The herald., 1897-11-25

IOlu survey dSScSScu WltA lliRIONc-
ments for 1896; no improvements ex-
listed.
"A. T. Lane, south 60 feet Of lot s.
block 8. Ord's survey; assessed with i'm
provements for 1896; no improvements
existed; this is business property.
Meyers Marius, real estate; assessed
for $500 when the same should have been
$4,000, according to the records on file
in the assessors Office.
| Lots 1, and 8, block X, East Los
Angeles View tract; escaped assessment
for 1896.
Lots 43 and A, block 3, Meadow Glen
tract; sold for taxes because the same
was assessed in the name of e. Sherrer
instead of e. Sperer.
John Mansfield, lot B, block 20, Ord's
survey; assessed with improvements for
1896; no improvements existed"
| 1 do not charge either negligence or
incompetency to my predecessor, be-
cause 1 believe he was most competent
and efficient assessor. Notwithstanding
that fact, many errors crept into the as
sessment roll, either through the incom
petence or negligence OF some of his
deputies. Such errors have and always
will occur in any assessors office.
The city assessors office for the first
time in many years is Democratic. The
Republicans lost much patronage by the
change. Many were thrown out of en-
ployment that would be delighted to re-
sumo their old berths. l don't blame
them. So it is quite plain that the
furious bombardment kept up on the
city assessors office has method in it.
ic inc ~ docira
to publish the news that causes those
long articles that are appearing in a
morning paper. To illustrate: One day
last week eight petitions were filed with
the board of supervisors asking for re-
bates for alleged errors in the county as
SCISSORS office. About the same time one
petition was filed in the city clerks
office for an alleged error in the city as
SCISSORS office. While over one-half col
umn was devoted by the Times to the
one petition filed with the city clerk,
there was not a paper in the city that
devoted more than six lines to the eight
| petitions filed with the board of super
visors. Comment is unnecessary. 1t
makes all the difference in the world
whose OK is gored.
| This mornings Times devotes about
one-half column telling about the omis-
sion of the old one-horse car line on
Mateo street from assessment. From
the amount of space devoted to this mat
ter one would suppose that said car line
was of fabulous value. 1t was assessed
by my Republican predecessor for the
sum of $500. If assessed at the same val
uation this year the tax would amount
to the enormous sum of S6.25. But that
1925 shall not be lost to the city, because
the law permits an assessment next year
Of double it's value by reason of said
omission.
If the Republicans who are in state
Of extreme perturbation because said
corporations cannot be compelled to pay
that 1925 until next year will only search
the records of the city assessors office
and size UP the valuations that have
been placed on the property of the Los
Angeles City Water company during six
years last past they may be thrown
into paroxysms of grief and rage on ac-
count of the thousands of dollars lost to
the city by undervaluations of that cor
poration's property. For six years fol-
lowing 1890 the franchise Of the water
company was assessed at $4,000 each
|
900, and should have been valued at the
same rate during all the six years men,
toned Owing to the recklessness of
| Republican city assessors the city has
lost nearly $4,000. For Republican assess
ors to indirectly give wealthy corpora
ton nearly $4,000 that ought to have
gone into the city treasury is scarcely
worth mentioning by prominent news
| 1~,,t fA, ~.
payment Of $6.25 for one year is almost
criminal l admit that errors have been
made by some of my deputies-just such
errors as have occurred in this office for
years, but never before have errors been
paraded before the public by the news
papers so persistently as they have this
year. The most insignificant errors have
in many instances been grossly exag-
gerated. Although some of my deputies
\ were inexperienced, yet much additional
work not heretofore required by the Of
flee was imposed upon them. Nearly
ten square miles of territory were added
| to this city and had to be assessed by
the city assessor for the first time. Be-
sides, my predecessor had failed to make
record of the improvements for ten
months previous to my induction in of
flee, which added to the burdens of the
deputies
Suppose piece of property escapes
assessment this year? The law contem-
plates just such errors and provides that
property that escapes assessment one
year may be assessed for double it's value
the succeeding year. Therefore the city
will lose nothing by such an error. If q
double assessment occurs the law per-
mits the city to return one assessment.
as 1t ought to do. This has been done
for years. as thousands of our citizens
can testify from experience.
| The reader can readily see that all
this hue and cry has much political sig
nificance; that molehills have been mag
nified into mountains and probably will
be for months to come, because there is
much patronage hanging in the balance,
as there Is to be another election the
coming year.
L. s. SEAMAN, City Assessor.
Nov. "a, 1897.
Tennysons biographer had to make