Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-17
Property That Pays Nothing
Toward the Expenses of
City Government
VALUED AT $31,3O1, 1,O7O.
Difficulty in Securing Valuations of
Municipal Realty.
UNCLE SANS LARGE HOLDINGS.
Eight Million Dollars Worth Owned by
Church Bodies
ITEMlzED STATEMENT OF EXEMPTIONS

For the first time in the history of this
city the Board of Assessors have made up a
list with the cash value of all properties e1-
empted from municipal taxation. The list
was given out for publication by Chief As
SCISSOR Case last evening. 1t shows that the
actual cash value of exempted property
within the city, as nearly as the assessors
could determine, is So, 991, ,776 The taxa
BILE value, making allowance for that which
is rated as rural at two-thirds its value and
that which is agricultural at half its value,
amounts to SS1, ,3O1, ,07O.
The preparation of such list was sug-
gested and attempted q year ago, but
proved such a formidable task that it was
abandoned. When the triennial assessment
was made up there were so many appeals
for exemption on properties of various
kinds which the assessors thought should
not be exempted, that they decided to have
a list prepared to show why no more ex-
emptions should be allowed The total,
large as it is, is somewhat of disappoint-
ment to them. They expected 1t to be
larger.
Difficulty in Fixing Valuations.
They say it is as complete as they could
possibly make it. If any property has been
omitted it is because they know nothing
about it. The only item they knowingly
omitted was the city wharves. They found
it exceedingly difficult to estimate value
for wharf property and it was question
whether they could properly be figured as
city property.
In hunting up the valuation of the High
land reservoir and Brilliant pumping sta
tion, it was found that the city had little, if
any, record to show of their cost Superin-
tendent Wilcox, of the Water Bureau, has
been vainly endeayoring to get some ac-
curate figures on this point for some time.
There seems to be no record anywhere as to
the cost of the land in bulk or by the acre,
though the Controller thinks that by max
ing long search through the records in his
office the figures might be obtained. The
figures placed upon that property are esti-
mated from the recent sales as shown in the
city deed registry.
One item which appears as exempt from
city tax is the property of the Allegheny
County Light Company. 1t is valued at
S91, $780, The company claims exemption
uecdusc us Cdpttol stoCh Is tdASu Aoi Otdbc
purposes and since it has been exempted
other corporations have demanded the same
privilege on the same grounds.
The Controller Will Look 1t Up. q.
Controller Morrow says the light COM
rany is not entitled to exemption. All cor
porations paying q State tax are, he says,
exempt from city business tax, butno other,
and if there is any law that could be twisted
around to exempt them he knows n othIng
about it. The Controller intimates that he
will investigate the matter and if he finds
that he is right will insist on the light
company paying city tax on its property
the same as the traction and railroad and
other corporations
The total valuation of property belonging
to the municipality, including the parks.
market houses City Hall, the fire and po-
lice stations ETC., but not including public j
schools, amounts to s., ,269, 1885, OF this
S. sec, GIG is rated as full taxable; S603, ,267 \
as rural, and $500, 600 as agricultural, refer
ring to the parks. The aggregate value of
the public schools is put down at s., 113 629,
of whica s. 33S, 492 is marked full taxable,
S764, ,056 real and S11, ,0Sl agricultural. The
aggregate of municipal property, including
public schools, is $40, 3S3, 515, which, reck-
oned as an asset of the city, is over half
million dollars in excess of the actual
bonded debt.
The property of the National Government,
Including the old and new postofices in
this city, is valued at s4.101, ,4SO, all of
which is rated full taxable. Allegheny's