced to
$50, 600. This land is situated on the Ala
media shore of tue Oakland harbor along.
side the narrow-gauge tracks. The Cen.
trail Pacific had about sixty acres of marsh
land over there which the Assessor had
assessed at $500 per acre, making a total Of
SIS, 600. This they asked to have reduced
to $500. Mr.. Ryan said the land wa:
worth nothing. If he had to improve il
he would not take it for q gift. He closed
by asking the board to go over and see il
themselves.
Assessor Dalton answered these state
ments. He first produced the State
statutes, and turning to section 1866 read
Within twenty days after the firsr
Monday in August the board must appor
ton the total assessment of the franchise
roadway rails and rolling-stock of eact
railway to the counties, or cities and coun
ties, in which such railway is located il
proportion to the number of miles of rail
way laid in such counties and cities anc
counties" He thou hit that the Stat
Board of Equalizers should apportion t,
Alameda County the taxes on the entir'
length OF the road In this county. He helc
that the main and side tracks should be
counted in the total. This was against th
stand taken by Ryan, who claimed thai
the ninety-six miles assessed was all there
was to assess.
Mr.. Dalton produced the figures of thu
State board and submitted them to thu
board. They are:
SOUTH PACIFIC COAST RAILROAD COMPANY.
Mileage of main track in State, 96.16.
lotal assessment, 81, 3OO,oO0.
MAIN track in Alameda County, 81 40 miles
Assessed value per mile, $13,519 ID.
Total assessed value for county, $425.312.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY.
Length OF main line in State, 1736.40 miles.
Total assessed value, $16 $50, 600.
Length OF main track in county, j 40 miles
Assessed value per mile, $9358 A.
TOTAL assessment for Alameda County
$13, 102
NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY.
Length of main track in State. 1928 miles
Iotal assessed value. SIS, 100000.