SECOND  BOSTON  OBJECT  LESSON  73

The  assessed  valuation  of  the  Ames  estate  (Fig.  XI)
is:  land,  $654,500,  or  $1  15  per  square  foot;  buildings,
$469,500,  or  $75.32  per  square  foot.  The  tax  upon  the
land  is  no  burden  upon  the  owner,  because  he
purchased  only  the  equity  after  payment  of  tax.
(See  Chapter  HI.)  Neither  does  he  bear  the  burden
of  the  tax  on  the  building,  because  he  can  shift  it
upon  hi?  tenants,  who  do.  This  fact  no  one  disputes.
Howland  Street  (Fig.  XIII)—thirty-two  well-to-do
homes  —  has  an  average  assessed  valuation:  land
(8,275  feet,  at  5 1  cents  per  foot),  $4,220;  houses,
$6,371,  77  cents  per  foot;  houses  and  land,  over
$10,000.
The  valuation  of  the  land  and  office  building  of
the  Ames  estate  is  equivalent  to  that  of  the  land  and
houses  of  about  three  Howland  Streets.  The  latter
Would  pay  taxes  on  $1,015,500,  at  115.90,01  $16,146,
While  the  owners  of  the  Ames  estate  escape  the
burden  of  the  tax  on  both  land  and  buildings,
neither  of  which  can  they  be  made  to  bear.
The  estate,  corner  of  Cambridge  and  Charles  Streets
(Fig.  XII),  taken  by  the  city  of  Boston  in  1899  for
a n  approach  to  the  Cambridge  bridge,  was  at  that
time  assessed,  land  $69,600;  buildings,  $3,400.  The
commissioners’  award  was  $170,000,  or  $97,000  in
excess  of  the  assessed  valuation.  This  award  was
based  upon  the  income  of  the  property,  which  was
claimed  to  be  $8,000,  or  5  per  cent  on  a  value  of
$160,000.  The  income  of  $8,000  was  11  per  cent,  of
the  assessed  valuation  of  $73,000.  Allowing  Mr.
Edward  Atkinson’s  full  claim,  that  the  single  tax—
i°cal,  state,  and  National—would  take  4  per  cert  of
assessed  land  values,  7  per  cent  would  still  be  left  in