The San Francisco call., 1896-08-22
FAVOR|NG THE
SOUTHERN PACIFIC,
Curious Figures From the
State Board of Equal
ization.
IN WAREHOUSES; NAME.
How It's Assessment Per Mile
Compares With the Central
Pacific.
A STARTLING DISCREPANCY.
The Reports to the Auditor Are Signed
by Chairman Morehouse
Alone.
A STARTLING DISCREPANCY

Auditor Broderick received communi-
cation from the State Board of Equalza-
ton yesterday that Will prove very
interesting to those who are familiar with
the history and inside workings of the
Southern and Central Pacific railroads and
may be the cause of some very searching
questions being asked the board and par
ticularly Chairman Morehouse.
Brief dispatches from Sacramento pub
lished in the San Francisco papers on the
4th inst. announced that the valuation of
the Southern Pacific Company's property
for assessment purposes had been in
creased by several hundred thousand
dollars, and that the valuation of other
roads had been slightly decreased. No
mention was made of the most interesting
portion of the boards action relating to
the assessments OF valuation of the various
roads per mile or of the startling dis
crepancv between the valuation plaeed on
the Southern and Central Pacific COM
panies' property per mile.
The document received by the Auditor
stated that on August the board had
considered the railroad assessments and
had fixed that of the Southern Pacific at
SIG, ,573 334 on 1770.95 miles within the
State, of which 7.36 miles are within the
City and County of San Francisco. The
report on this company concludes as fol-
lows:
The assessed value per mile of said railway,
as fixed by pro rata distribution per mile oi
the assessed value of the whole franchise, rail-
way roadbed, rails and rolling stock of such
railway of the said company within this State
is $935S A.
The portion OF the road within this City
and county must pay taxes on $6S,878.
In reference to the Central Pacific the
board reports that it has placed the total
valuation at $13, 100000 on 746.76 miles of
road within the State of California, of
which 2.46 miles are within the City and
County of San Francisco, and on which
taxes must be paid on $40, 825. The valua-
ton per mile is placed at $17. .40S So.
The figures which stand out conspicu-
ousIy in the report are those relating to
the valuation per mile, the difference be-
ing $8050 09 per mile in favor of the South
ern Pacific.
In view of the well-known fact that the
Southern Pacific is far better built and
equipped than the Central Pacific these
figures are looked upon as very remark
able, particularly in view of the TACT that
the San Francisco and San Mateo road,
with its simple equipment and inexpensive
roadbed, is assessed at $57S8 SO per mile.
Perhaps the queerest thing about the
report is the manner in which it is signed.
The pages relating to the Southern and
Central Pacific companies have spaces at
the bottom for the signatures of all of the
members of the board. but in each instance
the only name that appears is that oi
Chairman Morehouse, apparently showing
that Messrs. Arnold, Beamer and Cheese
brough, the other members, eitherhad no
hand in the making up of the figures OF
did not approve OF them.
The law requires that the State Board OF
Equalization must assess the railroads and
transmit the results of their deliberations
to the Auditor so that the necessary por-
tions can be inserted in the Assessor 8
books before they leave his hands.