Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-02
THE NEW TAX SYSTEM
That Is Proposed for the Present One
in Allegheny County.
SCOPE OF THE NESBITT MEASURE.
A Meeting of County Members to Further
Consider the Bill.
INEQUALITIES OF RURAL TAXATION
rrRoM STAFF coRREsPo NDKNT.l J


county members of the Legislature held an
other meeting here on Tuesday evening to
further consider the bill introduced in the
House by Hon. J. w. Nesbitt, establishing
Board of Tax Revision in Allegheny
county. The committee, which has been
going over the bill to get a more definite
idea of the plan, will make its report. This
committee is composed of Messrs. Nesbitt.
E. E. Cotton and d. R. Jones, 1t met on
Tuesday evening and made number of
changes in the proposed law. The bill is
properly in the hands of the Ways and
Means Committee, but that body is courte-
ously awaiting the action Of the home dele
cation.
This is most important matter for tax
payers in Allegheny county, outside of the
two cities. 1t is a movement toward the
equalization Of assessments, and would re-
suit in increased revenues to the county
treasury. Mr.. Nesbitt says the necessity
for some improvement over the present
method of assessing and collecting taxes In
Allegheny county outside the cities is what
suggested the bill. 1t is needed on account
of the gross ineq ualities which exist.
Struck fOpular CnOrd.
In this statement Mr.. Nesbitt seemed to
strike popular chord at last Tuesdays
meeting of the county delegation. Whether
they all believed in the particular plan laid
down in this bill or not, they all seemed to
agree that there should be correction of the
notorious inequalities of rural assessments.
And it also appeared to be a unanimous
opinion that the Board of County Commls-
! sioners, with their present powers and re-
sources, their limited clerical force and the
faulty system of ward and township assess
ors, could not possibly remedy matters.
THE inequalities of our assessment at
home are startling" said Mr.. Nesbitt to me
this week. Take Mifiin township, for
instance. Its total valuation, according to
the last assessment, is So, ,S00,000 In that
township the plant of Carnegie, Phipps &
Co. alone is valued at So, 500, 900, while
other manu- featuring plants there are worth
at least $4,000 900 more. The property in
Mifiin township in the vicinity of McKees-
port is selling at S., 500 an acre, and at the
low assessment it is not paying its share of
the taxes.
"Pittsburg itself is another illustration Of
this. 1t is assessed at about SIS, 900, 900
more for city purposes than for county pur-
poses.
Some Very Striking Differences.
"Many of the townships in Allegheny
county are aDsuloiy olHerent IN tnele
nguies, continued Mr. Nesoltt. lne
land In two adjoining townships Is OF the
same value, and yet on account of the imag-
mary townshin line T know of differences of
fror, sin 70 son nor core in the ossessed vol
uation. Collier and South Fayette town
ships are an example OF this. property In
the one is assessed at from SO to SIS per
acre louer than in the others
.sThs svainat,ons in Caller and Rob;nson
townsb,n IN The other side rance in diffsr-
snce inst about the same degree Whv
sbonld the towusbin line make all this
difference9 Of course II is the different
methods of tho townsh;n assessors in arr,y-
inc at ,ba est;r, atas nnon which tbav hase
their assessments
Corroborating what Mr. N.sbitt saw,
abont the ineonalities and the inahilitv of
the present system to obyiate them in Allie.
ohenv countv a cIause in the circnIar Is.