The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-14
The Contra Costa Accountant
Thinks They Should Not
Be Assessed.
DALToN's OWN ASSESSMENT
Called in Question by an Ex-Deputy
Assessor, Whose Plea Was
Granted.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL
Qn6 RrnadWaV July ID. {

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO GALL
906 Broadway, July IL.
War broke out at the verv beginning OF
the meeting of the Board of Equalization
this afternoon. 1t occurred over the in
PRODUCTION of resolutions asking the As
SCISSOR for a mapbook and assessment
index. The latter was found to be in the
| boarirooms, but he seriously objected to
being forced to make .mapbooks.
| Mr.. Dalton said he had asked the secre-
| tary of the State Board of Equalization
| for sample of the book in question. 1t
was his place to furnish it. The secre-
tary had replied that the Tax Collector
was the best man to suggest the form.
Mr.. Dalton then sought the Tax Collector,
who advised him not to make one for him,
as it was of no use. Dalton said he was
willing to furnish man for the benefit OF
| the board from his Office if they asked for
it. "But if you pass that resolution and
attempt to force me-" he continued, 81
| won't do it, and you can't make me-"
| Supervisor Church declared that the
| board should go on record as desiring to
| accommodate the public, and he favored
the adoption of the resolutions. They were
| then passed, Supervisor Pelouze alone
voting no. He said if the books were of
no use he saw no reason for passing the
| resolutions.
The next trouble was made by w. G.
| Hawkett, formerly a deputy under ex-
| Assessor Leckie. He claimed thatshis as
| sessment of $3.50 for personal properly was
excessive. He considered $3.50 ample. He
did not have any more than that, and bad
turned into the Assessor statement as
required by law.
he continued: 'I have a ten-room
house, furnished, assessed as worth $780,
| Mr.. Dalton has twenty-one room house,
and its furniture is only valued at $780,
Gentlemen, all l want is fair play. don't
want to be punished simply because was
in the Assessors Office four years ago.
Give us fair deal and 1 am satisfied"
Mr.. Dalton asked if his wife had
some diamonds. He admitted she had a
pair of earrings. He was assessed at $500
by the deputy and Mr.. Dalton had raised
it. This Dalton claimed he had right
to do.
The assessment was finally reduced as
desired, with Supervisor Pelouze voting
no. He said he would be willing to vote
aye for a reduction to $500.
The matter of red uction of the assess
ment on the franchise of the Contra Costa
Water Company, being in four distinct pc
titons TO cover each township, was next
taken up. ]. II. w. Watkinson was the
only witness called. He said the fran
chise was nothing of value. Any one
could lay pipes. He knew that fran
| chises were taxable and could be assessed
high or low. He thought, as a matter of
public interest they should be assessed at
nominal value.
William Lair Hill, on behalf of Mr.. Dali
ton, said that the fact that the franchise
, was not exclusive did not make it any the
less valuable. The Supreme Court in the
case of the San Jose Gas Company VS..
! January decided that all franchises were
taxable. Assessor Dalton called the at
tention of the board to the fact that every
, franchise in San Francisco and Oakland
was taxed.
Mr.. Watkinson interposed and said he
would admit their taxation, but that they
had no opposition. The water company
had an opposition which cut into its
, revenue seriously. This caused q smile
among the listeners, but Dalton said he
: knew that there was a statement sworn to
and filed only few years back when the
valuation was set at So, 200, 900. He had
never been able to see that much property
and thought part of that valuation covered
! the franchise. The matter was then taken
under adyisement.
, P. E. Bowles, president of the First Ma
tional Bank, filed his appeal to the board
] for a reduction of the assessment. He
claimed exemption of moneys on deposit
banks are not taxable for city and county
taxes.
Charles NJ. Palmer of the Union Ma
! tional Bank had the same plea. The lat.
{ ter assessment was made against him per
sonally by an agreement between the banl
and the Assessor because the bank had nc
real property. Mr.. Palmer denies that the
1895 shares OF capital stock of the bank il
' assessable to him. He asked that the
whole be Cancelled or eliminated. Tn,
same request was made as to the assess