, 1875-02-14

If hoped that she will not be disappointed
y giving birth to female Celestial, the on
10 use for which in China is drowning in Il
q Yangsti-Kian
q CHARTER AND TAX-LAW AMENDMENT
9 The Subcommittee of the Common Coul
j. Gil appointed to prepare bills to be submitte
+ to the Legislature made report On Frida,
= and the bills were published in TIE TRmuN
r of Saturday. As these bills are, perhaps, to /
submitted to the Legislature as rival measure
: to some Of those proposed by the Citizen
: Association, they have IN interest for th
: whole public. The Council bills hare no rel
erence to any reforms in the City Charter, No
, to the arrest or prevention OF any Of theabuse
and defects of the present system. The Coun
Gil bills are confined to financial measures
and the several bills may be thus synopsized
l. To amend Bill 800. Bill 800 was o spe
cial revenue law intended for Cities It un
dertook to run special system OF taxatior
with the machinery Of the General Revenue
law of the State Unfortunately, when tht
city applied for Judgment for delinquent
taxes in 1874, the County Court was unable
because Of the glaring Inconsistencies be-
tween the general and special laws. to give
judgment for the city. The law officers Of
the city appealed the case to the Supreme
Court, where it is now pending. Another
defect YVES discovered in the general law, in
that it nnade no provision in case the Su-
preme Court should decide IN appeal in favor
| OF the city, whereby q sa@< could be- had Of
the delinquent property The bill now pro-
posed is to amend Bill 800 by curing certain
defects therein, and making it complete with
| out the aid Of the general Law.
2. Ths second bill has for its purpose to
| amend existing laws whereby, when city be-
comes the holder of certificates Of sale Of
property for delinquent taxes, it shall not be
necessary for it to pay the subsequent or in
tervening State Or local taxes on such proper
ty in order to be entitled to decd for such
property in case it shall not be redeemed
8. The third bill provides that, when the
city funds shall have accumulated in the
Treasury to sum equal to one-tenth of the
annual ta1-levy, the same shall be invested in
National bonds, which is sound provision.
1. The fourth bill provides that, in case any
ta1 sales shall be decided to have been Illegal,
the holder of the certificates of such sale
shall be entitled to payment Of the amount
Of ta1 paid by him, with 10 per cent interest
from date Of sale.
5. The fifth bill provides that it shall not
be lawful for any City Government to enter
into contract for building or Improvement,
the cost of which shall exceed $1,000, until |
at least half the sum contracted for shall be |
in the Treasury, and applicable to such ex- |
penditure, and the other half provided for |
by tax-leyy.
s. The sixth bill repeals all laws requiring
public money collected for special purposes
to be kept separately and as special funds.
Z. The seventh bill provides that no me-
cha1ics liens, or contractors liens, shall be
legal as against cities
It will be noticed that each and all Of these
bills are special amendments to existing laws
and are open to the objection Of not reciting
in full the laws and parts OF laws they pro-
pose to amend This, however, is . matter
of form, and may be remedied. The object
II having these amendments scattered through
'eVen bills, instead Of one, il not apparent,
The great fault Of the present charter is that
t is thing Of shreds and patches, and full Of
Inconsistencies These bills amend this COM .
'Icated mass generally, aud can only add to I
he general confusion.
But the main question involved in these
ills is, Do they propose remedies adequate ,
o the existing evils Thus, the city is now +
ompelled to purchase all tho delinquent prop I
rty sold for city taxes, and, in order to have
isn On that property, must pay the subse- '
uent taxes, both State and local, for all pur- I
oses, until the time elapses for obtaining c
1-deed- Instead Of revenue from taxes, F
10 city is compelled to take certificates of c
Il sales and pay taxes thereon Do these Il
Ills remedy this evil and enable the city to r
o4ect its revenue in cash? There was n
ma when at tar sale the city would COL b
ct the whole amount Of its delinquent tax II
st. Iha Inducements to purchase at such O
les were sufficient to attract private capital t,
he law, however, now requires that the Dur ii
laser at ono tax sale shall forever after nav oj
taxes on such property until he gets tax fc
'ed; and so uncertain and questionable are d1
e proceedings Of tho public authorities that b.
ere is not more than one ta1 salo ont Of a st
zen whose validity ever stands the test Of
|blie inquiry; and when the tax sale is
rs declared Illegal the purchaser is in danger is
losing all that lie has invested. All this pc
put an end to tax purchases by individ- so
Is, aud the city has to become tho exclusive he
rchaser at its own sales. Now, These bills su
to remedy these defects. They provide br
1t when the corporate authorities hold tax Sc
tldcates they shall not be required to pay 81,
subsequent td1es but this exemption ap- es
es only to purchases made BY the city, and M'
'ps the door closed as against all private tin
rchases- It still cornpels the city to take de-
certificates instead Of cash, aud to that ex- "!
t these amendments are defective. It is tn.
'stionable also whether the State can give CHI
! class of purchasers at tax sale q pref del
nee Of right and priority Of lien not Th
sn to other classes Of purchasers. But. set
ather this can be done or not, the bills tha