Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-08-25
TAXES Of PLANTATION
CORPORATIONS SAVED
THEMSELVES OVER $4,000
RESULTS OF APPEALS BEFORE
THE AILo eoARp-WAlAkE
GETS THE LARGEST RE.
pycTIoN

Hilo Aug. -. Four Judgments w"r"
rendered In the Tax Appeal Court this
week with the result that tn" appel
lants saved an aggregate Of over SlV.-
600 which otherwise would have gone
into the treasury. The biggest rcduc-
ton from the assessors valuation was
In the ease Of the Waiakea Mill Com
pany which. through w. II. Smith OF
the firm Of LcBlond & Smith, as coun-
Sol secured shave Of sI5O,ooO ralua-
tion. the entire amount covered by the
appeal.
The Waiakca NH Company is CAPT
,alizod Ut sGOOOOO The assessed yalu-
alton has been raised from time To
time until in 1900 IN" company paid
taxes upon valuation of $3.50 900. In
that year the company appealed from
Ih" assessors Judgment but the appeal
was not sustained. At that time sugar
WAS AT the high water mark and the
company was distributing in dividends
something like $%OUOOO year. While
this year. sugar Is not worth more than
twu-thirds rs much as il was IN 1900,
and labor Is higher and harder TO got,
the assessment Of WaiakCa was raised
10 S2.000.UO0. The appeal was against
this $3.50 900 raise While the manage.
ment Of the plantation does not con
slider that u fair dividend will he paid
on S1jO.OOO yet no opposition was On
tered to paying taxes ut that amount.
! In the course Of the hearing. W. II.
Smith for appellants made Il fOrceful
argument tending to prove that there
is no immediate prospect for higher
prices for sugar.
RI" Prpcckco Sugar Company. With
= capitalization of $3.50 600 was assess
ed this year at 100000. The COM
pany's appeal was for II reduction OF
s23O.OO0 The same arguments and rca-
sOning applied as in the Waiakca case
ana the Appeal Board allowed u rcdur.
ton OF sl50O00.
The lIamakua Mill Company claim
ed u reduction Of $4,000 from their
assessment or $500 900, basing their
claim ON the ravages of the late drOuth
as well as upon the low price OF sugar
The Judgment of the court was for the
plaintiff.
One Of the interesting cases decided
Toy the Appeal Board WAS that OF o. +.
Shipman of Olau, who appealed in Or
DER 10 determine the Governments po-
Icy Of taxation of lands, hitherto
rlasscd as coffee lands but now have
come 10 be included in the sugar belt
Coffee hand in Olas which was former
~ assessed at 81 per acre was assessed
this year at $50. because il has been
demonstrated that cane may he grown
upon II. In Mr.. Shipman's case, appeal
was taken from an assessment of TWEEN
ty-iivc acres of cane land NJ $50 per
acre; twenty-five acres of coffee land NJ
u per acre, and forty acres raw forest
land AZ $40 per acre. This Classifca-
ton was objected TO on the ground that
the land was all coffee land and tina,
cane growing was us much of an eX-
pertinent as that Of coffee. The Appeal
Board refused To take this view. II
was pointed out by Carl :. Smith, at.
torney for the Territory, that Mr.. ship.
man had himself placed value of $50
per acre on tho land in question. having
paid that price for 1t. II was also figur-
ed that the assessment averaged only
$50 per acre for the whole tract and
that IN" assessment averaged only $50
per acre for the whole tract and that
therefore II was not excessive. The
Judgment of the court was in favor OF
the Territory.
The Appeal Board consisted of Judg"
Barnard or Laupahoehoe, Blacow Of
HamakUa, and l.. Severance of this
city. Carl ;. Smith of Smith a Par
sons appeared for the Territory; W. II.
Smith OF lie blond a Smith for the ap-
pellants.