The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-31
Assessed Valuation This Year
Will Be $55,00O,o00.
INCREASE OVER 1899, $40, 900, 900
business Realty and Tide and Tim
Der Lands to stand MOST OF '"e
Advance-Assessor's Policy Is TO
Make Conservative Estimates
That King County May Not he
Forced to Pay Too Much to stnte'

King county's assessed valuation this
year will be close 10 5000 0o0. or slO"9.Op
more than Il was I'm 1899. This estimate is
made by r. +. Kendall chief deputy eoun-
ty assessor and is based upon the plans
OF his office relative 70 fixing the valua-
tion and readjustinE assessments on all
property Under the state law the as
sessed value Of 1897 had 10 stand for three
years which ended with the appraisements
Of 1899. There will, therefore. be new
schedule OF values this season. which Will
be the same to be followed in 1901. Under
the new system Establishments are here
after TO be made every alternate year.
Business men and large property owners
have manifested considerable interest In
the plans OF the assessor this year, and
a few days ago were on the point Of hay
ing a committee named TO meet with him
10 Ak the readjustment to the satisfaction
OF all. But the plans have already been
made, and are being carried out by field
force OF thirty-two men, who have been
at work since March |. Five OF these are
working on city real estate and improve
ments that have been made In the last
year. The 1900 assessment will be COM
pieted by August !.
There will be tolerably uniform in
crease In the appraised valuation OF bust
ness property on First. Second and Third
residence districts Of the city the advance
Will be 10 to Is per cent. Timber lands are
to be raised 10 to 20 per cent There VIII
probably be no important change In the
valuation OF agricultural lands and coun-
try property. II Is believed that the es-
tablished values OF this class Of property
have been somewhat excessive. and that u
will therefore he unnecessary to raise them
for the present, In 1897 reduction of
emf IA a., fha
OF all country property
The intention of the assessor Is 10 make
only conservative advance In the esti-
mates II is recognized that the value OF
all kinds OF property has gone up to n
great extent In the last three years, but in
some cases II is considered that this ad-
vance has been OF speculative nature
and II is not the wish OF the department
To make any increases that may not be
Justified Such property as tide lands how
ever, VIII be advanced to greater extent
than any other class The former esti-
mates of these lands were made without
knowledge Of their true value, which has
however, been established quite definitely
In the last two years, so an average in
crease OF 10 To q per cent. will be made.
ana In some Instances as high as 50 per
cent. whore the tide lands were assessed
at an unusually low figure in 1897
Including all the property In tho county
personal and real estate. besides the i'm
pfovemenis that have been made in the
last year, II IL estimated that there will
be the stated gain OF sl0.moooa The as
scssed value Of the county last year was
w, s4i.eo 40 this increase will take II up
To N6c0o0a0
There would probably be a stil higher
valuation placed on the property n II
Vas not the general policy of other coun.
ties To place low values II was stated AT
the convention OF assessors OF this state
held few weeks ago that most OF the
counties followed the practice of assessing
property at about % per cent Of ito sal
able value. only few Of them going as
hish as 90 or more. Under this condl-
tion. II there should be an abnormal In
crease In the valuation. King county would
have 10 pay even larger proportion Of
the state taxes than ~ present ami would
be virtually making a gift 10 other coun
ties Of tho difference between their valua
Tons and Its higher rating
As II Is. King county bears from one
fourth 70 one-hfth of the states expense.
ana II ls considered unwiso and lmprac-
tieahle by tho assessor To make this any
"ter ~ is bowed tNnt The growth of
'er parts OF the state will even Jesse
u.