The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-11


The State assessors are evidently trying to
do their duty. The speech Of Assessor Wood to
Oneida county and Supervisors Saturday
sensible and statement Of the law and the
facts pointing out what all know be the fact that
the grosest Irregularities and inequalities in
that We are making little or progress In the direction
OF making the burden Of taxation Just and fair TO
rich and poor alike There between 5000 and 1000
local In the sste and every Of these ~
SCISSORS II In sense law unto himself since not Of
them makes any effort to live up to the letter the
spirit Of the law which 10 made for the guidance Of all
Another peculiarly Of the situation the steady failure
OF the tax gatherers 70 reach personal property-a fail
urs which becomes more conspicuous and sgnin.
cant from to The increase in personal prop
ery In New York State has been enormous In the last
ten yearsfar exceeding In amount the increase In the
value Of real property. A. Common ealth grows
richer and older and the forms Of personal property
multiply, they have In this State beyond compsr.
son. ito wealth takes more aud the personal
aspect But more and this class Of property
ceeds In escaping the roA We collect taxes
less Of this property to-day ten years
ago In tho same period, the assessed value Of real
estate has increased onethrd. and IL increasing by
millions every year.
What does it all mean Clearly that there is fatal de-
feot somewhere in our taxation laws defect that 80
far from remedying 10 becoming gsrns In its Oh.
GRAFTON - time About ten years ago the Legis
aturs created Commission to investigate the subject
md out the defect and suggest the remedy That Com
mission reported variety Of for
the abandonment Of the and Of per-
sonAi property 1t held that all taxes were levied on
real estate and all Of real understood that
this was to be the condition of possession, the system
would come in time to be just aud would be uni
form. The principle underlying the recommendation
was that all taxable property should be visible property
which the only class Of property assessor can in
fably reach. The report greeted with storm Of
indignation, and particularly from the farming popula
ton. the whose all invested in the lands they
TILED and who understand good reason why they
should pay taxss from which the who live on the
Increment OF invested personal property exempt
The proposition was not unjust however Is IL ap-
peared on its face An examination Of the assess
ment rolls Allows that onehsn Of all the real estate
taxes falls upon property In the cities Of New
York aud Brooklyn. Nearly three-quarters of the
assessed real property Of tho State to-day 10 To-
Gated within the cities Of the State. although the
population, 81 the State u now nearly evenly di.
vdsd betwssn the municipal and rural sections Az the
cities grow, they Lift and the burden Of tax.
alton from the farming communities 10 In the cities
that the personal property 10 chiefly held and 10 evi.
dent thai tax upon real property only would thus fall
upon the parts Of the State which bulk Of the
personal property.
But time aud attention working out more eau,ta.
BILE solutions Of the problem The law taxing corpora.
tions directly from Albany great step In advance
and points the way 70 other reforms. Already this
law earning more than ons-hfth Of all the State taxes
or nearly q 0o00 900 The only way 70 tax per.
sona property with anything like results 10 TO
assess II uniformly and from . single authority. 1t
possible n assess both mortgages bank stock in
that way law requiring the several County Clerks 70
report TO the Comptroller At Albany the nance Of tho
mort agees OF record In each county the amount
each mortgage would enable the State tax all this
class OF personal property and tax all alike Another
law requiring the Of all the stockholders Of banks
TO bs recorded at Albany would enable the
TO reach another class Of personal property which