The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-08-10
MONDAY August 10. 1891.
rhe system don't work Right.

County lux lleVelNef DlChey 10 BOluB
to be more expensive the first year at |
least under tho five commissioner act
than under the old system OF ono coll
lcetor for each hundred outside OF
Wilmington and two collectors in Viii |
mington. Tho cost of collecting |
$3.50 600 taxes for New Castle County |
was about 5000 for Wilmington and |
an average of about $500 for each of
the ten hundred making In all about
Else The advocates OF the five COM
missioner act intended the present
law to make radical reduction In tho
collection OF taxes the argument be-
ing that they could be collected thirty
per cent cheaper any how with the
system Of rebates offered and that
more taxes would be collected by the
system Of percentages offered to the
delinquent tax collectors.
1t Ia little too soon yet TO Judge of
the actual results of the operations Of
the new system, but 1t is not too soon
to see that the operations 80 far are a
W Nhp AAAoHhO Vi bAAt
Five Commissioner act. 1t is true, tha&
there was considerable delay in deliv-
ering the tax duplicates to Receiver
Dickey. but this need not have inter-
feled with the tax payers hunting Mr..
Dicliey up when he did get the dupli-
Gates and pay their taxes. There was
a great clamor for two or three weeds
for the duplicates, but when they were
ready and delivered the people seemed
in no hurry whatever to pay. Mr.
Dlckey was kept reasonably busy for
the last week in July receiving taxes,
but there never was such arush that he
could not have accommodated many
more. Even since August has com-
mencod and he keeps his Office open
every night to accommodate the tax
payers. they seem to be in no great
hurry to pay. .. ....-
The plain truth is, that the taxpayers,
the business portion of them, are in
no hurry because they can rs easily
make five per cent and more to out OF
the money they have invested in bust
ness, than they can make it by accept
ing it as arebate in taxes, and for this
cause they hold on to their money us
long as they can, Small property
holders who owe from five to ten dol
lars in taxes do not bother themselves
about securing the rebates. They
look upon that amount of money as
being of more use to them now than
1t will be farther on in the year and
therefore they are not crowding Mr..
Dlckey and a. far as the poll taxablea
are concerned, they have become SO
dem0rallzsd by somebody paying
their taxes for them or not paying
them at all, that they are not giving
Receiver Dickay any trouble. Mr. Dick
ey for the last week has been out In
the sevreal hundreds, sitting to receive
taxes but he has an easy time OF it.
The Taxpayers seem to be very con
siderate this hot weather and do not
make him work very hard. It is true
that he has three rounds OF this kind
to go in the country and the tax-pay,
ers may come out better in tho second
and third round.
But from present appearances, when
Receiver Dlckey goes all his rounds
there will not he more than sl5000o oil
the taxes OF the county paid and there
will still be 100000 outstanding. DE.
hnqueht Collectors will collect this
and they will get 10 per cent. for al
sums over IS, and 20 per cent for al
sums under IS. 1t is not unreasana-
BILE to suppose that SO, 600 of this bal
snee will pay the 10 percent added ant
e95, 900 the 20 per cent added, making
In all sl2,500, which in addition Il
$1,000 salary paid outright to Mr.
Dickey, will run the sum of collecting
the taxes for 1891, under the Five Com
missloners act, up to ZIG. 500. We ar
not sufficiently posted to say wha
amount OF road and school taxes ar
TO be collected in each hundred, bu
Mr.. Dickey has the collecting of then
all at the same rates as the county tn,
IS. and this will add eonsiderabl
more to his salary and rer centages
which we have alresdy figured up t.
e16,500.
But says somebody, the delluquen
collectors will get the percentages o
the 100000 collected by them and tint
will not go into NTr. Dickeys poke
Why not we ask2 What Is there I
binder Mr.. Dlckey from appointin
himself delinquent tax collector2 Notl
ing certainly In the Five Commissions
bill and he can double up the hundred
and do 1t just as easily as he wei
sround three timcs before to colleC
what the people voluntarily came an
paid with q rebate Off True Mr.. Die
ey is at the expense of clerk hire, bu
sven with this the indications are tn
he will make clear SIS, 600 for the fir
years operations of the Five Commi
Homer act. We are finding no fau
whatever with Mr.. Diekey as he wi
be doing nothing more than any 9th
man would do If such an opportunl
offered,sbu what we do find fault wi
10 the law that should have been mo
carefully drawn, and with more of
purpose to economically collect Il
ssxes than to cheat Republicans out
their votes.
Ayers Hair Vigor is cleanly, agree
bic, beneficial and safe. II Ia the mo