Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1901-01-05
ACTS ABOUT LOTS.
FEW OF THE STATEMENTS
OF THE INVESTMENT
co. EXAMINED.
\ Improvement Committee Holds
~ Meeting-=Dr. Harris Reports
for the Investment Co. --HOw
the Intesests of the Village
Were Protected.

The TRIBUNE is not disposed to say
, Tery great deal in to.day's issu
relation to the late division of righ
way lots, having said a good dea
3tofore, but will anyhow max
, reference to a portion of wha
said. as it is understood, upor
authority Of DR.. Harris, in The
tissue of the Sun-said essential
6, quotation of differences of DR.
Sis at the meeting of the Improve
ht Committee this week at the
- Of J. A. johnson.
le Sun said, "Dr. Harris further
d,sred that it must be remembered
s the prices at which the lots were
c, aised were arbitrary and exces-
n Fo1 this reason, therefore, tha
" est Of the Improvement Commit.
otvas made to appear in excess of
e,.ctual figure, The appraisement
casourposely placed high in order
p5llize all that was possible on the
dltest lots" obviously referring by
a5statement, to the eight lots on
nix three sold to Olsen, Gutter,
toy Company,
ffsle truth Is that the appraisement
Ipmittee which appraised all of the
swas made up of John W. Harris,
"a D. Good, John FL. Devenney,
urge E. Darling and Lewis G.
poner-and John W. Harris was
Erman of that committee.
That committee was expressly d.
Bid to make the appraisal upon
tlbasis of fixing q Aininlunl, VIZ ),
IoWest price below which no lot
7lld be sold; and accordingly that
7mittee appraised all of the lots at
$4,000; and in doing SO appraised
eight lots subsequently sold to
IN, Gutter, Healy Company at SlO,-
90.
NO of those lots Olsen, Gutter,
dly Company paid for in spot
Il at their appraised value which
exactly $5500.0O.
Cae other six of those lots which
themselves were appraised at
1000, Olsen, Gutter, Healy Com
y purchased at exactly 100000.
pR400 above the appraised value
gsof as they were originally ap-
coed = and paid for them by
ing in that Company's stock at
cash surrendered value put upon
stock by the vote of the four
etors of the Morris Investment
!, apany who were never at any time
say way interested in Olsen, Gutter,
My Company; and in this connec-
s it is we'll to tell the public, that
il the late division of December
"a, no lot of all the lots was at any
y sold or disposed of to anybody
& lesser price than the original
lraised value thereof.
y is well also to tell the public
ft subsequent to the original ap-
isal all the twenty-oue unsold lots
block four we're reappraised at
les largely in advance of the prices
reof as fixed in the original ap
8isal.
will thus be seen that the asser-
.a of DIR. Harris that the original
3raisal was either arbitrary or fic-
JUS, or that it placed, or was in
sded to place, arbitrary or fictitious
,;les or prices upon the lots, is en-
,ly untenable. 1t will be we'll for |
4 tax payers to look sufficiently in
these matters to learn for them
yes what the truth is in relation
sreto.
gain the Sun said; "For the vii
interests were fully protected by |
refusal to accede to the nnreason-
ie if not extortionate claims made
one of the stockholders Of their
sporation," by which language
arence must have been made to
at the Sun, or DR.. Harris, meant
nave the public understand was
le demand made by or in the int
Sof Olson, Gutter, Healy Company
3bugh its president, Lewis C.Spoon-
sor he himself, individually, never
4 stock in the Morris Investment