Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-22

V Nahe care Oh ltSelI' "
@ The first year your Owens g
@ river bond tax will not g
g be more than. n............ S1.59 @
@ The second year it will g
@ amount to not more than. 3.S1 @
@ The third year it will g
@ amount to not more than. 5.64 @
@ The fourth year it will g
@ amount to not more than. 7.17 g
@ The fifth year it will g
@ amount to not more than. $40 @
@ The annual average tax for the @
@ five years will be $5.33, or forty @
@ four cents n month. @
90 @ % g @ @ @ 9 9 9 @ @ @ @ @
Many inquiries have come to the civic
bodies asking what will be the increase
in taxation if the Owens river bond
issue of $23,OO0,000 to be voted upon
June II, is carried. Owing to mislead-
ing reports the impression has been Gre
ated that the taxation would be so in
creased as to be practically unbearable
The question of taxation was one of
the first to be investigated by the mu-
nicipal bodies and the results of the in
vestigation were so satisfactory as to
be astonishing to it's members.
The committee in charge of the cam
river bonds has found that on a prop
erty assessed at $4,000 and valued at
$4,000 the average total annual assess
ment for the next five or six years a.
a maximum will not exceed $5.33 or A
cents a month, and that the first years
Owens river total tax on the same
property should not be more than $1.59.
Estimate Conservative
This fact was brought out from tables
prepared by Attorney W. B. Mathews,
L. M. Anderson, auditor of the city
water department, and by the auditors |
department of the Los Angeles aqle-
duct working Independently. These |
tables were then submitted to City AS |
SCISSOR Walter Mallard and others con-
nected al one time or another with the |
taxation of the city and county, who |
said in their opinion that the results set
forth were exceedingly conservative.
If the bonds are passed, as it is ex-
pected they will be by a very large ma
jority, they will not be issued and sold
Immediately, but will be disposed of
only as money is needed to carry on the
work at interest not to exceed 4 per
cent. This will reduce the payment of
interest to minimum. The plan is to
issue 100000 in 1907-S and the re-
mainder in amounts of $5,000000 until
in 1911-12, when the entire issue of $23,-
100000 will be outstanding
Payment on the principal need not
be made until the project is completed
and in operation. The city will take
advantage of this provision in the state
law. When the aqueduct is in operation
1t will be able to take care of not only
the interest but payments on the prin-
cipal of the bonds as we'll
What the future taxation will be I'M
der these conditions has been figured
on the basis that the assessed valua-
tion will continue to increase at the rate
of $25,OO0.000 a year for the next five or
six years. In 1867 the property val
uations increased $4,000 900 over the
year before, and in 1866 there was an
increase of $30,0OO,O0O over the preced-
ing year.
Expect Rapid Increase
City Assessor Mallard SAYS on this
subject that it is his belief that the
city's valuations will increase relatively
faster in the future than they have in
the past. However, to get at what the
maximum taxation will be for the
Owens river bonds an estimate of COM
paratively low increase was made and
no consideration was taken of the fact
that the annexation of adjoining cities
and contiguous territory will give a
largely increased tax list. The shoe
string strip recently annexed will add
four or five millions to the city's Valua-
tions.
Mayor Makes Pledge
Mayor A c. Harper in letter to the
Owens river campaign committee YES
terday, after asserting that the Owens
river project has been managed from
the first by men who are above Dues
tion, pledges himself to do everything
in his power to help continue it's ad-
ministration in like manner that it NAV
always be boon and a benefit to the
people.
Mayor Harper calls attention to the
fact that selfish and dangerous COR
porate interests are working desperate
-ly against the enterprise and that to
defeat them in their work it is the duty
of every loyal citizen to go to the polls
Wednesday June 12' and vote ''yes"
for the bond issue.
He believes that the people so fully
realize the situation in which the CITY
will be placed. should the bonds fail to
carry, that the aqueduct question will
be approved by vote of 20 to 1.
He says in his letter.
Los Angeles May q, 1907.
owens River Campaign Committee,
Perry w. Weidner, Chairman-Gentle
men-I should like to take advantage
of your committees splendid campaign
work to make personal appeal to ev-
cry one of the voters who cast his ball
lot for myself as mayor to go to the
polls and register his will in favor of
the $23,000,000 bond issue to build the
Owens river aqueduct.
This bond issue is the most important
single question that ever came before
the people of Los Angeles without any
exception. 1t means the very life of
the city.
cannot conceive how any patriotic
citizen of Los Angeles can think of vot-
ing against the Owens river bonds. and
I firmly believe that the aqueduct will
be ratified by ratio of fully 20 to 1.
But powerful, selfish and dangerous
corporate influences are working
against the great enterprise, and work.
ing desperately and the bond issue
must have a majority of two-thirds, or
two votes of Eyes" to every one of mo-
The overwhelming success of the
aqueduct bond issue is of such trans
cendent, such supreme Importance to
our beloved city that I thoroughly
agree with you that no chances what
ever should be taken and that every
solitary friend of a progressive greater
Los Angeles should be enlisted as an
active worker for the advancement and
salvation of our community through