98 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



to show the best side of country life and to enumerate opportunities 

 for horticulture and manufacture, but who studiously forget to men- 

 tion that in their town there is any opportunity in the professions, 

 merchandising or trades. 



To more fully show you the picture, true to life in California, of 

 injustice the farmer receives and the moral turpitude of the tax-shirker, 

 I quote from Controller Colgan's report of 1906: "In 1861 personal 

 property was equal to 50 per cent of the total taxable property in the 

 State; to-day it is slightly above 16 per cent. In the last thirty-five 

 years we have had an increase of $50,000,000 of personal property in 

 the State, and in the same time an increase of $1,335,000,000 in real 

 estate and improvements. In the last five years the increase of inside 

 personal property is $16,000,000, outside personal property the increase 

 was $20,000,000; inside real estate and improvements increased in the 

 same time $201,000,000, while outside the increase was but $85,000,000." 

 Does this look like a manifest discrepancy, or do things get lost in town 

 when the assessor comes around? And money, too, often gets away, 

 for there is not enough turned in to the assessors in the whole State to 

 pay the first installment of State and county taxes; but if we include 

 all the solvent credits with the money and they would be taken for 

 taxes, eight of the fifty-seven counties could pay all their taxes, fifteen 

 could only pay one half, and ten one third. The rest range down to 

 one thirteenth, except one county, which turned in $350 of money and 

 solvent credits, with taxes due amounting to $56,446.77, yet strange to 

 say the county was delinquent only $630.23. Not a bad showing com- 

 pared with any other county! 



In conclusion, I will quote from an editorial of a leading country 

 daily, which was for the purpose of inspiring confidence in the ten 

 State banks and one National bank of the county. (All of these banks, 

 by the way, in 1906 turned in to the assessor a total of less than 

 $80,000 of money and solvent credits — not enough to pay one third of 

 the State and county taxes of that county.) The editorial in part 

 says: 



"The loans of these banks in the county on stocks and bonds, the 

 only security that has varied in value during this stress, only amount 

 to $355,231. This is less than 6 per cent of their resources, and if every 

 dollar of this amount was lost it would be more than covered by 

 the surplus of these banks and could not impair capital or disturb 

 depositors. Loans on real estate of these county banks amount to 

 $2,305,540, and, with the real estate holdings in the banks, make a real 

 estate security exceeding two and one-half millions of dollars. The 

 banks hold in ownership of stocks, bonds, warrants, and other personal 

 securities, $936,164.88. The First National Bank gives the following 

 report, which is to the Federal banking authorities: 'Loans and dis- 



