, 1879-08-03
CITY ASSESSMENT.
The Committee on Equalization Adds
8 Per Cent to the South Side,
And Deducts Z from the North
and West Divisions.

|
What Messrs Drake and 0hasa Have tt
] Say About It,
The Committee on Equalization OF the COUNTY
Board has added per ceut to the real-cstate
assessment Of the South Town OF Chicngo, ant
has taken of Z per cent from the West ant
North Towns This action on the part OF rhe
Committee has given rise to q vigorous kick
from each Of the three divisions. The Wes1
and North Towns are mad because the Com
mitsce did not add more to the South Town,
and the South Town is mad because anything
was added to Its assessment.
Mr.. FRANK DRAKE,
the South Town Assessor, WAS captured yester-
day lust on the eve Of his departure for Geneva
Lake, and Was asked few questions concerning
the assessment he has just completed. and what
| he said may go long way in assuaglng the
| pangs OF those who think that, in comparison.
J the North and West Sides have been assessed
too high
"What do you think of the action OF the
| EQualization Committee Of the County Board
in adding 8 per cent to the real-estate assess-
1nent of the South Townf"
| stIhe action OF the Committee is wrong.
Every one / hare seen who owns property on
both the West and South Sides says thai he is
assessed higher on the South Side titan on the
| West Side. One mau have in INV mind who
| owns large interest on both sides says be has
always paid the heaviest tax on this side. 1t is
| nothing but q political dodge"
! ''What ought the Equalization Committee to
do!''
"Ihave not examined the individual ASSESS
ttx" A{+,f.H
| ton eau get 1rom parties who are assessed on
both sides, I should think there should bc some
| taken from the South Town instead Of anything
being put on"
"liow do you figure it out that the South
| Town is assessed higher than the West or North
| Tuwns!n
From conversiug NTH people who own
property in both towns, taking individual cases.
People who own property in tic three towns say
that we are assessed higher here than in those.
This was always the case, in fact"
"How about the charge that your assessments
were based upon estimates mnde by the parties
themselves, or by interested partiess"
"Tllere is not a word OF truth In it. That vas
not done ia one single instance.
"w1rAT ABOUT THE PALMER HousB''
| assessment of $1,000 ooon:
"The assessment Of the Palmer House was
| made on the estimate Of A. }. Ayerill, Albert L.
Coe William u. kerfoct, and James Il. Rees.
Iu addition to this, Mr. Palmer offers this
property for sale for that sum, and offers
to give the man who will bring hun customer
at that price $4,000, and sixty days. time to
sell 1t in. That is the reason for changing the
assessment from what it was last year."
You think, then, there il not proper cquil-
ibrium between the South and the West Side?"
II don't know generally about the proDor-
ton between the two towns. do know ttlat
the south Side has always paid more than its
proportion. Because it has done it heretofore,
it is no reason 1t should do it now"
"Do you know Of any individual instances of
low assessments on the West Side!"
y Yes; am sold OF one instance where a
.uan loaned, on some West Side proucrsv,
81, ,4G0. He had to toreclose the mortgage and
take the property. That property was assessed
this year at $50, defy any one to tiud any
such instance Of valuation on the South siie.''
g. How do sou explain the valuation of Field,
Letter G Co.'S storcs"
"We assessed their retail store at S2oo00o,
which was onc-third Of what they offered their
property for last fall. All they paid above
sv 1t f0p 1aa t9e eufE Suus was Of fsa: 1 bonus
everybody knows; aud, it we had made the
assessment with the added valuation, We should
have had to adjust all the surrounding property
to it, which wuuld have been unfair"
has been referred to?"
"That is assessed at just exactly oue-third its
value; and in every iistauce where we Gould !
lind any property that Lad been sold recently,
SO that We knew what the property was worth,
We assessed it at one-third les value"
''Iherc has been some criticism made upon |
the manner III which you have assessed the
Personal. PROPERTY OF FIELD, LETTER coz !
"Thev were assessed s1ooo,ooo. On tile com
plant Of Alr. Letter, before l',e Board OF ke- !
showed was this: That their assessment would
be Ss4G,0 ,010 upon the onethirtl basis. he gave |
the the inventory OF his goods, and 4 statement ]
OF his credits and liabilities. He consented to |
hav.ne it put at S930, 0,OGJ aud offered to give me
fhG nx
their BOOKS il desired. Taat is what le stated
to the Board.''
''Whar do YOU think of the proportion Of the
assessment OF personal property in the. West
and South Divisions!"
'' swell, one firm un this side pays Us much
personal-oroperty tax as the personal property ]
FAX Of the whole North Side. With regard to /
the personal property OF the West Side. know
side than on the West Side. There is the lum-
ber interest, which is assessed very low IL pro-
portion to the amount OF loans they must hare |
to carry on their business. In ny opinion, C.
H. Mccormick, who ia assessed on q valuation |
Of Sill, ,00o. has as much personal property as
Field, Letter l. Co., and has much capital in
vested Hc is assessed on just about tie value
OF the wire used in the construction Of his self
binding reapers. The lumber interest is assessed
at great deal less than any interest We have On
this side in proportion to the amount of capital
used in the business"
"Wbat should tile Committee of EquaIiza-
ton dos"
''The Committee OF Equalization should let
our assess.nen: remain just as it is. II there
are any changes to be made, our assessments
should be reduced in proportion to tie assess
nent Of the West Side. don't know so much
about tile North Side. Ali want is to have
fair valuation. The assessment for the entire
Three. towns should be done b. one MANI
'Attentlon has been called to the falling off |
of the assessment this year of S., ,0U0, ,00VE'
swell. tue country towus have fallen of
sl0 Coz, GOO, and IN our real estate ire have only
allen off S5,000,0oO. The Chairman Of the
Equalization Committee FitzGcrald) told me
he addition made to THE South Side assess
nent last year was wrong, and that he was not |
5olng to permit it this year. think 1t wrong |
Myself"
THE NORTH TOWN ASSESSOR.
Mr. Chase, the North Town Assessor, was |
ouud in his Office. He was willing to express
lis opinion, which is believed to agree in must !
with that Of Mr. Sokup, The West :
Town Assessor.
Alr. Chase said that both himself and Mr..
'okup Started out with the intention OF maku.
heir assessments upon one-thiru cash Yalua-
ion. and he believed they had done it.
ibid not Mr.. Drake do the same thing!n
sked the reporter. WAS NOT the South Town )
made upon the same basis2" ,