Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-02-15
WATERVILLE.
THE TAX HEARING
Brings Out Much Tssti-
mony as to Valuation
a..
Of Property in Business and
Residential Sections.


The hearing before the county COM
mtssioncrS on the question as to Whtth-
CT the present assessments on the prop
e:ty Ct the Lockwood Co. in this city
should hc abated was continued
Wednesday, morning at 10 o'clock. Fol
lowing the course of the hearing OF
" cdnesuay afternoon the attorneys for
tie petitioners examined scvcrl! wit
ntsseS, al of whom were extensive
property ON ners in the city and were
more on less experienced in making
real estate sales and purchases
The facts brought out at this hear
iiiS may be summed up in the state
ment that all of these gentlemen, DR..
+. {. Thaycr, George Fred Terry, Dana
L. Foster and w. T. Reynolds agreed
that the real estate of the city COM
prising the principal business blocks
and residences were assessed, as d rule,
at a rat, of valuation very much below
the actual cash values. Statements
made by these gentlemen showed that
according to their opinions the general
average of such assessments were
about 40 to IS per cent. of the market
or cash values of the buildings consid-
cred.
Or. Thayer being large real estate
owner in the city, his opinion was
asked on the prices which several val
uatie dwellings, in the city would
bring. When asked about the price of
very extensively located buildings such
rs the house OF John Ware he said: at
is next to impossible to estimate 4
good selling price for a house like that
one as its sale would be governed
| largely by the fancy of the would-be
purchasers.
ms to The selling price Of the house
of Mr.. Terry on Silver street | under
stand that III" price paid for it was
ai-"ut :l1 1000
What would you say us to the
price,
Il think tia, it was bought very rca-
sonably."
DO you know whether the residence
owned by w. J. Lannigan is on the
market or not?"
81 understand that il has been for
sale for tho past TWO or three years. y
short time ago one of the college fra
terLitics contemplated the purchasing
Of it and the price wanted by Mr.. Lam
niGan was $4,000
Cole se avenue owned by Mrs. Anne
Pu!sifcr and Mrs. Martha HenricksOn
as being worth. in his estimation about
so DG0 each
''iou spoke of several places on Main
street as being worth more than the
:tssr.sed value. DO you think that the
value of the property has increased
very materially within the past few
years."
"Ycs, judging from the sales which
have been made"
Vow. DR.. Thaycr. | would like to
| ash Your opinion i'll the case of the av-
| y.,t-,. houses. dwelling houses. worth
sly 5000 to $1,000, within the purchas-
| ln- means Of the average successful
business man. Are these houses as
| s,sscd US a rule for less than their
| cash value Take houses like the house
! "nLrd by the Alden brothers on Col
! h.,c avenue, DIR. J. II. Knox or &. Is.
| Matthews"
Il should say that houses Of this sort
were taxed al considerably less than
thcir actual value
| Mr.. Terry WAS then sworn and tcSti-
| fed that he had made careful cNaniila-
| lions of his assessments as compared
| With other assessments and with the
| value Of his property; he said that he
| AaS quite sure that he paid the largest
real estate tax of any citizen Of Wat
| ervill,, the plant of the Sawyer Pub
| fishing Co. not being rcckOncd.
! Asked if he had examined the schcd-
| ulc OF the assessed values of the prop
! crty OF the business sections of Main
and Silver streets he replied that he
had. Mr. Terry said that he had tried
| to purchase the Webb property and
| hat the owner had declined an offer of
| 81, Zoo. whereas it was assessed at $69Oo
| Asked the value Of the lots per front
| foot between the Simpson block at the
| head of Water street and the corner OF
! Silver street he thought that the aver
| age value was $3.50. Including the prop
| crty ON the west side Of Main street
| from Silver TO Temple streets he said:
Il lor'i suppose that Il foot Of it
| could be bought for $3.50 per front
| foot
| Commencing With the corner OF Tenn
ME street at the Eurlcig!i block. Mr..
| Ferry said that the values differed
sr,.atly between that point and the last
| public building which was the one
| known as the CanibHs house. He con-
| sidered the Ruricigh block to be the
best located in the civ. saying thai
| this place saw more travellers in the
| course az day even than the Clukcy
& Libby, block on Silver street. CONF
| n,encing then. with this place he
thought that the average price pcr
| front foot would decrease from $500 to
5000, the latter being the estimate of
the Canibas building.
ArplyinG the same method of judg-
mont 10 the houses Oh the opposite side
nj the street and rot including the two
corners on which are situated the Wat
| a-,.iIle Savings Bank and the house OF
,;rs. Martha HelricSson. he thought
ttbe lots could not be bought for less
Than 5000 per front foot.
| Coming down the street on this side
I no thought that The east side of the
fs.roat WAS not rs valuable as the west