New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-30
HOPE FOR TAXPAYERS.
EoUALIzING ASSESSMENTS.

EQUALIzING ASSESSMENTS.
THE FORTHCOMING REPORT OF THE STATE ASSESSORS
INTERESTING DETAILS OF THEIR woRK-THEIR
PROPOSED SERVICE IN THIS CITY.
Messrs. James A. Briggs and s. G. Hadley
OF the Board OF State Assessors were in the city
Thursday evening. having been occupied at Nyack, In
Rockland County during the day Yesterday the Board
visited Garrisons and examined the affairs of
County, and will go to-day to Riverhead. in Suffolk
County BY tonight they will have finished their
sons in the GO counties OF the State They began their
labors at Bnghamton on June o. and have examined
about seven hundred supervisors with twice many
SCISSORS and taken the testimony OF great number OF
other witnesses The name OF every man examined.
and the substance OF his statement, the Board has
on file. classified by counties II s claimed that the
work has been done with Incorporating thorouGhness
and great labor, and that effort will be spared TO
make searching investigation in New-YOrk also. The
members of the Board state that their aim is to use
every available to get the actual value Of all tax
able property in the state to ascertain the exact rate OF
in every part Of it, and by discriminating
collation. and comparison of all attanabe facts, to
equaze far possible the burden OF the State tax
upon the counties Messrs. Hadey and Briggs charac-
terize their Wednesdays interview with John Wheeler.
President OF the Board of Taxes and Assessments in
this city, satisfactory All desired information was
given, and the books cursorly examined. In con-
ference with Mr.. Wheeler. the two State Assessors
present Thursday evening fixed upon Thursday Sept
L. at IL o. m the time for their first session in this
city, and the chamber OF the Board Of Aldermen as the
place The result OF the investigations OF the Board OF
Assessors in the several counties of the State will be en-
bodied in their report to the Board of Equalization,
which inoudesbesde the Board of State Assessorsthe
Commissioners Of the Land Office, being the Lieutenant
Governor, Controller Attorney State Engineer,
and the Speaker OF the Assembly The report will be
presented within fortnight, the first meeting of the
Board of Equalization after the first Tuesday of Sep
tember
Judge adey OF the Board of State ASSESSORS stated
TO TRIBUNE reporter Thursday evening, that the SUI
pervsor and inspectors throughout the State had shown
cOmmendabe zeal in cooperating with the Board in its
work In Rockland County supervisor except one
appeared before the Board. together with most OF the
Of I'm Chautauqua County every super
visor from the 80 towns present, and in st. Law
County also, every supervisor though some
Of them obliged TO travel 60 miles The results OF
the inquiries Of the Board (whose predecessors, 1t Is
stated have examined witnesses far is known,
and have presented written repOrtsn0ne, at least,
appearing in the Controllers oce show that there
gross inequalities in the compar alive valuation OF coun-
ties, which require immediate amendment. But these
irregularities between counties not so extensive and
unreasonable the differences in assessment existing
in certain cases in different towns of the same county
The people OF such towns, 10 great extent, have
ignorant of these inequalities and so have not
made complaint. In ST. Lawrence County the several
assessors had each other. In some counties
where the inequalities were sharply felt they have been
removed late years County conventions OF the AS
SCISSORS the various towns have been called and have
agreed upon uniform rates Of valuation all over the
county 1ns has been done IN Jefferson Livingston,
and ChautauQua Counties. Ii Westchester County, after
a bitter contest between aggrieved sections a com
mittee the Board OF Supervisors took copies In the
Clerks office OF all the warranty deeds for two years
back from every town IN the county Ihese snowed the
duced table of valuations for the several towns which
re- neen taken AZ the basis of assessment All contest
thus
tests are still going BY the present law towns ana
CITY wards have the right of appeal to the Controller
when their citizens think themselves unusty burdened
by Over-valuatOn In Gates County the controller Is
now carrying an investigation In the last Assembly
bin was introduced to transfer the appeal in such cases
to the Board OF State Assessors. but failed to pass
The Controller fayos such a change' ana tne
of the Board claim that the hearing OF appeals would
In regard to the frequent claim Of cities that their val
uaron excessive in COMPARISON with that OF towns in
the same county Judge Hadey stated that there is less
complaint OF the kind tins year than IN some preceding
years. Buffalo is AT present the IOudest RruOer III
that regard In Ise OPTION al INC oV I IN
farms frequently does not now pay more thah three per
cent on the investment. The value OF farm lands has
much depTeciaed of late,
The Assessors report viii show from the testimony
taken before hem tnat the valuation OF real estate IN
fbe agricultural portions of the State has diminished in
five years extent OF from fifteen to thirty per cent
formerly timber abOunded and numbering Was carried
on. Cataraugus, Franklin and Allegheny Counties Tor
example, The their pine forests has cut lto their
prosperity In those agricultural counties IN the vicin
Kings Queens and Rcnmond this depreciation has been
In regard TO the Justice Of the cry OF that
their city bears more than its part Of State burdens
Judge Hadey said that the Board could not pronounce
decsively tin after the completion OF their sessions In
mis- city, Their Judgment the matter will appear in
the table of equalization appended TO the report OF the
state Assessors TO the Board Of Equalization In the
onniou of the speaker the feeling injustice FAR
IRON universal Many of the most intelligent men OF
the city do think That NeWHOrk Is oppressed In tins
regard The cOmplanants 60 not sufficiently consider
how large portion OF the pr9spe b OF the counties
CURED wealth OF the county folk are Largely spent. III
might be suggested also that New Workers may accom-
nlish little BIZ LAYING much stress this issue. IL
the complaint unfOunded agitation supererogt0ry
it has foundation the city mas 81 counties 10 con
tend with effort 10 raise their valuation, all OF
them interested in keeping down their assessments.
The abOrs OF the Assessors have brought TO light ex
raOrdary inequalities in assessed valuations all over
the STATE in different towns oil the same county, ana IN
different prts of the town. In one town instanced
personal property was assessed Dy one assei o at oo
the dollar by another at % cents anu oy an
other at 1884 cents Unaccounable variations in the val
nation OF national bank stock and Of railroads were dis
covered. The capital stocks OF national Dahks Whlch
were without any appreciate 0ieTence IN value appa-
rent either the State Assessors or 10 De ascertaned
from the ATTACHMENTS Of the witnesses heard by them
from 20 cent 10 100 cent aud covering the whole
rouge between those points Variations IN assessments
o railroad property are equally marvellous The same
read is IN town Of county at $1,000 per
nile and another OF the same county at $4,000 per
mile Iu a county this city the same road Is as
per mile i'll town, at 5000 mile IN
another In another county IN the northern part OF the
state the valuation of certain railroad IS pretty uni
form most Of the county at 5000 per nile except IN
TWO towns OF which assesses at the rate OF SOO
per mile, the other at tllOOO Different railroads run
nng side by side in the same town. aud varying little In
cost per mile assessed with unaccOuntable dis
elimination: one, for instance, at $4,000 per mile, the
5000 The forthcoming report OF the Assessors
will specify many instances OF these unaccOuntabo diff
ferences valuation In the opinion OF the Assessors
based their Investigations corruption has had little
10 do with these astounding determinations. Errors OF
Judgment in responsible but the eagerness OF
10 make the valuation of their particular town