The San Francisco call., 1897-07-31
STATEMENTS OF
THE RAILROADS
EqualizerS Are Asked to
Reduce Assess
mentS.
E. Black Ryan Tells Of the
Southern PaCifiC'S Loss
of Business.
Tales of Wos From Representative
of Other Lines and the Pull
man Company.

SACRAMENTO, Call, July 80. = Yes
terday was set for the appearance before
the State Board of Equalizers of repre-
sentatives of the Southern Paclhc COM
pany and all its leased lines, the Atlantic
and Pacific Railroad and the Pullman
Palace Car Company. Neither corpora
ton was repre- sented, although 1t was e4-
pected that E. 3. Ryan would be present
ON behalf of the Southern Pacific Com
pany.
The statement of the Southern Pacific
shows that outside its leased lines it owns
and operates 1543.64 miles OF road in this
State. The value OF the entire road way,
road bed and rails in the State IS placed at
SIS, ,644, $50. The earnings were 50, o57. o4o 81
and expenses 81, ,025, 424 92 in and out OF the
State for the year ending Decem Der 81, 1896.
Other receipts aggregated 81, 1854 "a and
payments So. 168, ,939 50, leaving a def
cIency OF $33 8, 951 II. The sum OF So 000,
1893 49 was paid ior interest and 500, 900
INTO the company's sinking fund.
The Pullman Company represents in
it's statements that in this State the mile
age over which its cars are operated is
9l8, and the proportion due to all the
counties for assessment SIS. 97S, its inter
est with the Central Pacific being one
Pacific is also one-quarier, the mileage in
six counties 400, and the proportion due
those counties S10 479 "a. The company
operates its own cars Oil 564 miles of road.
and its proportion OF taxes amounts to
$17 76l 5S.
An interesting question has arisen as to
the assessment OF 242.5 miles OF road be-
tween Moiave ana The Needles, in San
Bernardino County, which is owned by
the Southern Pacific Company and is
leased to the Atlantic and Pacific Com
pany. Heretofore this piece of road has been
included in the statement of the South
ern Pacific Company and assessed to II.
But this year the company has omitted it
from its statement, and it is placed in the
return OF the Atlantic and Pacific.
1t appears that the Southern Pacific
taxes The other road for its share of the
assessment, and that the reason for that
portion of the road being included in the
return to the Atlantic and Pacific Com
pany is because the latter, if assessed sep
arately and apart from the Southern Paci-
tic, would not have to pay out so much
money for taxes and other expenses. At
the present time the entire Southern Pa
cihc system is assessed for each mile,
which the law provides, and that portion
leased by the Atlantic and Pacific is as
sessed equally with the remaining portion
of the system. Hence, if the 24251 miles
of road is assessed separate ely, the burden
will not be so heavy on the latter road,
which is the case now on account OF being
taxed by the owners OF the road for its
snare of the assessment. In speaking OF
the matter this evening one OF the board
said;
"No matter what conclusion may be ar
rived at, there is one thing | can promise
positively, and that is that the State shall
not be wronged III any way over this con-
test between corporations"
The probabilities are that the piece OF
road 242 miles long lying between Mojave
and the Needles. belonging to the South
ern Pacific Company but leased to the
Atlantic and Pacific Company, the assess
ment of which has been under dispute
between the two companies, will be
assessed to the latter at the valuation of
5000 per mile, where formerly the South
ern Pacific was obliged to pay an assess
ment on this piece of track at valuation
of $4,000 per mile, and ii this concession be
granted by the State Board of Equaliza-
ton, which it will be without doubt it
will be due to the efforts and eloquence OF
Judge c. n. Sterry, the attorney and
solicitor for he Atlantic and Pacific, who
appeared in their behalf to-day.
4 e. b. Ryan. who appeared to-day on
behalf OF the Southern Pacific Com pany,
declared in the course of his argument
tAdI tAc OAty tiu0 WdJ W aoocSo ioiIiOaOo
was to first ascertain their net earnings.
The speaker said he has been met with
proposition that the farmers earn little or
nothing from the operations of their
farms. This is the same fix, Mr.. Ryan
said, the Southern Pacific is placed in.
The company had found it necessary to
curtan expenses in every possible way
where such action was not detrimental to
the road and did not jeopardzs the safety
of passengers and transportation OF
freight. Referring 10 the South Pacific
Coast road, he claimed that the road pro-
duoed nothing during 1895 save deficit
OF $75 600; and while he believed it to be
the best narrow-gaLge road in the State.
he asked that its assessment be reduced to
$4,000 per mile. Reverting to the matter
of the assessment of the en- tire system,
Mr.. Ryan asked the board to take into
consideration the fact that in the San
Joaquin Valley the road he represented
was paralleled by another road competing
with it in every particular.
Z. w. Clark OF the Pacific Coast Rail-
road gave the net earnings of his road for
last year as $11, 900, and requested that the
assessment on his road be reduced $1,000
per mile.
J. P Meehan of the Pullman Car Com
pany stated that thirteen Pullman cars
and twenty-five tourist cars had been
turned over 20 the Southern Pacific Com
pany to be made into day coaches, and in
consequence he asked that that mum Der
be stricken from last years assessment
roll.