Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-01
VERY COSTLY TAXES.
More Money Expended on Their
Collection Than Is Taken In.
TREAsURERWRIGHT'S STATEMENT
According to Him the Mercantile Tax Is a
Rank Delusion.
MCAMANT AND THE MISSING BOOKS

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.1
PHILADELPHIA, July 31.-In long let
ter to Auditor General Csmant, ostensibly
asking for information and instructions be-
fore bringing suits for delinquent mercantile
taxes, City Treasurer Wright shows up in a.
startling manner the mercantile tax system.
In the course of his letter Treasurer Wright
says:
An examination of the list of names COM
prised in the mercantile appraisement for
1891 and a comparison of the same with the
list of 1890 has satisfied me that the Common
wealth is unnecessarily subjected to enor-
nous expenses annually for advertising and
for the costs of suits brought before the
magistrates which it is practicable to avoid,
and about which I feel it to be my official
duty to fully inform you, to the end that
we may in some measure prevent the waste
of public moneys. In round numbers the
mercantile appraisers annually include IN
This whole list is paid for by the Common
wealth for advertising alone at 81 90 per
name.
PUT TO GREAT COST.
Nevertheless the Commonwealth. not only
fails to secure the payment Of tax from more
than about third, of the whole number,
but it is subjected to enormous cost for the
classification by the appraisers, for advertis-
ing and for the costs attendant upon suits
brought for the recovery of moneys against
persons from whom it is entirely practicable
to ascertain before the bringing of suits that
no recovery can be had.
An examination of the mercantile ap-
praisers' lists of 1890 shows that there were
returned by the appraisers, served with
notices, and advertised at the cost of the
Commonwealth, 2S, 634 names. Nevertheless,
not more than II, 400 of this number paid at
the rate at which they were assessed. For
1913 there was reduction in the tax made;
3S2 were stricken from the list; 1037 were
exempted, some for reasons that could have
been ascertained by diligence on the part of
the appraisers before they were put on the
list, some for mercenary reasons and others
for reasons of a political character; and
against 6,559 delinquents suits were brought.
SMALL RETURNS FOR SUITS.
Out of 6,55a delinquents sued, the judg-
ments secured were paid in but 249 cases,
realizing for the Commonwealth $z,756 so;
while the costs paid to these magistrates
by the Commonwealth for these suits
amounted to $31, 1874 20. According to which
it appears that the State would have been
the gamer by SIS, ,4S7 20 if no attempt what
ever had been made to collect these taxes,
and if they had never been put into the
hands of the magistrates at all; whereas If
neither these deIinquents nor the exempts
had been put on the appraisers lists at all
monwealth could have been effected.
A dispatch from Harrisburg says: In re-
sponse to Treasurer Wright's request for
books and papers in his possession belonging
to former Philadelphia City Treasurers, Au-
ditor General McCamant this afternoon for
warded the following letter to Mr. Wright:
am in receipt of your favor of the 29th
inst. desiring to know whether certain rec
ords and documents from 1875 to 1879, which
you claim are missing from the City Treas
urer's office, in Philadelphia, are in the GUS
tody of this department. You describe the
said documents as follows;
THE MISSING DOCUMENTS.
First, journal of the State Clerks desk for
the years previous to 1883; second, daily re-
turns made by the State Clerk for the period
before Mr.. Bardsley's resignation; third,
letter-copying books containing copies of
official letters of the City Treasurer and
State Clerk.
In reply thereto. beg to say that the in
surance lodged in this department, the
Treasurer'S returns, Appraisers list, delin-
quent lists and vouchers necessary to prove
the accounts and enable the department. to
make settlement with the Treasurer of the
city and county of Philadelphia for collec-
tion and disbursement in behalf of the Gov
ernment, do not discover from an examina-
tion made By me that we have now or ever
did have, in the Auditor Generals office. the
journal, daily returns and letter-copying
books you refer to.
THOMAS McCANANT Auditor General.