Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-29
.RETARD|NG GROWTH,
Claims That Excessive Tax
alton Is Driving Away
Manufacturers.
CRAFTSMANSHIP NEEDED
To Keep a Grip on the Present Pros
porous Conditions.
A LEADING BUSINESS MAN TALKS.
Pointed Little Statements on Some Assess
ment Appeals.
CRAFTSMANSHIP NEEDED
A LEADING BUSINESS MAN TALKS.
BOOKS ARE IN FOR THREE MORE WARDS

The trienn;al assessment question contin.
ues to engage the attention of the CITY tax.
payers in spite of the Chilean controversy,
and discussions concerning it and its bear
ing on the tax rate for the coming year
show that people are deeply interested. A
gentleman, prominent in public affairs and
connected with large manufacturing con-
Germ in the city discussed the question from
new point of view yesterday. Said he:
'gThe time Is at hand for change in the
management of Pittsburg's affairs. 1t will
not be long until it will require 3 high
order of statesmen to hold Pittspurg in
| place in the column Of prosperous cities.
Henceforth, in my opinion. Pittsburg will
| have to fight to hold her own. For years
| our citizens have left the management OF
affairs to politicians. While they have done
well enough in their way, it has been for
the cty's best interests.
| what has driven SO many of our large
manufacturing concerns from the city in
| the past few years? High taxes and high
prices for land. Not large glass plant or
| iron works has been built here during the
| past ten years, but many have gone away.
Why did they go? Because the taxes here
were so high, because they were offered in
ducements to go to other towns in she way
| of free sites and no taxes, and because the
| railroads will give them as good rates from
| such towns as McKeesport, Kensington and
others as they can get from Pittsburg. They
are not compelled to pay the excessive busi-
ness tax levied in Pittsburg on a business
only per cent of which, in any of our big
manufacturing concerns, Is done in the city.
"The city Of McKeesport recently secured
the Boston Iron and Steel Works by offering
them beautiful l2-acre site on river front,
practically as a gift, and then passed an
ordinance exempting the mill property
from taxes for 10 years.
Must Take Care of Industries.
"The industrial establishments have made
Pittsburg. Take them away and she will go
backward. Our policy for years has been to
drive them away. Inside of ten years our
people will learn, If they do not before, that
they must hold out inducements in every
way possible to draw manufacturing plants
here, and that they must not impoverish the
manufacturers with excessive taxes"
The Third wari appeals began to come
into the Assessors Office yesterday Among
street and Sixth avenue, assessed at $99, 500.
of which $96 600 is on the 36xe0 foot lot. Own
ers value lot at S63, 500, and in their appeal
say: This property has been in the family
isolated position by reason of the long
stretch of vacant church property on either
side, trade is driven from this corner, and
the place is difficult to rent. One house has
been vacant most of the past year, notwith-
standing the unprecedented activity in real
estate in the vicinity and large demand for
secured to improve the corner, the churches
having no power to- sell, and this lot is too
small for a large building"
Mrs. Fannie Barker. assessed $4,000 on s.
o&o, bui1 dinn n on, oxQ0 LOT
Wood street and Virgin alley. appeals for a
valuation of $65 600 on both, which she says
is more than could be realized at forced
sale.
J. ID. Thompson is assessed $780, 600 OF 25X130
lot and S25 600 on stone front building on
Wood street. between Sixth and Liberty. In
higher than am Offering the property for
sale at" He accepts an assessment of Sis, 800
on 40x25 feet at Liberty street and Virgin
alley.
appeals as follows: Lot 36xl00 feet, Sixth
avenue and Foster alley, s4S, l00 appeal,
s36,00O. Two-story brick office, s25, 600. Lot
5000. Threestory Shop, $40 600; % appeal s.
The Bssell block, 80 feet on Smithfield
street and 80 on Seventh avenue, is assessed
at s2ss. 700 including buildings and a S0xlso
lot fronting on Seventh avenue farther up.
The owners appeal fora valuation of S222, 100,
of which they allow $l62, 900 for the 90x90 lot
on the corner, $4,000 on the building. $4,000
two brick dwellings thereon.
Would Make a Poor Investment.
Henry Rea, Jr., makes an ingenious pro-
position to show the assessors where they
are wrong in assessing him $66 4A on 35xl10
feet ON Liberty street. near Garrison alley.
Two four-story buildings on the lots are as
sessed at Sc 600, making his total assessment
S72 IA, his appeal being for a $4,000 valu-
alton. He says: of could sell it at the
..,A4 In IN
on S72 AA would be s4.346 g.; insurance, re-
pairs. ETC.. would be S411 more; city taxes,
81, ,0S6 making no allowance for county taxes;
tlis would make :. total of So S32 64: deduct
S. 600 for rent received and get balance of
sS32 64 L would be indebted to the property.
This shows it would be no investment at
foot it would be high for il, and too high for
other lots on the same block.
In the Eighth ward William G. Price & Co.
make no objection TO an assessment of S12, 030
on their lot 19Sx94 feet at Colwell and Price
streets, nor on $s7 225 on 95x9O feet ON Fifth
avenue adjoining, but ask q cut from So, COO
to S, $50 on their foundry and machine shops
Councilman Robert McEldowney asks a
cut from ,29l toS3, 600 on lSxI24 feet on
Wylie avenue, near Logan street: from "a, 800
to s., 900 on 20XlA feet on Wylie, near Town
send: from 3,S40 to So COO on 4Sxlc0 on Town
send, near Clark, and from Sli. .040 to IS 0C0 on
4SxlO9 feet on Wylie, near Fulton street. He
states that the last-named piece was sold for
5000 within four months past. The valua-
tions on several other properties of his were
satisfactory.
NJ A Woodward is assessed sI2, 100 on 4ox90
feet, at Fifth avenue and Pride street, and |
$4,000 on buildings thereon. Hisappeal is for |
Sl3 COO on all. and lie demands even. lower |
reduction on the ground that downtown
property is assessed lower in comparison. |
He states further that the property cannot !
be rented for as high a figure now as u few !
years ago, ard declares that rapid transit |
facilities have taken business away and re- |
duced the advantages of the location from |
business standpoint, as complained gener- |
ally in that part of the city. The properly !
value has been reduced proportionately, he |
thinks, and shopd be SO assessed.
Henry Rea. Jr., assessed S2S.750 on two |
lots fronting l2O feet on Fulton street, with |
eight two-story dwellings thereon, values the |
property at S20,540. His appeal says: "Sorne |
of the buildings are assessed almost double |
what they cost to erect 40 years ago Prop |
erty in this locality has deprecated the past |
five years, owing to colored people and for |
eigners settling there
Mrs. Catharine Reinhart asks a cut from |
Sc 600 to S. 900 each on two AxS9 foot lots on |
Fifth avenue, between Logan and Price |!
streets. Patrick keefe's heirs ask cut on |
24xl09 feet on Wylie avenue. above Fulton |
street, from IS, 400 to 81 COO: on e4xlSs feet on
Fulton street from 5000 to s., COO
Doerflinger Raised the Hate.
c. E. Gregory is assessed at 81 200 on aOxs3 |
feet on Webster avenue, and So. 500 on tie |
dwelling. On his sworn statement he makes |
the following accusation against Theodore |
Doerfiinger: "This properly, at time of pur-
chase from DoeI finger, stood assessed at
s., ,0OJ which was an inducement to purchase
bur after it WAS decided was raised to 81 500 |
through his instrumentality, and others yet |
unsold proportionately awered." Gregory |
asks for "A valuation OF s., 80.
Mrs Margaret Patterson, assessed $4,000 |
0~ln xsant Wr-l In l,al.