The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-18
SAN FRANC|SCO'S
WEIGHT OF AXES
Merchants Trying to Have
It Kept as Low as
Possible.
ASK FOR MORE TIME.
Preparing for the Meeting Of the
State Board of Equali-
cation.
IN DANGER OF A BIG RAISE.
A Committee Appointed to Protect the
City = Resolutions and
kilograms.
IN DANGER OF A BIG RAISE.

The Merchants' Association, aroused to
unusual activity by the prospect of having
| the last assessment of property in San
Francisco raised by the State Board of
Equalization. called Hieeting of business
men and taxpayers yesterday.
The meeting was held in the assembly
rooms of the Mills building and was
thoroughly representative gathering. The
real estate men attend ID in force and to-
gether represented over 5000, DOC, 900 worth
OF taxable real estate in this City.
The result of the meeting was a tele-
gram to Sacramento asking that the State
board delay action until San Francisco
can properly present her case, a series of
resolutions which clearly announce the
sentiment of the men assembled and the
appointment of committee of five to
take up the City's fight and carry it
through.
The telegram sent was as follows:
BAN FRANCISCO, Aug. II, 1896.
To the State Board Of Equalization, State Cap
ftoL, Sacramento: The Mayor, the chairman OF
the City Board of Equalization, the Assessors
Office and the Merchants Association respect
fully request an extension of two weeks time
in which they wish to be heard relative to
subject OF valuations in this City, inasmuch as
the assessment as now made is known to be in
excess OF true values. ADDRESS immediately 10
MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION.
The resolutions were as follows:
WHEREAS. 1t appears from reliable data fur
niShed by the property-Owners of the City and
County of San Francisco that the assessed val
uatfon Of property in San Francisco exceeds
in many. instances its actual value; ana
whereas, the assessm ent roll has been increased
in the present fiscal year 10 about 1857
000, 600, being an increase of about $50 0OO,-
600 over the assessed valuation of the past ifs
-,
and whereas, the present assessed valuation OF
property in San Francisco is comparatively
higher than in other counties throughout the
State; therefore, be it
Resolved BY the members of the Merchants
Association and the property-owners of San
Francisco, In meeting assembled this seven
teenth Q7th) day of August, 1896, that the
State Board of Equalization be hereby earn
estly and urgently requested to forego any in
crease in the present assessed valuation of
property in the City of San Francisco; and
| be it
Resolved That we appeal to the sense of JUS
| tice of the State Board of Equalization and
take respecting the assessment of this City,
and If any alteration is made in the present
assessment that it be in the nature or reduc-
ton instead of an increase, because OF depre-
citation in real estate.
The committee appointed consists
of M. A.. Rothchifd, o. f. Won Rhein,
James Kelly, A. s. Baldwin and Colonel
Little.
The action of the merchants was taken
because ct present the Board OF Super
visors, which is the proper body to attend
to such matters, is on vacation, and I'M
less the matter was attended to at once 1t
was as we'll not to do anything.
! President Dohrmann opened the proceed
ings by explaining the situation, and an
nounced as the object of the meeting the
solution OF the question, What was to be
done to prevent the assessment from be-
ing raised?" He then asked A. s. Bald
win to address the meeting
Mr.. Baldwin said it had been the policy
of the State board to take certain sales Of
property and upon them to base the rate
OF assessment. In doing so, he continued,
the board takes only those sales which
illustrate and lead to the point
sought to be made. The entire assess
ment, he said, should not be raised Just
because some assessments are irregular,
but, he remarked, that was Just what was
being done.
The assessment-roll of this City, he said
is farce. No city in the Union has roll
so irregular, so inaccurate and so useless.
Some property, he went on, had been sold
for less than the assessed valuation, and
he asserted that. II such thing were pos
sible, II all San Francisco should be sold
it would not bring the amount at which it
is now assessed. And this figure will be
raised at Sacramento unless something be
done. He suggested ting a COM
mittee to collect data to submit to the
| State board.
Thomas Magee then spoke. He said
that the real-estate men of the City are
always willing to help the Assessor, but
they had not been called upon. Mr..
Siebe, he continued, had promised the
nom partisans that he would seek such
information when making assessments
but he had never done so.
! Then Mr.. Won Rhein moved that the
chairman, Mr.. Dohrman, and Colonel
Taylor of the Supervisors, Colonel Little
representing the Mayor, and Mr.. Briggs
representing the Assessor, should be ap-
| pointed committee to seek further time
from the State board. He wished at least
| two weeks.
| Mr. Briggs of the Assessors office was
then called for to speak to the motion.
/ Mr.. Briggs was not prepared to say
whether or not San Francisco could secure
more time. His Office, he continued, had
| furnished all the data possible, and it
| could do no more. Continuing, he said
that the assessments this year had been in
great measure based on the sales of 1894
and 1895, and they were undoubtedly q
| little irregular. He said, too. there was
no doubt but that San Francisco was
assessed fully Is per cent higher than any
other city or county in the State.
| Regarding remarks made that property
was being assessed too high, he said that
if any one who believed an over-assess-
ment had been made would come out to
| the office and show where such existed the
Assessor would be glad to hear from him
and consider the question.
| One gentleman asked Mr.. Briggs who
made the assessment. He believed Mr..
Briggs made the assessment himself, and
he had found that Mr.. Briggs had been
very hard to approach.
Mr.. Dohrman declined to hear anything
of the past, but Mr.. Magee believed that it
was necessary to show TO the State board
| that the Assessor ana the Assessors office
were alone the cause of the over assess
ments. Such pertinent questions, how
ever, were ruled out. 1t was future con-
dition, not one past that confronted them,