New-York tribune., 1873-09-05
COMPARATIVE VIEW OF ASSESSMENTS.

SESSION OF THE BOARD OF STATE AssESSoRs-JCs-
TICE PROMISED To THE CITY.
The Board of State Assessors met In the
Tax Commissioners Office yesterday The Board is com
posed Of John s. Fowler Of Auburn. Chairman; James A.
Briggs Of Brooklyn, and 8. G. Hadley OF Waterloo Mr.
Hadley was absent from sickness Supervisors Often
dorfer Cooper and Koch, with Tax Commissioners
Wheeler Andrews and MoultoD were present Mr..
Fowler said they had visited every county the State,
and were prepared make fair and just classification
outside OF this city.
George II. Andrews, Tax Commissioner made long
statement The great difficulty was, he claimed, that
assessments throughout the State varied from Is to 60
per cent. Then the law required assessments to be
made upon the full true value. An attempt to enforce
the law literally would be TO every piece of property
upon 100 per cent OF its value. When the Tax COmmis
sioners came in they found that property had pract
cay been assessed at about 60 per cert TO nave re-
duced that would been unjust; 10 keep 1t there
would be right but there was no law Tor IT, Inc true
value ia not the assessors estimate or what 1t will
hiring al the owners esmate II Is what II will bring at
all times and under all circumstances 1t would be DIM
ut t any time TO effect loan OF more than co per cent
an the Commissioners took that as the solution OF the
question: The tendency is to assess the bulk OF the
property at 60 per cent. On that class OF prop
erty that varies In value from $4,000 TO
$4,000 the rule is very closely followed.
Ranks are assessed upon par value of their capital
npess their capital has been impaired Savings banks
are xempted by law unless they own real estate Fire
,nsurance companies assessed upon their capital
stock actually paid and their surplus less the amount
n, their earnings Life insurance companies are as
Sessd uDon their capital less the amount invested IN
Governnpent bonds. Mutual life insurance companies
ore nv An act OF 1851 exempted from tafa.loh, Inc
Pachc Mail steamship Company was assessed upon
valuation OF 1sO89OO. In assessing corporations
,beT stock was taken par and their debts were d
1ucted The law in regard TO personal properly anu
oes does more than drive capta from Ihe STATE
~ drives residents away from the city one Rrest
becon To the tax H. that It has ceased 10 oe
nractea 10 enforce IT, IL only bears upon tuoso VIM
eontrbuts 10 the material wealth OF the city ,.,
Mr. FoWler here said ne had list or the nro anu nie
insurance companies, trust express telegtaph, Isll
road and ice companies. with miscellaneous ~ a
turers whose capitals aggregated about $oS29 Al lu
NOT iuclude banks The assessment hccOruinR 70
hooks was about $4 0O0 Mr.. Andrews palneu tua
n the list the Insurance companies were chargeu
their gross capital. Some had IL much impareo ny
| large fires. -. at
Mr. Briggs asked why the assessment upon persona ma
property had decreased about s15OOoDO since ls'[
Andrews stated that it literally because VI 'lo
diffusion of knowledge among the people. Ihey EaEo
learned what was taxable and what was not MI b,Iss
stated they had found national banks assesseu
zero TO 100 only zero and that was Owneu aos
entirely by MI Cuyler. who had stated that the oal
WAS ali In Government bonds.
The total assessment for 1917. resumed MI Andrews,
ia 6s5 II the whole island OF New i0ik Were
put up AZ auction. would hardly bring tWlce tna ~