The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-14
AFTER THE ASSESSORS BOOKS.
Not All Have Been Surrendered Yet-Mr.
DiIks' Offer.

Not All Have Been Surrendered Yet-Mr.
DiIks' Offer.
The Board of Tax Commissioners
opened a temporary Office in the Council
Chamber this morning and settled down
to business, in order to comply with the
provision of the new charter that the
Board shall attend to business between
the hours of ten a. m. and three p. m.
One citizen and one citizeness availed
themselves of the opportunity afforded
by the new Board to complain of an ir-
regularity or inequality in the. assess
ments to lay their grievance before the
Commissioners Messrs Lawrence,
Prigge and O'Donneu listened to the
gentleman and lady and promised to at
tend to their complaints in manner
which impressed them that the new
Board was just about right.
The friction between the new Commits
sioners and the old Board of Assessors is
not entirely done away with yet, notwith-
standing all statements to the contrary.
The Assessors of the First and Fourth
districts are the only ones who have given
up all the books and other property per-
tanning to their offices.
The Assessors who have surrended to
the Commissioners are City Collector
O'Neill and Tax Commissioner Prigge.
The book turned in by Alderman
O'Rourke the Assessor of the Second dis
trict, is an old volume in the last stages
of dilapidation and bearing every evil
dence on it's face of having been made at
least ten years ago.
Commissioner O'Donnell, in glancing
through casually, discovered one piece of
property assessed as vacant lot, upon
which a building has stood for the past
year.
From Assessor Laws, of the Fifth dis
trict, there came a book which Commits
sioner Lawrence recognized as one he had
made in 1885, when he was Assessor. But
in Justice to Mr.. Laws it should be stated
that the book, though an old one, bears
evidence of having been corrected to
date.
The answer which came from Assessor
Wright, of the Sixth district, was some
what remarkable Henry Dilks called on
the Board, and said that he had been em.
ployed by Mr.. Wright to do the work of
assessor, and he was i'll possession OF the
books, field maps, ETC., which he would
turn over to the Commissioners with great
pleasure if they would employ him as a
clerk He had understood, he contin-
ued, that the Commissioners had pro
posed to employ the old Assessors as
clerks, and as Mr. Wright was in busi-
ness in New York and could not be per
suaded to accept employment from the
Commissioners, Mr.. Dilks thought that
as he had done all the Assessors work he
should be employed.
Mr.. Lawrence informed him that the
Board did not propose to employ the old
Assessors, and never made that PROPOSE
tion. Then Mr. Dilks offered to return
the old books, and said that as he had all
the memoranda and other facilities in his
possession, he would go ahead and finish
the present assessment.
Judge Lawrence declined this propo-
sition also and told Mr. Dilks that what
ever matter of that nature hey had was
made as Assessor and was the property Of
the city. He also gave Mr.. Dilks to un-
derstand that unless all property pertain
ing to the office of Assessor in his posses
sion is Immediately turned over to the
Commissioners, steps will be taken to
compel its surrender.
Corporation Counsel Edwards and At
torney Hudspeth held a conference this
afternoon to consider the best means to
compel the delinquent Assessors to sur
render their books and other property to
the Commissioners.
Assessor Reardon, of the Third district,
turned in all his books this afternoon.
They were all in good condition and care
fully written up to date. The Commits
sioners devoted the afternoon to an exam
ination of the assessments of the First
district,