The San Francisco call., 1909-08-22

l
appraise it at s5.O00,O0O The members
of the board sat around and said
nothing while Nye questioned Jones in
vain.
Jones Has Nothing to Say
How did you arrive at this valua-
tion of $4,000 for the telephone COM
panys franchise" asked Nye.
/ We'll. that was what it was last
year." said Jones.
And it was raised to 100000 by the
county board? suggested Nye.
Yes, but the court threw out the
raise responded Jones.
Because Illegally nader
Yes"
Did you ask statement of the
telephone company?" asked Nye.
No"
Did you go to them at allg
No
Just wrote them down $4,000 for
luck?'
Well I didn't know how to get a
lIine on the franchise value
/ Would you let million dollars in
real estate values lie around loose in
the county without trying to gather it
in27 inquired Nye
NO, but l didn't know any way to
get at this.
.1Iow about the franchise of the
Union oil company?"
Well, you know more about the law
than do said IoueS
""You have it assessed at what
hgure?"
Five thousand dollars"
And in Los Angeles it used to be
assessed at s5.O00,OoO?"
Jones had nothing to say.
Contrast of Values
Don't you think continued Nye.
.that it would have been of considera-
BILE benefit to the people of your county
to have these corporations assessed for
something like the real worth of their
franchises2''
We'll, I didn't know how to get it,"
| said Jones.
"others assessors seem to have gotten
at the figures. Did yoh ask the Union
oil people for any data on their fran
chise valuation"
NO"
Did you go to them at .all?"
"No"
Nye then brought out that the Stand
ard oil company, for its pipe lines,
tanks. shipping facilities. etc. was pos
sessed S3,11S,141 in the county; that the
California sugar refinery was assessed
for $7ss.7O4, while the insurance car
ried on the buildings and machinery
alone was s1.444,Oo0; and that the
standard company was assessed $751;
i750 for 81 miles of pipe. while for Is
miles the Associated people had TO pay
on a valuation of s12s,2SO.
Producing Lands Loaded
Jones was relieved from the stand
and Contra Costas assessment taken
under advisement after it had been
further shown that the assessor had
loaded an increase of s2.S42,39O on the
producing lands of the county.
In Marin county the appraised valu-
ations and the assessors figures ran
1
assessment being 10 per cent of the
appraisement The best pieces of busi-
ness property were found assessed at
$50 and $40 per front foot. respectively.
while the appraisers reported them
worth s125 and $3.50 per 'front.' foot
Appraiser George ID. Shearer insisted
that the valuations had been fixed rig
idly high in spite Of their close cor
lrespondence with the assessments and
overlooking the fact in the smaller
town of Palo Alto the best business
property was reported by the appraisers
of Santa Clara county to be worth 5000
front foot.
Lumber Concerns Explain
The board went considerably into de-
tail in regard to timber values in Mem
docino county. Attorney Frank C. Drew.
president of one OF the largest Ium-
Der concerns, supplying most of the
data. He stated that whereas before
1905 his company had purchased it's
timber lands at an average price of
$3.50 per acre. last years purchases of
/ 22, 600 acres averaged s14.35
The assessments of all the counties
were taken under advisement and the
board took an early adjournment until
Monday.