The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-14
WAS AFRAID OF PUBLICITY
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION FIXES
RAILWAY ASSESSMENT

cepted-City Will Collect Taxes
on 100000 Less Than Last Year
What the Board Says About Its
Action in Explanation OF 1t.
As was anticipated by The G o b e,
the assessment Of the city railway COM
pany was fixed without any public
discussion by the board of equalization
Without dissenting vote, and appar-
emily without going into the matter at
all, the board agreed that the return
made by the assessor was equitable
ard fixed the value OF the property Of
the company at $401 900 and the value
of the franchise at $500 000 If the
company eventually proves to the salts
FACTION of the courts that the county
has no right TO tax the franchise, then
the total valuation will be $401, 900.
The fixing of the assessment of the
street car company was the only thing
that was of material interest before the
board yesterday. The labors of the
members ended early in the afternoon,
all of the assessments taken under ad-
visemeIut and not especially acted upon
being disposed of at one time, a reese
luton TO the effect that the return of
the assessor be allowed to stand in each
case being passed. 1t will be soma
days before the gross amount of the
" IL. III
board raised the total from the amount
of the assessment rolls as submitted
about 10000, 100000 being added to
the real estate valuation and SIS, 900 to
the personal returns. The total assess
ment will be in the neighborhood of
S99, 600 as compared with something
over $91 000, 600 last year. The largest
decreases were made in the assess
n}e----s for the gas and street car com
paLles. The gas company was cut
down about $500 900, and the street car
company was given the benefit of a
scaling down to the extent of $780, 900.
Exactly the same conditions as to val
ues prevailed in the status of both the
companies, but the board took a diff
ferent view of matters than the equali-
cation board Of a year ago.
Inc morning session was given up to
the adjusting of small assessments, and
nothing of moment was done. AS soon
as the board met in the afternoon the
street railway company was brought
up. There was an entire absence of
interested parties, and it was clear
when Clerk Griswold called the title of
the assessment that it was already dis
posed of.
Assemblyman Benson at once moved
that the return of the assessor stand
Commissioner Hardick seconded the
motion. 1t was put and carried unan-
imously.
1t afterwards transpired that the
members of the board had gone into
the matter privately, though it was
not stated when or where the eXecu-
tive session was held Commissioner
Hardick said that the assessment of
the assessor was accepted because the
city would get more out of it by MAX
ing the assessment $T01 ,o00 than if it
was placed at million and a half He
explained the method by which he and
the others had arrived at this conclu-
sion, but he did not explain why the
members Of tie county board wera will
ing to pass the assessment as it stood.
when II materially lowered the amount
that The county would get out of it.
The reasons which moved the board
t. the action taken are said to lie in
the provisions of ordinance 1927. 1t is
there provided that the street car com
pany shall pay to the city a tax Of
. per cent on the gross earnings when
the general tax does not equal the
gross earnings Of the road 1t was
assumed by the board that if the as
sessment was placed at more than
SOL Geo, then the general tax would
be greater than the gross earnings and
therefore there would be no gross earn
ines tax to be collected. The tax on
the general assessment is 81 mills. OF
this the city receives y and siX-tenths
mills. II the general assessment had
been placed at, say 100000, no gross
earnings tax could be collected, as the
general taxation would exceed the
gross earnings and the city would re-
ceiVe as its share of such assessment
Slz,60O. With the assessment lower
than the grCss earnings, the city would
get more money. The ordinance pro-
vides that the 8 per cent shall be col
lected on the difference between the
assessment and the gross earnings,
when the latter shall exceed the for
n'er. Auditor Sullivan, Assessor Seng
and some other statisticians on the
board figured en- this to such good pur-
lose that the assessment as fixed by
the assessor was conceived to be Just
what the city wanted and it went that
way.
1t is not easy to guess where this as
seSSmSnt will leave the county in the
contest that is now being waged in
the courts with regard to last years
assessment. The street railway COM
pany is fighting the assessment Of ST.
G00,C0O, because it includes the fran
clise. Two years ago the assessment
was made at $1176,00 the principal
item Of difference between 1896 and
this year being in the assessed value
of property not classified. Two years
ago this last item was put in at $780,
Geo. This year the same property is
put in at $175,000.
The return made this year is CLASH
fled this way:
Rolling stock, 100000; seven horses.
$500; one clock, $25; office furniture
$500; franchise. 100000 added by the