The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-16
Cost of Ne,o Buildings
Totals ............s 1929, GAS, O4e


Excluding value OF district annexed in that year.
From these figures It will be that the aggregate
assessments fail short OF the aggregate value
of the improvements, $685. 1872 499. The assessments
for each year made In the year preceding the
assess ments for 1874 made 1873 before real
estate felt the shock OF tho panic but IN 1870 and In
each venr tile have to the
condition OF business, the excess over the
values Of the cost Of improvements in those three
years being $47773.2l2-rquvaicnt TO u reduction OF
valuation Of say, $40 900 900. During those years
have been made in the assessed valuation Of
such improved and tenement properties as have
suffered the greatest depreciation.
CITY TaE STATE TAX.
e U IL hs cy IN sSs sn or
preceding was adjusted ut the rate o sixty cent
Of the actual value. Actual valuo did not mean the
price that owners asked for their property, but price
at which the officials assessing judged that 'The
property would under ordinary crcu mstances sell
manded more than i've times the assessed value Tor
their property. The Commissioners using tho right
OF Judgment conferred upon them by law, never ac-
cepted the prices current In 1870 to 1874 true
values The Coz OF those days not .or
binary crcumstances' within the me aiming of the law
They were most extraordinary circumstances-fu OF
imitation, full Oh deusion, full Of dorium-wien men
deceived themselves before they ala others and moro
than they did others. hold It to BE- truo
tua values OF to-day, with such exceptions the Com
missioncrs we already recognized by reduction, or
as ! ut least am fully prepared 10 recognize upon
tho assessed value as fixed formerly tho then basis
Of sixty per cent The Com claim gift Of
presconce. but they did adjust values view OF the
posslbility-nay, probubility-of SUCH revusion
mas occurred This statement applics OF course. to
the bulk OF the properly. for there
tions in which, IRON specific causes, values have ae.
tually fallen below the assessments
II is true that prior TO 1878 the other counties In
the State kings excepted did assess properly
anything like It's real vclue the assess
ments here. But remonslrance alter remonstrancc
wont up from this department Facts qnd figures
were hurled upon the reluctant attention Of state and
rural with such goal and pertinacity that
OF The state be, ween 1873 ana 1876 were no less than
S0O2 $50 sos Many other counties ranged themselves
by the OF New York in the ratio Of assessment
to the great and obvious reef OF this city IN the pro-
portion oil the State tax.
cITy's SHARE OF TAX.
state tax in Sy will viii pay only as cent o Tne
reduction iu the percentage oil The State TAX paid by
the city has been accomplished by adherence 70
wise and conservative policy. Intelligent and fair
minded IN the state conceded that the city had
boon wronged. New York cannot afford just 10
TIL ow away The advantage Vf her position. fedoc-
ton Of 30 10 ~ per cent indiscriminately upon
present Valuations, made for the purpose OF cvaiing
a lair proportion Of the State tax, would provoke
reac lon ia pubic sentiment throughout the State.
ard penal sum would, with some show oil justice, be
imposed upon the city for resort to such
= subte,fuge. Tho power 10 improve such n
penalty is tho Board OF State Equazi tion,
and II won1 DO wise not TO "unchain The tiger. "
How iuiiIe uny attempt would lie effect a reduc
ton OF the Guys share OF the State tux by mere Jug
gle in assessments, mado con cssedly Tor that pur
posc is proved by these facts The valuation OF the
roal estate III this city, fixed by The FAX Comms-
siopcr, was 1892 AIS 1885, but the state assessors de-
cIared he actual value 10 be 81 200 000 and the
The method b. which these figures are obtained IS set
forth al length in the report of the department Of
December 81 1871 While the proportion OF the -tato
Tor the current year Tor this city has Ccen fixed
at A. rs per cent OF The whole there can be no doubt
that the just proportion would not exceed 3S cent
Of the whole. Yet, strange to say resolution is
pending in tho Legislature looking to the dscov.
cry OF OF redress Tor other counties be-
the proportion Tor this city wis not liked at A.
per cent OF the wholel
oMSporENcE OF THE STATE BOARD.
These facts suffice 10 verify the declaration that tho
D..r latnr I'm
pays the state tax without reference 10 the valuations
made under the direction OF the Tax Commissioners.
and that no change u our local valuations would
10 save tho city from any allotment that Board
may choose to make In the name OF "cQualizatop"
II mas been asserted That the demands OF taxpayers
for reduction OF their respective Valuations oil real
estate meet with no attention. This Is an error.
Every such application Is carefully read and examined
by the Board and subjected TO such action as the
judgment OF the Comm ssioners dictates. TINS judg-
meut may often be erroneous, because 1t Is merely
human Judgment 1t Is alleged that assessments arc
unequal. shall not stuitfy myself by denying that
thoy appear 50 10 Interested parties or that they are
In some cases even so. In fact The valuations are
made upon the Judgment" the law dcines II, oil
the respective officials charged with the duty of
sessing To assume ~ assert that that 'udgment'
Is always right and especially that other judgment
snail deem the official '.judgment" to be right would
be to make ones sell ridiculous he C0mmssion ers
certainly depore these inequalities and are quick TO
apply the corrective when thoy are discovered Much
stress has been laid upon the Tact that at a
fair public sale a certain lot brought only 9
| little moro than half It's assessed value, and
| that others sold for less than their assessed
vauea But II 10 also fair TO state that at the same
time other lots upon the same block sold for much
more than their assessed value, and that all Of them
were assessed In q proportonnte scale OF valuation
according 10 their situations. TIE difference their
prices was simply an eccentricity oil the market, for
| when no human foresight could provide. II Is easy
| to be wisc-aer tho TACT l desire 10 place upon
record my profound convection that general reduce
Of the assessed valuation Of real estate,
the extent and Tor the purpose proposed would
else disastrous influence upon tue interests this
city, and especially upon real estate and utterly
In its specific purpose, avowed, TO effect reduc
ton In the quota oil the State lax.
mr. ANDREWS WILL RESIGN.
And now, Ia conclusion bog TO say that for nearly
nine years have tried to do my whole duty as Com
| missioner of Taxes and Assessments l have beer
| instrumental In saving many hundred Thousand
dollars 10 the taxpayers In this city In State taxes
have earnestly urged reforms In the tax laws which
would benefit the real estate OF this city. have re-
commended a different method of desig In,
| amounts TO be raised by State tax (page % OF re
port Tor 1870 which has been practicali,
| adopted by The Assembly within lev
dayA l hAXo not In the DISCHARGE of dut1