The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-05-03
OAHU PLANTATIONS
PROTEST TAX RAISE
FIVE COMPANIES MAKE APPEALS
TO THE TAX ooURTs-HUGE
SUMS INVOLVED.

Five Oahu plantations made appeals
in the tax court, involving some big
differences in estimates of values, be.
tween the returns fled and the assess
ments made, and even the figures at
which compromises might have been
agreed upon. The biggest appeals to
be recorded in the local tax office are
probably those of these plantations.
They show the following figures:
Eva Plantation Company, tax return
$4,ooO,OOo; assessed, $6,5OO,OOO; basis of
compromise suggested and rejected by
the tax Office, $5,500,OOO.
Oahu Sugar Company, tax return $4,-
100000; assessment $5,375,O00; com.
promise figure $5,250,000.
Waianae Sugar Company, tax return
$3.50, 900; assessment $l,000,00U; com.
promise figure, $750,000
Waimanalo Sugar Company, tax re-
turn $425,000; assessment $525 900;
compromise figure $475,000.
Apokaa Sugar Company, tax return
$55, 900; assessment 7,000 comprom
Use figure, 100000.
In the cases of the Kahubu Sugar
Company and Honolulu plantation, no
appeals are being fled, it is understood.
There win be long list of real estate
and other appeals.
Oahu is not the only island where
kicks have been fled. The present year
will be a busy one for the Hawaii tax
appeal board, which by the way
is still to be appointed. For several
years past the policy of compromise has
been followed on the Big Island, and
as a consequence there was nothing for
the boards to do, but this year it will
be very much different.
Tax Assessor Forrest of Hilo has said
that there were no less than nine tax
appeals from his Island alone so far,
and he expected that there would be
more coming On the other hand, though
the assessments had been very general
" raised, in most instances had the
propertyowners accepted the raises in
good grace. OF the nine appeals now
on the list eight are from plantations
and the ninth from the owner of a
| piece of Hilo town property, And there
will be no compromises this year.
One of the most important features
of this year s assessments on Hawaii
lies in the fact that Tax Assessor For.
rest has begun the work of assessing
Hilo town property on an entirely new
basis, namely on strict valuation of
so much per square foot, the valuation
varying according to the location of the
| lots. To reduce the assessments of all
the property of the city to this scale
will be work involving years, and
this year only the most important part
of the town has been assessed In this
manner. Next year another section will
| be assessed on the square foot basis,
the following year some more and so
on until the entire town is placed un-
der the new system.
| Property fronting on Waianuenue
street is one of the sections which has
been placed under the square foot valu-
alton, and it furnished good example
of how the rate is graduated accord
ing to the location of the land in ques-
ton. Lots facing Waianuenue street
are assessed at from five cents square
foot at the top of the street to 81 a
square foot at the bottom.> From the
top to the school lot the valuation is
five cents. From the school lot to
Pleasant street the rate rises to %
cents, from Pleasant to Pitman street
the property is assessed at so cents,
and the property fronting Waianuenue
streets below Pitman street is assessed
at 81, square foot. Front street prop
erty has also been placed under the
square foot system. The lots facing
that thoroughfare from Church street
northward are assessed at $l,25 square
foot, the highest valuation in the city
The question of the value of the cattle
on the big Hawaii ranches which rals
ed such a trouble last year, has been
disposed of by valuing all herd cattle
regardless of sex and age, at SIS q
head