The record-union., 1897-08-19
TAX ROLLS NOT YET ALL IN.
THREE COUNTY AUDITORS
STILL TO REPORT.
San Benito Officials Want a Reduc-
tion, or Other Counties
Raised.

The members of the State Board of
Equalization are not having as lively
time of it as in some of the years
gone by, but it may be only the calm
that precedes the storm.
No counties have yet been cited to
show cause why their assessment rolls
should not be increased, but a few have
come forward without any boosting to
ask for reductions. 1t is only when
counties of the magnitude of San Fran
| CISCO Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacra-
mento, Santa Clara, Butte, Tehama,
etc, have hearings before the board
| that the sessions become interesting.
AS the aggregate of the county rolls
is many millions short of what will be
required TO produce enough taxes for
State purposes. the presumption is that
several county rolls will have to be
raised, and that Supervisors, Assessors,
Mayors, Trustees and private citizens
will soon be swarming before the board
to explain why the tax-rolls of their
| respective counties should not be in
creased
| San Benito County had a hearing
| yesterday on its application for a re-
0dNtiOIl lie 1lISl OHlEldl 10 duuIeSS
| the board was Assessor McPhaH. He
had, he said, assessed the property OF
the county up to it's value, and since he
| had compared his work with that of
other Assessors he was convinced that
| San Benito is entitled to reduction.
| The assessments in Merced, Santa Cla-
ia and Fresno Counties were proper
| tionately much lower than in San Benz
| to.
| Assessor McPhall instanced the cases
of the banks. Those of San Benito, he
said, he had assessed fully but fairly,
while in some other counties they had
| escaped anything like a fair assess
ment. The result was the imposition
of burden on San Benito which she
| should not be compelled to bear
| The board was next addressed by Dis
| trict Attorney Hudner. This gentle
man diselaimed any desire to criticise
| the work of Assessor McPhall. He be-
| lieved the latter had been conscientious
in the discharge of his duties and had
made an honest assessment, but this
| he could not say of the Assessors of
some other counties.
| Chairman Morehouse threw out a hint
of what the board may yet do by ask
ing Mr.. Hudner it, in the event other
counties should be raised, he thought
| San Benito would be entitled to a re-
| duction.
| Mr.. Hudner replied that in such case
! he would not expect a reduction 1t
was equalization that he desired, and
| he did not want to have his county
called on to pay more than her proper
share for the support Of the State Gov
ernment
| The board then heard what Super
visor Palmtag had TO offer on the sub
ject He went further than his pre-
decessors, and took the ground that
Assessor McPhall had put up the fig
ures altogether too high for San Benito.
The assessments We're up to those of
last year. whereas values had actually
declined in that county. However, the
Supervisors had not seen fit to make
any big cut in the roll as Assessor Nc
Phall had made his assessments quite
uniform throughout the county
| Shasta, San Francisco and Mendocino
have not yet sent in their Auditors
| statements, but when these are re-
| ceived, the board will probably fix the
dates for hearing such counties as
should, in the judgment of that body,
| have their tax-rolls raised.