The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-10
Another Chapter Of Frauds in tho
Finance Department.
Property Owners Plnndered-The Guilty Parties
Eposed-Hov the Accounts are Kept,
&e., As., &c.

Tho Joint Committee on Accounts, in relation to the
accounts Of the Collectors Of Assessments respectfully
In the report prosecuted by this committee to the Com
mon council on the 9th OF May last tho following was pro
work
l. To ascertain the placed in the hands Of col
2 To ascertain the amour, of moneys collected by
them and paid into the treasury.
J. To ascertain whether the amount of unpaid items
agrees with the balance OF their accounts.
4 To make correct return Of this amount, with tho
namcs Of tho dcnquents according to law and 10 charge
the sSme to the Clerk OF Arrears.
To post up against th. delinauents the receipts by
tho Clerk OF Arrears, on the roturns so placed in his
hands.
To ascertain that the of unpaid items agroos
with the balance OF his accounts The course 10
be pursued in regard TO the real and personal tayos
The labor involved in the foregoing has been greater
than was anticipated by your committee strong force
has been employed, and the work is not yet completed
The result OF every days examination has revealed 70 US
more and more of denqncncics errors anu auciehcos
The work Of the Street Department Of The Finance De
rarment Of the Bureau Of Assessments $50 lar as II re
lsee 10 this branch o. the work. Tor I'VE years past ana
which has becn either totally neglected, or not ne
elected, mystlcd and confused by errors OF all kinds
and iescri,aons-by frauds anu alterations.
The work of Ave years and u dozen clerks has all had
TO be again this committee in order 10 learn
l. The amount Of the deficiency now due the city.
The true state 81 the accounts with collectors II the
Street and Finance departments
g. Tho rights of property owners who are suffering be
yond measure the burdens of heavy taxation and AS
sessments.
Also TO ascertain what liens are now standing against
discharged Of record.
The ingenuity and shrcwiness displayed in concealng
denqnences, in twisting and turning accounts So As 10
deceive and mystly is truly astonishing one hst OF the
ability wasted IN this particular applied 20 corree,
system 81 doing business would have made the several
departments Of our city government models worthy OF
imitation.
Enough has been said in previous reports in general
terms about the disorder and confusion Of oar several de-
partments, IL now becomes our duty to specify ihher
70 no names have been given IN this connection other than
contractors and cierg N the Finance department But
when thn statements which we now publish, are read
and understood the pubic viii hold to rgd accouha-
bty the several persons holding the offices Of Street Com
missioner Deputy Street Commissioner Collector of As
sessments aud Taxes, ssso~sors and the Finance 10
partmcnt Hence duty must be done oariessy and
fairly whoever is in the wrong must bear the blame.
This report presented this time TO satisfy the nqu
rios Of indy duA members Of the Common Council well
the public, whose impotence to learn the results
rived at by your committee will not allow them 10 wall
until We have contracted our abors No man who has not
personally examined the extent and character Of The du
ties Of this committee form an adequate idea OF the
labor ana time required for ther performance The abors
az the Commissioners Of Record, Notwithstanding their
heavy expenditures are not as difficult or important as
tho abors Of this committee.
Schedule No accompanying this report = ilsi OF as
scssmcnts closed showing the total amount of liens
standing On the records unpaid confirmed prior to tue LIST
OF January, 1883.
On the 10Th July 1858 law was passed. directing the
Street Commissioner furnish tho Clerk OF Arrears "a
parse return, with particulars OF all arrears remaining
unpaid each and assessment without delay on
the expr alton OF twelve months"
The Bureau Of Arrears under the act authorizing i'll
establishment Did demand Of tho street department =
full return OF all unpaid assessments, which demand has
been replied far this schedule IL concerned
On the Ist day OF March. 1854 and on MAY 1 July
g. August g, and almost monthly since that timo, Mr.
Augustus Purdy, Clerk or Arrears, has called the
several Stree, nners 10 send to his huraau cor
return. The this sciieduiv-3il in mum
ber-and containing upwards Of 1000 dn.font liens on
real estate in the city and county q New York, amount
ing in the aggregate 10 81 have never been re-
turned tho Bureau Of Arrears
large portion Of this amount is known To have been
paid and the general opinion tat all nearly all Of
this amount has been paid, but not credited.
fun and complete return IN detail has been made by
your committee from the books 81 records winch forms
the OF the account aad organization OF the
Bureau or Arrears
" not dfhcuit perceive how wide spread the
difficulties VA the Of transfers o property, aud the
trouble and hndranccs which annoy and
perpiex the owners OF property.
In the opinion Of your committee, nearly Il not quite all
OF this amount Of sl95 s3l 81 will ultimately have ~
be charged 10 proll and loss.
Continuing our abors from this pnin, tho
year isa3 with the Of the Official term of
Isaac Edwards, Collector u Assessments, and III deputies
Robert neGary julius johnson Roes, Nsknne am
Ccmmi-s whose term Of ONCE commenced about the
same time.
the administration o these officers and Tor which they
should lie held responsible. commence u sy before
Common Council and the public statement of each
individual account, taking them up IN Their order The
errors Of the following Kinds -
1 Errors in footing assessment lists.
Assessments paid in the treasury, bat not discharged
8 Assessments discharged Of record bu, paid into
Assessments paid to collector not pad In treasury
and not discharged 81 record.
Assessments no, discharged and not returned TO Bu
reau OF Arrears
olass Of errors which cannot h. asccr,ancd yet
consisting Of payments paid TO collectors the money re
taned by them and entry whatever the books u
show Il these found out by parties exhbitss
their receipts for said payments
rpsvnuAI AuorSrs-lsAAo kpwaRps AND m pxrrnrl
L Assessment FOR paving broadway and seventh ave
from FORTY second 10 Forty sixth street On this list
map No a. $50 70 sisnss against the property has
hrcn paid treasury but not discharged Of record Rob
Me3ary. Ikputv Collector
Filing IN, regulating and grading Eleventh avenne,
from Twenty ninth TO Thirty third street, on ths list the
following mar Nos are paid in treasury not discharged
of rccordN 80 co. al a. ~, 9s 90 ~, %, %, 100,
1oi io2, Io3 1o4 and los amounting 10 sssi 81 saml
sever il Chatham stree, from sewcr in Mott street
o. walker street the owery ON this s' map Nos $50
and "a PAID treasury but not discharged of record
Amount, - TO samuel Allen, Deputy Collector
tlagKng 1920 street from Third avenue u Harlem
river. The collector making his return T. tue Bureau
Of Arrears omitted map Nos and "a standing upon the
record amounting 70 go o. These items may or may
not bc paid Try u,t returned 70 the Burcau ~ Ar
rears Robert McGafy, Dtputy Collector
Paving and laying crosswalks IN Broadway. f0rtsih
10 Forty second streets Map No a. o. u pad u tes
sury bri no, discharged ~ record Robert M-knnin,
Iiarrnr south side 81 Thr,c,h street, Tenth avcnu,
r. Hudson Map Ne 81 si2 Is paid in treasury but
DOT ed q record map No A. sl2 - paid q col
Clof bot not dcp-ed NJ treasury and not dis IA ged Of
I widening Dcckmsn street Map NJ. " 4, PAD IN
treasury bu, not discharged 81 record *5lVo samuel
sarsI.,'ns Tbir,y afth stree, and Second avenue
Map No a. pad treasury but not discharged Of record,
~ 30 Samuel klen, uNpaty Collector.
Washington street srwCr, from Rector u Morris
street Due from collector As per following
etatcrnefi. 49, %
Amount ~ assessment st......4.......4... 400 20
Amount deposited n treasury .....s.. o. sSs 02
Amount returned 10 Bureau q Arrears. los %
$50 735 "a
Balance aue............................... So O.
RuIn MCGAIsN Deputy Collector.
10 Paving Seventeenth strees from avenue % ksst
~ "a IN h4f mt a
RoBT gcKINNTS, Drpuiy Collector.
II s-ie~aks in Thirty third street from
Fourth a I'm avenue Collector ovcrpad this
count s2T a. RoBT hcGARY, Deputy Collector.
~ Building sewer ID Thirty -nrst street from seventh
D. Sisth avenue nsp NJ 5s paid 10 treasury, bat not