The New York herald., 1879-03-21
TALKING AGAINST TILDEN.
New Measure to Tax the Enormous
Property of Corporations.
REDUCING JUDICIAL SALARIES
Police Magistrates Better Paid than
Judges Of High Courts.
TpY rE1EeR lru TO THE uEnAnp.l

tween Senator Thomas Murphy, of New. York city,
and State Comptroller f. p. O.cott which is likely
to lead to very interesting disclosures The
system of ovcrcharging companies by spe-
.ial political favorites of the insurance department
has been very much talked about throughout the
whole State during the past year. It will be recol-
lected that strong evidence of this condi-
lion OF affairs was brought forward upon
The impeachment of Mr.. Smyth in. 1873,
On charges that moneys were exacted
alleged under special claims for counsel fees
ers. appraisers fees. &c. Tho highest amounts
under the head of appraisers fees. 1t will also be
recoleced that the specific accusation against Mr..
Smyth that he had received payment Of such
bills approved by him without the requisite audit of
the Comptroller. In presenting the charges to the
Senate Governor Robinson, among other things,
said: by reference to the Comptrollers report 1t
will be seen that certain class of charges. aggre-
eating about $4,000. have been submitted to and
audited by the Comptroller, while in the Of
numerous companies other large and purely i'm
proper charges, amounting to over S64,OOo. have
bcen presented and approved paid without ap-
prova but with the sanction of the superintendent
without having been audited presented to the
Comptroller for audit. required by the statute"
Among the large bills thus paid and not audited by
Comptroller Olcott. but approved by the Insurance
Departments. from Waldo Toby Il Grover
is understood to be the republican Senator Toby.
from Essex. since deceased. The bill presented
10 the New York Life Insurance Company. Tho fol-
lowing letter will explain the whole situation:-
COMPTROLLER oLcorrs LETTER.
To THOMAS MURPHY
marks ks:-"Satisfactory Henry Stokes. President.
Correct. John +. smyth. superintendcnt."
New York. amounting to $780, for appraising 228
pieces of property located in the counties OF New
York. Kings, Richmond Queens and suffolk, is
turned herewith. Upon its being properly recepted
1t will be paid by this department ut $l20 As near
weeks. and have fixed the per diem compensation
at $40. A careful analysis OF the bill shows that.
after making proper deductions for pieces which
were adjacent or which joined to other pieces
appraised by you you viewed about one hundred
and hfty-nine pieces OF property. The snperlnten.
dent Of the Insurance Department, in letter dated
December 6. 1877. copy OF which can
be found the sixty-eighth and sixty-ninth pages
OF the testimony and the arguments of counsel be.
fore the Senate charges against John +. smyth,
Superintendent of the Insurance Department, seems
to indicate that S5 apiece ON property located
within the limits or city and $40 upon each piece
outside of the limits of city is fair price for ap
prasing property. This opinion is Expressed by the
superintendent in regard to bills for apprasing in
localities where there were very limited number Of
pieces to be viewed Applying the scale OF prices
fixed by the superintendent and making allowances
for the larger number OF pieces viewed by you and
remembering the fact that considerable number of
each other the result reached would differ ma
terially from that concluded on by me-
BY referring to page 80 of the documents above
mentioned find that William LaiInbeer charged the
New York Life Insurance Company. with the ap-
proval OF the superintendent or the Insurance De-
partmen 5000 Tor appraisipg 1875 plots OF prop
erty in the city of New York. This bill does not
contain the value OF the property appraised The
price per plot is S3 Ga. Applying this price the
number of pieces viewed by you find the result
does not vary materially from that determined by
me- Upon page 10 OF the document twice before
referred find that William Lamb and Thomas
Murphy with the approval OF the superintendent OF
iyQd fpr r.
ing examination and placing values upon prop
erty in the city or New York. Brooklyn,
New Lots. &c. ffty-six pieces-in all llG
lots in New York and II pieces large and small upon
Long Island between Fulton ferry and the Atlantic
OF the Homeopathic Life Insurance Company. Of New
York. In this case you received $3.50 for viewing
about ono hundred pieces. Applying this rate per
piece to the bill under discussion and the result
reached il somewhat less than that concluded upon
by me. In the answer of the Superintendent of the
Bunk Department to communication addressed to
him by me on the subject of appraisals Of property
of institutions examined by his department he
says:--"I have employed two appraisers, both
OF them resident experts in such matters.
have always agreed with them that they
should be paid SO for each appraisal which they
made excepting large pieces only like the Union
Dime building aud the Stevens Apartment Hotel.
The prcnises were plotted for the appraisers and
they made certificate upon such plotted street of
their appraisal. They paid their expenses. For
property outside of New York and Brooklyn special
terms were made. Applying the price paid by the
Superintendent OF the Bank Department to your bill
and the result does not vary materially from that
rnsonKrrc.r FORTUNES ron ExMnSEas.
From these various comparisons conclude that
the price determined on-s2O dsy-s fair
price at which to audit the bill. In supplemental
sheet attached TO your bill the items OF charge are
stated as follows:-
For expenses, se37 "a.
For services. being at the rate of one-scvcnth Of
one per cent on the appraised value o the mortgaged
premises and real estate owned s6,274,O0 $S,y62 sc.
Total 81, 800.
The expenses are at the rate of over 500 per day.
n the commission which you charge, one-sevcnth of
per cent is applied 10 the valuation of the mort
gagged premises and real estate OF the Mutual Lite
Insurance Company OF New York. which to
be $l2OO00,Oo0. and proportionate charge for ex-
penses Is made, the result would be bill for
than s1s6O0. Your expenses are charged for ut the
rate OF s2 day and services nj tho rate OF
$24s per dsy-total charge 1919 per day. II you
could hnd steady employment at this rate for year
Of three hundred working days you would receive
Ssi.GO0. which is an amount that would pay tho
salary OF the superintendent OF the Insurance De-
twelve years. Assuming that you occupied nix
hours each day your charge is at the rate OF s45 per
lead you to the conclusion that your bill Is unfair
and exorbtant and II paid would be an act of gross
injustice to the company Interested. Most truly
yours, Il. y. OLCOTr. Comptroller.
COMBINATION AeAISsT r1LDEx
peculiar political combination is talked about
here tonight between machine republicans and
Tammanyitos as opposed to the Tilden- Robinson
phalanx. threatening just TO swamp both those
organizations. Energetic efforts are evidently being
made i'm prominent quarters TO bring about such
coalition to throw powerful impcdiments in the
way OF Mr.. Tildcns in this state. The
programme talked of is this--A charter for
New York will be introduced. This charter
will consolidate oil departments and bureaus In the
city government by legslsing out all present off-
cials and giving the appointment of their
70 the comptroller and District At
torney. II Will be- rccollectcd that similar
measure introduced in the Legisla
turc OF 1875. giving almost absolute power
b. Comptroller Green In the appointment Of chiefs
of departments. 4hc bill. however, not adj
-A1cod. through the intcrposition, II was alleged