Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-26
WILL RESIST RUTAN
Allegheny City Will Oppose the Man
damus Proceedings to
KNOCK OUT COLLECTOR GRIER,
Who Makes q Statement Defending His
System and Showing
HOW MONEY IS SAVED TO THE CIT

A special meeting of the Allegheny
Finance Committee was held last night to
consider what action should be taken in
tuted against City Treasurer Macferron to
compel him to accept the delinquent taxes
under the old system.
The committee decided that the present
system was satisfactory, and appointed a
subcommittee to defend in the courts the
present system and to protest against the
mandamus proceedings ..
Delinquent Tax Collector Samuel Grier
made an explanatory statement to the CON-
mittee. He said:
am glad that this movement against the
delinquent tax Office has occurred. 1t gives
me an opportunity to show to the citizens
and taxpayers how the collection of delin-
quent taxes was carried on under the act OF
1860. The delinquent taxes were placed in
the hands of one collector from each ward
and after he had collected all he could
without process of law, he turned the
balanced uncollected over to the Controller,
and the Controller placed the taxes against
real estate in the hands of the City Solicitor,
whose duty it was to enter them as a lien
against the property SO as to secure the city
against loss.
Loss Under the Gid System.
The amount in the hands of the city solicit
tors during the past ten years to be entered
as liens is ss2 l42 46; of this amount $1l,475 AZ
was collected and paid to the City Treasurer;
1916 Of was duplicates, and there are about
$500 entered as liens and not paid, leaving a
loss to the city of $l9.492 03.
There still remains five or six books OF
ward collectors that have not been settled.
This will increase the loss of taxes consider
ably more than the above amount. Under
the present law am allowed but two years
to settle each book or the taxes are lost to
the city and my bondsmen are Responsible:
These figures we're taken from the books of
the City Treasurer, and the above amount
was lost under the act of 1850.
Since the city has been collecting under
the acts of 1877 and 1878 she has not lost 81
and taxpayers judge whether the act of 1850,
under which the city has lost thousands of
dollars, and under which James S. Rutan
wants the delinquent taxes collected, or
the acts of 1877 and 1878 are the best for the
city's interest.
After l was elected Delinquent Tax Col
lector thousands of dollars of the delinquent
taxes that were placed in the hands of the
e1-Ctty Solicitor, and that he did not collect.
were turned over to me for collection.
succeeded in collecting s2,307 7e. These taxes
could not be collected by process of law, as
they were outlawed on account Of not being
entered up. If had not collected them they
would have been lost to the city.
A Report for Four Years.
The following is statement of the
amount of delinquent taxes collected since
have been Delinquent Tax Collector, the
years beginning in the month of October:
1887, s7O293 25; 1885, $97 l27 03: 1885, $s2 l52 III
1890, sll0, $50 AZ total of $500 263 l6; expense
of running the office, $3.50 per year; amount
of salary received from the city per year,
81, 500: leaving me about Ga, 900 per year clear
salary instead of $4,000 to $25,0O0 as James
S. Rutan claims. .--
Mr.. Gerwig asked Mr.. Grier what he
meant by money lost to the city. He re-
piled such debts as are outlawed.
Mr. Nesbit offered resolution. 1t read,
Resolved, That the present system of col
lecting our delinquent taxes is satisiac-
tory to the Finance Committee.
1t was passed and the chairman, Mr.
Wertheimer, appointed Messrs. Mercer.
Henderson, Gerwig. Arthur Kennedy and
Milford, in conjunction with the City Solic-
itor, to defend the attack contemplated in
the mandamus proceedings and to assist the
City Treasurer.