The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-15
Personal PROPERTY VALUATION
WELL FILLED OUT BY THE
LOCAL BOARD.
JOBBERS' PLEA IS GRANTED.
HEIR ASSESSMENTS ARE LEFT
SUBSTANTIALLY AS THEY
WE'RE RETURNED.
IDS SESSION FINISHED
with the Formal Confirmation of
the Assessment as Returned
and Afterward Revised.

AS a result Of the deliberations of
the board of equalization, which came
to an end yesterday, the assessors
valuation of personal property in RAM
sey county has been raised about 81
900, 900. To be more exact, the increase
is approximately 81, 1856, 900. The institu-
lions, the valuations of whose personal
property have sustained the bulk Of
the increase, are the ST. PaulC City Rail-
way and the st. Paul Gas
Light which were raised
nearly 81, 800, 900 over the assessors fig
ures. The ST. Paul Trust company
also came in for a substantial raise
of ST., 900 over the assessors report.
The total personal property valua-
ton for the entire city n county
made by the assessor was $12. 635, 924,
that of the city being $12,3 1884, 465. The
action of the board brings the total
valuation up to approximately SIS, 000,-
900.
The board reconsidered the assess
ments of the street railway company
n st. Paul Gas Light company at
the afternoon session. Action was also
taken on the assessment Of the job
bers the very last thing before adjourn
ment
After disposing Of a few individual
applications for reductions, Mr.. Kirke,
the chairman of the committee ap-
pointed to Investigate and report as to
the valuation of the personal property
Of the st. Paul City Railway COM
pany, announced that, while the COM
pany had invited the committee to go
to MINNEAPOLIS and inspect it's books,
he, Mr.. Kirke, had not had time to
respond to the invitation. The other
two members also said they had not
found time to inspect the books in
Minneapolis.
Mr.. Kirke then expressed the opinion
that the city Of st. Paul would not
receive much more if the street car
were assessed at 1000, 900
than it received az it's share of the
tax paid by the company in 1896. The
city's portion under a valuation of
50. OOOoO 0 would not, Mr.. Kirke declared,
exceed $50, 20O.
Mr.. Kirke thereupon moved that
the vote by which the valuation was
raised to 50, 0O0, 900 be reconsidered.
The motion was lost by the tie vote
of 4 to 4, Messrs. Hardick, Kirke, Lar
son and Sullivan voting in the affirm
ative, and Messrs. Kaldunskl, Quehl,
Reardon and Mayor Doran opposing a
reconsideration. The matter was
dropped for the time being, and, on
motion of Mr.. Kirke, the vote by winch
the assessment of the st. Paul Gas
was fixed at 81, 800, 900 was re-
considered.
Mr.. Kirke moved that the gas conf
pany's assessment be reduced to $l,oUo,-
OOO. Mr.. Kaldunski offered as an
amendment hat the assessment De re-
duced to SLIP, 1913. This was in reality
a reduction of only $780, 900, the remain
ing SIT, 6O2 being the assessment OF the
Edison Electric Light and Power COM
pany, a branch Of the gas company. MI
Kaldunski's amendment was lost by a
tie vote. The question then REQUIRED
on Mr.. Kirke's motion to reduce the
valuation to 81, 900, 900. This was also
| lost by a tie vote, as follows:
Yeas-Hardick, Kirke, Larson
Mayor Doran; nays, haluullshl'
| Ouehl, Reardon, Sullivan.
Mr.. Kirke then moved h a the as
sessment be reduced to $9Zz,5So.
whereupon Mr.. Kaldunski again re-
newed his amendment, placing the
valuation at S. LIP, 1898. This time the
amendment was adopted by a unanl-
nous vote, and the assessment vas
so fixed.
Mr.. Hardick then renewed his mo-
tion for a reconsideration of the as
sessment of the st. Paul City Kali
way. company. The motion prevailed
by a vote of six to two. Messrs.
Quehl n Kaldunski Directing. Mr..
Hardick moved that the assessment
of the street car company be educe
from So 900, 900 to 81, $50, 900, and that
! the $3.50, 900 be taken out of item u
designated as tracks and ~trackage.
This motion likewise prevailed by the
same vote, Quehl and Kaldunski be-
ing the only DIRECTORS.
Before the formal resolution to con-
firm the entire assessment of the city
n county was finally adopted, Mr..
Kirke, on behalf of the committee APP
pointed to consider the assessment of
the jobbers, made a statement. Mr..
Kirke reported that the committee
after inspecting the books and ac-
counts Of the jobbers, found their re-
turns to be in proportion to the aver
age assessment of the personal prop
erty of other business concerns, lame
ly 35 per cent of their value. Some
mitted, showed only 25 per cent of
the full value, while others showed
so per cent, so that the average was
fully So per cent.
Therefore the committee recon-
mended that zone Of the jobbers' as
sessments be increased.
When Mr.. Kirke proposed that his
verbal report be spread Upon the
records. there was instant objection.
Mr.. Reardon, who was a member of
the committee. was emphatic in his
disapproval of the suggestion.
II don't want to be placed on rec
ord in this matter" exclaimed Mr..
Reardon. THE business was trans
acted at a secret session, in spite of
my protest"
Accordingly no minutes were made
of Mr.. Kirke's verbal report, but the
board allowed the returns made by
the iobbers to stand as the assess
ment of each house, as shown in the
tabuiated statement hereto appended.