Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-13
DELAY OF ASSESSORS
And DEFICIENCIES in the Work Make
the City Board Much Trouble.
DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN WARDS
James J. Larkin Tells of Remarkable Differ
ences in Figures.
4 PREMIUM is PLACED on TARDINESs

The members of the Board of Assessors
are growing more uneasy every day, as the
time approaches for their report to the City
Councils the valuation of the taxable prop
erty. This report, under the law, should be
presented at the first council meeting in
january, but under another law, which
holds out a premium of So per day for de-
laying their returns to the ward assessors,
who make the assessment for the county tax
levy, there seems to be little hope of the
board being able to make strictly legal re-
port. Not one of The ward as
sesors has yet turned in the assessment
books for his ward in either city
though number of those from the country
districts have.
The Board of Assessors, who have the as
sessment for city taxation to prepare, are
compelled to compare their assessment with
that of the county assessors before making
up their report, but, owing to the tardiness
of the county men, are in a quandry. They
have the city valuation practically COM
pleted, but cannot 60 any further until the
men in the county's pay see fit to turn In
their books.
Deficiencies In the Work.
This would not seem such handicap on
the Board if the return of the ward asses
sors were reliable, or if there was any neces-
sity for the delay, but it is claimed that
many of the assessments are motor
iously incorrect, and many of the assessors
hold back their work in order to keep up
their income of 50 per day. which they are
allowed, until their returns are made. 1t is
expected that some of the returns will not
be made before February 1, although the
work has been going on for several months
already.
County Assessor Cox, of the Twenty-third
ward said that 1t was simply farce for in
experienced men like himself or any other
assessor that he knew to be engaged at the
present time to attempt to go through q
ward and prepare correct valuation of the
property.
Assessor Larkin, of the Board of Assess
ors, said Yesterday: "If the county assess
ment was worth anything it would be
worth while waiting for 1t, but as it is
usually made, it is of no earthly use to us.
We simply go through the books as a matter
of form, and our clerks have much amuse-
ment in comparing them with our own
established figures. The Board of Assessors
nnfc udut d stuuV Vi property ValudtlOnS
throughout the city for years, and any one
of them can give the real value of land
located anywhere in the city"
Big Difference In Figures.
Mr.. Larkin here produced the county
assessment books of the Twenty-second
ward for the last assessment, and pointed
out number of instances where tracts of
land containing from toS26 acres that were
assessed at from SIS to S125 an acre.
"Now," said he, 'any one of those prop
critics is worth at least 81 900 an acre, some
of them worth $4,000. There is one that
years and you couldn't buy it for a cent
less. Instances of that kind are numer-
GUS all over the city The assessors
are anxious to keep the assessment of their
ward below that of the adjoining ward
That is for political popularity. The as
SCISSOR who would figure his ward at its real
valuation would never have a chance of re-
election. 1t is ridiculous to see the differ
ence in the figures sent in sometimes. Take
street dividing two wards. L have fire.
quently found the assessment on one side of
such a street to be 40 per cent less than the
other.
''The whole system is wrong. aud it is a
pity that the city's business, which is
properly arranged, should be hampered by
such a farce as the county assessment. The
only remedy that has ever been suggested
was in a bill providing for a Board of
Equalization of County Taxes which was
defeated by the last Legislature. If that
law had been passed every man in the
county would have been assessed at the real
value OF his property, not cent more, and
the tax rate of the county would have been
reduced one-half"