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