New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-23
TURNING TO PASTURES NEW.
THE FASSETT COMMITTEE TAKES VI
ANOTHER DEPARTMENT.
HAVING FINISHED WITH THE TAX BUREAU, II
TURNS ITS ATTENTION TO THE coMMIs-
sIoNERs OF ACCoUNTs-RICH
FINDINGS INDICATED

FINDINGS INDICATED.
The state Senate Committee on Cities YESTERDAY
finished it's investigation Of the Tax Department anu
began inquiry, which was interesting from the sss
and promises TO yield important results, in'o tae AZ
minstration Of the Tammsiiy Commissioners OF Ae'
counts Maurice f. Roahaa and Edwsrd r. barker
II is not likely that the committee VIII aa'outn on
Friday until after the election there will 90 no ses'
sion on Saturday but on Monday the committee VIII
PROBABLY meet again Of the usual hour.
Henry A Perry, Deputy Tax Comml.s'ooes. way
was examined by william NJ. wins yesterday was not
the least unhappy and uncomfortable OF long line Of
witnesses who have been unhappy ana nncomiortaoie
while they have been rendering an account OF hcar
stewardship 10 the Investigators. AZ esrti " |nc
Deputy Commissioner who was recommended for ap'
pontment by ". RouNke Csckrsa ana Ep~aFa STOKES
and Who by means Of Civil Service examination that
would havs bean competitive v only there bad been
any other candidate to compete with him. was rail
rpsasA into the eaAoa that be now holds On the
witnesses own invit9ton. Mr.. wins examined him W
relation to te increase in valuation OF the seventh
Ward made by him But Instead OF paAing plain an'
swers to the plain questions asked by Mr. wins, he
couAS>d his official self With words With garment he
uttered those words So indstincly thS 1t was dill
cnlt to hear them even a foot avaySenaor Fassett,
whs sat al his elbow, had 10 esk him 10 repeat his
answers several timesand probably the best way 10
sum up his evidence would be TO say that he explained
nothing He said that he had made $500 alterations
in the assessed values in the Seventh Ward and that
lie stood by them. He increased the assessed valua'
ton 81 2AsQO0 or about 10 per cent on the average
all around That all that he did say that was
clear ssd direct, lie would not bulge from the posi-
ton that all he lad done had been done according 70
his Judgment, and this judgment of his, which he
cited as his authority dozens Of times, seemed TO De
the only factor that determined the CONSTRUCTION Oh me
law, according TO his oath.
He said that in his judgment" the assessments
that no found in the seventh Ward when he etaFpeu
out on it, too low and added nal'cly' " Ihe'o
isn't piece OF property In thet district which VIII se
under the valuation have put on IT. (LanShtef''
Mr. wins agreed with him thoroughly In the We"
of recent testimony as the percentages OF under
valuation allowed that he Immediately began 70 uy
to discover Mr.. Perry's idea of q proper and con
scientous percentage. Mr.. Perry thereupon TOOK
refuge in ule words ordinary circumstances Here
are some specimen questions and replies:
oren US what you mean S Sy o S ~rDFy @
gives safeguard for the city, aud also iof the 'aA
ssr sSG@ sTay for pe perhaps
that valuation in my district would he reversed
senator Fassett-what do you mean by saying that
you regard the ordinary circumstances under WMcii
property IS sold 70 be "a safeguard to the city, aid a,
tell me- If you can, what Constitute ordinary clrcum,
STAGES for the sale oil property A-The yalnau0n
dilR { a SeS ssa to 3 st # M sell for
much under the most ordinary ereamstsnses wh.,
it will sell for st any time With fair leeway Tor the
taxpayer.
And so on, and SO on, until Mr.. Perry admitted that
property sold In private sale might be consdered 10
be disposed of under ordinary circumstances but ne
landed himself in difficulties again immediately for
he remarked that 1t very difficult to get al inc
actual prices paid In private sale, because there were
transiers recorded which, IN his judgment, were not
true. Frequently reliance could be placed on the
deeds where property is once transferred unoer "hat
he had admitted were ordinary circumstances.
Mr.. Ivins-Now, that there may be no msunder-
standing do you mean that In liking these values
you are positive that you liked the value Tue properly
not mean to say that under ordinary circuYstances
tHe property might bring more than you hxed' A
tho average Excess exc Would BEL HNpOsslSy anywhere
sys made marsn 2, 2, Is 70 cs5 80 Per
per ceatf Al have nothing TO do with that
MI Ivins turned his back, 1t were, on ordinary
circumstances and opened the seventh Ward held
book, to hear what MIR Perry had 10 say about tho
increase that he had made the value of some
properties as compared with Others; in short, to see
whether he had made his increases on any dchnable
basis or In carrying out any attempt at equalization,
or had recognized any standard whatever but " his
own Judgment The examination Oh these points
also was exceedingly involved and often obscured by
reason Of Mr Perrys rambling sentences and irrelevant
replies. MIR. WINS found several erssures in the
Geld book higher figures having been written over
smaller ones that he'd been nearly, but
not quite, scratched out. In one instance there
had been a change from $50 900 to 1898, 900, in
another from $2s 900 TO $30OtO. Dir. Perry
said that any changes that had been made had been
made because according his later Judgment, an In
crease In the value Of property Justified them Where
did this increase come from What real cause had lie
for it, snpposing thcro any increaSe' Well, Mr..
lvns could get no satisfactory TO that Mr..
Perry declared that he didn't 60 by real estate trans
actions. By what, then? BY location. Mr.. WINS
said viii you explain how there can be any valua-
ton according location sci aside all consdera
ton Of actual transactions" Il don't set aside ALL
said Mr. Perry. u coy that am not guided wholly
BY transactions: to an extent 1t helps me along The
greatest thing about tax ASSESSOR" added Mr. Perry
"is to regard equalization"
MI. WINS got the map-book Of the city TO supple
n,ent the field book, and earnestly besought the Wit
ness TO tell him the why the assessments lii half
. dozen diHc cases that lie picked out by chance
I'D not indicate that there any equalization Us
the results Of Perrys efforts Mr. Wins took sample
block BOUNDED By Clinton south, Montgomery ana Wate
su Assuming ul,N the eight lots"
Wltness-l won't assume anything. 49,. ,o.,
at the MONTGOMERY ST. end Of Vic block thai you have
ssc,sed for 100000. are worth $4,000. 1t would
eSs Ssy ssgG e. S %ho s Si sse IN S' bulk
OVEN, tsHs i 10 IaG. DN You mean to say that aS
~ Mg properly 4sa G Dps s,0O
INC Wsleg.s side Of the block III feet distant from,
fltc Wafer and Clinton SITS. corner at xIo,OOO Al
don think lin too high. i raised 1t from $4,000 TO
100000. l.. T., ,
OIL don't say it's high. say II Is low: A., ~,
want 70 jump man from $4,000 TO $4,000 all VI
O-Ip how many cases have your jumps been "a
Der cent TO bring t,e OF the aggregate )uinI
TO 10 per cent?
The witness vs. posed sgan. or st least nothing
deenite could be gathered from what lie said.
The Grst witness OF the day Was Commissioner Colo
man. who VS. recalled to tell what he knew abou
tho delay By the Commissioners 10 provide tho
Rersers once with certain maps foT the block inde,
system Mr.. Coleman said that the photographic arc
printing company which received the contracts io
tie mans we're 10 blame. However, he said that
the Tax Commissioners had placed the maps In thei
atca al thc di.nn.aL III the Regiser there MOulS