Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-17
ASSESSORS HEAR FROM
MADISON WARD OWNERS
Protest Made at Increased VnIu.
ationS of Broad Street
Stores.
UNDER LoNG-TERM LEASES
Proposed Increased Tax Will Greatly
Reduce Return on Investments.
Board Takes All Complaints Under
Amusement.

Amusement.
For more than AN hour yesterday af-
ternoon. the Board of ASSESSORS IN
/ special session in the Office of the
| Mayor, gave ear to committees and in
! dividuals protesting against valuations
placed 10y the board OF Madison War.l
business property in the new assess
mcnt AZ the end of the hearing
I Chairman Hunt announced that the
board would take under adviscmen,
every specific protest that has been
FILED. and act according as il though.
that the protest was or was not JUST.
| fed
Between scvcnty-fivc and 100 ind
ridual owners and real estate dealers
crowded into the limited audience
chamber and perspircd through the ex-
! tended hearing. Most freuucntl; the
speakers made the charge that I'm fix
Ing the new valuations the board failed
| TO take fully into account the actual
earning power of the property assessed,
| and that some OF the assessments he
! trayod an effort to approximate the
! speculative or future value
! CHARLES HITZLER APPEARS
For CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.:
| The Chamber OF Commerce presented
as its spokesman Charles Hutzler pres
! idcnt OF the Central National Bank. and
personally interested in several pieces
! OF property on Broad Street MIR. Hutz-
Ter went into the history of several
properties on this thorouchfare to
show that the assessors have in some
| cases increased the assessments more
: than 100 per cent. and that the in
creased assessment was out OF all pro-
portion To the Increased rental value.
Mr.. IlutZlcr mentioned the case Of a
I i,.t, ls.f ,Nt
erty which was leased several years
iaEo for a term of years at rental
which was fixed with an idea Of taking
care OF estimated increased assess
ments during the leasing period. The
assessment fixed for this piece OF prop
erty this year. said the speaker. was
already higher than the maximum as
sessment counted upon, and III" lease
has yet Il number OF years TO run.
Isn't it fact that the Madison
Ward assessment books were open ten
days without single protest being re-
ccived. until tho newspaper agitation
inspired this protest movement asked
Mr. Purcell, OF the Board Of Assessors.
Now, that isn't fair began MIR.
Hut2lcr. getting ready to answer the
question.
HUNT SAYS ASSESSORS WILL.
DEAL. Fairly WITH All.
Chairman Hunt mistook the word
as applying TO tile work of the assess
orS and raped the speaker to order
indignantly. Arising from his chair
lie served warning upon the speaker
an,. others who might follow. that the
board would not remain silent under
the charge OF having been unfair. the
assessors. he said. were endctvorinS
To discharge their duty with fairness
towards all, and an intimaton TO the
contrary would be Instantly resented.
Nh HutZler proceeded with his an.
swer to MIR. Purcclrs question. He
allied attention to the fact that he had
made an effort To secure access to 'he
Madison Ward books for the purpose
of ascertaining the valuation placed
on property in which he was inter-
cstcd. on the first day on which they
were said to have been open TO in
Spcction. He was not able. he sad.
to obtain the Information. The news
paper agitation, he said. in his case at
least, had nothing 10 DO with his pro-
test
Henry w. Rountrcc and F. G. Ebel
addressed the board briefly on behalf
of the committee appointed ~ a mass
meeting Of Madison Ward property
owners. Both Of the speakers inn
dressed on the assessors the necessity
for so fixing the assessment that ii
will enable the owner TO make a fair
return on his investment. On the basis
of some of the Main and Broad Streets
assessments. they said. the net return
, To the property owners would not en-
coed per cent.
MANY INDIVIDUALS
FILE THEIR PROTESTS
Much the same criticism was made
by James j. Pollard, former member
of the Common Council. He drew at
tcntion to the back ward state of the
real estate market asserting tina:
many pieces of property in the bust
ness section, although assessed at a
higher figure this year. are worth less
to-day than they were worth at the
4 last assessment.
! There followed numerous protests
| from individuals. In every case tho
assessors required the protcstants to
: fill out blanks prepared for this pur-
pose. showing the value placed on the
! property by the board and the assess
men; that WAS asked as well as the
reasons for believing that the boards
| valuation was too high.
Chairman Hunt. in adjOurning the
hearing. assured the professionals that
the complaints will receive careful
consideration. and that. wherever pos
sihlc. rcvisions will be made in ac-
cordance with the boards conviction
as 10 the justice of the individual pro-
/ tests.