The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-01

The ROBBERY or THE TAxPAYERs.-The
joint Committee OF Accounts having been for
tilted with an additional sum Of Eve thousand
dollars. to meet their expenses, are going on
vigorously with their investigation into the of.
fairs Of the Assessment Department and Bureau
Of Arrears. The work is naturally slow, for thu
matters requiring investigation extend back
some eight years or more; but they expect by
January next 10 have completed their labors
ard have established an entirely new system
Of transactipg business in the Finance and
Street Departments. Every day some new evi
dencc turns up showing tie villanous way in
which things are managed at present. On
Fridsy last the committee traced Q fraud
amounting to $4,000 to one Of the Deputy Col
lectors Of Assessment, paid long ago on pro-
perty upon which the lien was never cancelled;
and that sum, OF course, went straight into
the pocket Of the collector. Thousands of
property owners have no doubt been mulcted
IN the came fashion. Many Instances OF this kind
have turned up during the progress Of the In
vestigation but II Is only when property comes
to be told that It il found to be encountered by
lien. So common has this become that the
committee are now issuing circulars to every
one whose assessments are In arrear, inviting
them TO furnish an exhibit OF any money
they may have paid, as the ouly way Of dis
covering the extent to which this species of
fraud has gone. The books show arrears to the
amount Of nearly ak millions due the treasury
up to the first Of January last. How much OF
this sum has been paid aud not accounted for
remains to be seen when the property owners
respond to tho circulars
The whole system Of assessing property Is 90
]oose that there can be no check on the fraudu-
Lent conduct Of the officials There arc many
large property owners In the city who are en-
tirely ignorant that their property has been
assessed for any amount, although liens are
standing against them, and they arc returned
TO the Bureau Of Arrears az delinquent. When
they are applied to some Of them will find that
they have to pay interest on the amount at the
rate Of twelve per cent for two, three, or four
years In one case which has come 10 our
knowledge, the interest alone on an assessment
Of property belonging 70 an. extensive property
owner amounts to $3.50, though ho was never
notified that his property had been assessed for
aoy purpose. In this way great many people
who complain Of the onerous taxation they have
already paid will find one Of these days that
heavy arrearage still stands against them. We
advise ell the taxpayers who receive the above
mentioned circular to hunt up their receipts q,
once, and see whether they are really in arrear
or not.
Such is the system which the Joint Committee
Of Accounts are endeavoring to ventilate and
such is the ystem which the oppressed tax
payers are expected to demolish by combined
action at the next election. II they fail to &C,
emerge tically in the matter they must expec.
to be pIundercd ss they have been for the last
ten years, but ia an increased ratio, for the
hungry oficeholdcrs under the Corporation arc
getting more grasping and more daring every
day. Nothing but thorough cleansing Of the
Corporation stable, and tho installing of an ca.
tircly new set Of men in Office, will put stop
A. ~. II