, 1873-09-05
Complaint that tho Capital Stock Of
,.','" Corporations vas hot
,, Il al ''t' :; -
Investigation by a Committee Of the
State Board Of Equal
ization, J..
Testimony Of the Town Assessors.
Opinion Of the County
Attorney. o..


1879 nud 1879, made to the State Auditor, met
yesterday in tho County Commissioners oham-,
bcr. Tho Hon. II. P. Dorriokson, Of Cook, the
Hon. Daniel 4. Alca1asters. Of Randolph, and
Tho Hon. hlr. Dewey, Of WILL, composed tho
Committee. They wore all proBent except Al{r.
Dewey. 11r. .Derrickson took, the chair, and
called Mr.. NcAlastera to order.. Mr., Jeremiah:
Crowley WAS appointed clerk. Tho County Attor:
noy, the County Clerk, aud the Assossors ueso
5n attendance. 4,s !, r
The Chairman called tho attention Of Ansessbr
Gray, Of Hyde Park, to the clauso in :,tho. lsov-
enuo law requiring the assessors to asBess;the
capital stock of incorporated companies. :
Mr. Gray said there wero no Incorporated COM
panies in Hyde Park. :
Mir. Amborg, Of tho West Blde, and Mr.. Patch,
Df tho North Side, wero called npon.' rs
Mr. MoAIastors desired thoy should DO sworn,
Ind thoy swore to testify truly, and so forth.
Mr. MoMastors tlon read tho section Of tho
Rovonue aw,rolatlye to Incorporated companies.
Ho said thcro wero two counties in tho State.
Cook md Will, which failed to schedule thcae
corporations. Tho Assessors failed to return
them to the County Olork, and ho, therefore,
could not return thom to the Auditor.
Mn. PATCH
said In Ills district thoro wero but threo
corporations. ono q ho1so-ratlroad company,
ouo bank, ono dstllory. IIo Ind aons
them blanks which they failed to ill and return
and ho then achodulod as nearly as ho could.
dividing 1t between personal and real property.
He attempted to get at their capital us nearly as
possible. He assessed nothing but their tan
gible property, real and personal. -
To A1r. Derrickson--Did not fill tho blanks
himself after tho Companieh failed to make
tho returns. Ho assesBod them on what ho be-
loved they were entitled to pay. -.. -
To Mr. McMastora-Ho knew moro about his
duty now than no did before; as ho waH not
Rwaro ho should not assess their capital stock,
JULIUS nonDERTUs, -.
Deputy y-Asaessor of tho South sido, was Bworn,
and said he did not know how many corporations
we're In his district It WAS very hard to find out
these Companies. Ataome places they said they
could not mako returns, others said they bud
property scattered all over tho State on which
they paid taxes, that property being part of
their capital stock. The Auditor had instructed
them to asness on tho property in this county,
and they did 80, assessing their tangible proper
ty. It was worry hard to find those Companies, as
fow OF them had Bigns up.
hill. AapERo.
The West Side Assessor, being bworn, said thero
were worry few. corporations that had their Offices
on tho West 8ido +; there we're. two banks left
tl blanks thy did not fill them he did not all
The Committee went through list of incor-
porated companies in this county, said list being
Furnished by the Secretary Of 6tato's office.
There were some $50 companies in the list, but
pany is tho " Incompatible Shoe and Last Com
pauy," aud hundreds like it. Tho capital Of tho
bogus and genuine companies averaged $3.50 900
each. OF the entire list, not more thau perhapa
thirty ara bona fllo institutions.
Tomorrow it ia intended to examine the
officers Of some Of these companies.
Mn. E. DRuAY
who has had charge Of tho lteYenue Department
in tho County Clerks office explained informally
tie apparent discrepancy between the number
OF acres aud lots reported to the Auditor in 1879
aud 1873. He stated that in making up tho ab-
atract for the County Board that, whom he camo
to certain townB the Assessors failed to add
up tho number Of acres and lots, and he gRvo
those books out to the clerks IN the Office to
have them added up, and he went along with the
other towns TINT we're properly returned aid
made out the list. In Ills hurry to get tho re-
port to tho Auditor lie omitted to insert those
towns that had been given out to DO added up.
There wore three or four towns not added up
enough to make a material difference. The State
Doard could add those towns to tho report.
The difference in tho azo Of lots in Cook
County is 30 great that tho County Board in
making their equalization neyor considered the
lalds separate from tho lots, and never equalizad
Oh lots separate from laud. Some town lots
wero from s to 10 acres each in suburban
towns such as Hyde Park, Lake View, etc.,
aud aome. a. for instance, Scotia Chicago
Boulevard Addition to Washington Heights in
the Town OF Worth, wore about Is feet front
BY GO feet deep, with 5-foot alleys aud 10
foot atrecta. In addition to their diminutiyo
alze these lots we're undor water in . swamp.
That WAS gwen simply as IN illustration Of the
difference In tho size OF lots III tho county.
Coming down to the actual figures, showing the
difference between what WAS actually reported
to the Auditor anu Whnt the actual footingB
wore ns shown by tho Anscssora' roturnb Tie
total number Of acroa Of lands, improved and
unlmproyed, aa reported to tho Auditor, is 4o7,
497, aud the actual number as shown BY the Az
Hesaora returns Was 524 ,Gl0, making difference
Of q, ,1l3 acros. The total number Of improved
and unimproyed lots reported. to tho Auditor
WAS LIT ,223, and tho total number as shown by
the AHaessors'- roturns was 222 500, making
difference OF 45,G31 lots. Tho total number
Of acros Of lands reported to the Auditor fo1
1879 wae 635,050 aores the total number that
should be reported for 1878 Wap b24. GI0, showing