South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-09
V00RDE WOULD AID
SMALL PROPERTY OWNER

CITY on lAC NelS &c OF bankruptcy as a
orsult Of the abnormal conditions in
the business world
NOorde replied TO Coonlev bv sug-
/ costing that II the owners of business
property did not want their assess
ment raised then the appraisenent on
all city property might be cut Is per
cen and the tax levy be raised.
Speaks To Assessor
In reply &c this. COonley declared
/ that the assessment on business prom
/ erty had now been increased way
above what it should. He declared
/ that If the present appra isement were
| established then il would be impos-
sible for many Of the business men
/ TO make living by legitimate bus
/ mess.
+. J. Lewis Meyer spoke in behalf
/ of the assessor. He said that neither
/ ne nor the assessor had known that
/ ne was going 10 speak until he had
/ at that moment decided 20 do so. He
/ said that he was glad that there was
/ a man in the assessors Office who had
! the courage to make the increases
! which had been made. The owners
\ of the little homes, he said. had al
/ ways borne the burden of taxation and
I il was time that such a condition Of
( affairs be changed.
This was not time, ne declared, to
/ be talking about empty store rooms.
He pointed out that in spite of the
! fact that conditions were abnormal
and business was at a low ebb. vet
the owners Of business property would
not sell for any less than they would
! have asked "a year ago.
THE majority of you would not put
| your property on the market now at
three times the amount Of the ap-
praisem ent," the speaker announced
III sell any or my property at three
times the appraisement and yet many
of you wouldn't sell even at four times
the appraisement.'
Meyers statement was received by
protests from various of the business
men present and one Of the offered to
sell his property TO Meyer for just
three times the amount OF the ap-
praisement.
May Appeal TO State Board.
The only recourse to be had from
the assessors valuation if the board
of review concurs with the present APP
praisoment is by appealing TO the state
tax board. In view OF what the prop
erty owners termed the excessive valu-
alton. this Will in all probability be
done unless the valuations are lower
ed At the hearing Friday morning
l business men discussed among them
selves the possibility Of bringing the
state board to South Bend to run over
the valuations as fixed by the assessor.
Should the state tax board be ap
pealed TO. il will be necessary or the
members in order 20 hold a hearing,
To run over the appraisement values of
the county for the past 10 years.
Aaron Jones said Friday morning
that in his Judgment it seemed as if
the present appraisements were TAR
from being equal and that such a state
of affairs would bring about factions
among the owners of business prop
.fr.rua N.r-aHn hon
such appraisements that will array
one faction OF property owners against
others and create DrejudiceS,' he said.
Property owners must stand tOgeth-
er. The present general business de-
preston must be taken into consider
alton when fixing the valuations OF
property"
Mr.. Jones asked the board to give
the property owners a reasonable re-
duction. He said that he expected
raise on the valuation of his own busl-
ness property but not nearly SO great
as was made He declared that such
a raise as has already been made
would force rents up so high, that
tenants would be unable TO pay them,
creating a more decided business de-
preston than is already at hand. III
YOU were to leave the appraisements
stand as they now are, when the state
tax board places a 10 per cent in
crease on St Joseph county, 1t would
force US all out Of business" he said.
All i'm all there were more than so
property owners who filed their pro-
tests before the board of review. t.
p Moredock ~rotested against the IN
creased assessment of the property
at lie :. Michigan st. which VALUATION
he said had been raised more than DO
per cent He stated, too, that per
haps the assessor who was elected last
fall was unfamiliar with valuations
of real estate prior TO the time of his
taking office and that his judgment
in the valuation of property, when
was so out of proportion 10 the ap-
praisements fixed by former assessors
was perhaps at fault.
Horace Green protested that If the
present valuation Of the north side
of the building where the Robertson
store is now located, were TO stand, 1t
would force the gross receipts from
the investment far below five per sent.
AS it is now" said Mr.. Green, the
returns from the investment scarcely
reach that. The rental value of the
buildings as we'll as the selling value
Of the property and Improvements
must be taken into consideration.
when appraisements are being made.
Other property owners who spoke
were Noah Lehman and Abe. Ciralskl.
They all put up the same argument
that the assessments were SO far out
of proportion with the actual renting
value and selling value Of the property
as 10 make further investments in
down town property unsafe. Inc
Dresent condition of the real estate
market. plus the large number OF
empty store buildings should. they
said. be taken into consideration.
Many merchants emphasized the fact
that they never had seen so many I'M /
tenanted store buildings as at the pres
ent time and that an increase in the /
valuation would bring about such
condition of business in South Bend, /
that the city would not recover from /
the enormous depression for years.
The hoard of review took the pro- /
tests under advisement. reserving its I
decision until later. 1t is not expect