Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-21
ANXIOUS FOR ACTION.
The City Assessors Want the Court to
Give an Early Decision
UPON THE VALUATION APPEALS.
A Denial That Individual Members Fixed
the Figures Entered.
BALANCES FOR THE SINKING FUNI

| bALANCES FVh IaG C1NAlNu EUNU
The Board of Assessors has practically
finished the triennial assessment of 1892.
They have a number of special assessments
to go over yet which will probably require
week or ten days to shape up. These
specials consist of hillside lots, or lots down
in gulleys, three-cornered lots and others
having peculiarities which would allow the
appli cation of no set rule in their classi-
fcation or assessment When going over
the figures in preparing the report for
Councils, these special properties were left
out until the rush was over and the books
had been turned over for the collection of
| taxes
The suits in court against the new CLASH
fcation rule of the assessors do not
| seem to give them any uneasiness, though
they will not call the triennial assessment
officially complete until the suits have been
decided. Assessor Larkin, in speaking yes
terday of the suits of Major Negley and
d. d. Bruce, said:
Want the Point Settled Quickly.
e'The Courts decision in this matter is one
which no one will welcome more than the
assessors. While we feel that we are right
under the law in our plan of classification,
and have little fear that the Court will de-
eide against us, we are anxious to have the
point settled as quickly as possible. If the
decision is against us it Will mean q
lot of additional work for us and extra
expense on the city to have the classified
properties reassessed. Mr.. Bruce raises the
A. Al 1.~l
consider the assessments made, and says
they were made by individual members I
don't see where this would cut any figure in
the matter even if it were true, but anyone
about this building knows that we have
worked together on this big job, and when
the proper time comes we can show Mr..
Bruce where he is wrong. As to the other
points raised they, are mainly matters Of
Judgment with US and with him as they will
be with the Court, and we have as much to
expect there as anyone else"
The assessors clerks yesterday nearly
completed the computations of the taxes of
the Thirteenth and Eighteenth wards. and
the books will be placed in the treasurer's
hands for collection early tomorrow morn
ing. This leaves only the Fourteenth,
Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty-second
ward books to be finished, and Chief Clerk
jenkins said last night that the books would
all be over by the last of this week. The 5
per cent discount usually allowed on taxes
paid during March will be allowed until
April Is, Councils having extended the
time this year owing to the lateness in
getting the tax books ready.
Set Aside for the Sinking Fund.
The City Controller on Saturday notified
Treasurer Denniston to set aside $52, 122 10,
accrued to the municipal sinking fund dur
xl~ rof
S44, ,825 10 represented unexpended bal
ances and appropriations of last year, which
under the law could not be touched after
January 81. Interest on investments
yielded S6.753, and the Adams market,
1854, making up the remainder OF the
amount.
The unexpended appropriations were
larger in the aggregate this year than they
have been since the reorganization of the
city government. The Bureau of Health
had the largest balance left over of any of
the city departments The appropriation
had been SAG, S77, the amount being so in
creased in order to provide for refurnishing
the bureau headquarters. destroyed by fire
on Seventh street, but bv securing space in
the old University building nearly all the
extra appropriation was saved and turned
back to the city.
The printing appropriation also turned
back a balance, the amount being S4, 604 80.
1t is an extraordinary thing that any money
in this fund should remain unexpended.
Such thing has not occurred before in the
memory of the Oldest official in the city
building. On the contrary, the printing
fund is generally exhausted by the middle
of the fiscal year, after which it has always
been necessary to draw on the contingent
fund for enough money to nay for printing
ordinances, and even then persons specially
desirous of getting an ordinance through,
toward the end of the year, had to 90 down
in their pockets and pay the bill.
The Cause of the Balance.
But the existence of the balance last year
was not due to any retrenchment or econom-
ical spirit on the part of Councils They
spent all they could. The Supreme Courts
delay in passing on the new street laws pre-
vented the passage of street improvement
ordinances, and for several months none
were passed or printed. When the decision
did come there was rush of new ordinances
that threatened to annihilate the fund, but
it came too late. The fund survived, and
out of the appropriation of $26, 900. nearly a
fourth of it remained for Controller Nor
rows pet, the sinking fund.
Chief Elliot also saved little out of his
appropriation. Owing to the great success
of the crops at the Poor Farm, which made
the expense for maintaining his wards
lighter than usual, out of his 500, 900 appro-
priation he had balance of S., ,O54 93
There was balance of 81, ,7S8 70 in the
item of salaries which no one seems to
understand. This is fixed appropriation
and the number of city officials has not been
reduced as far as can be learned The
other une1pended balances were: Depart
ment of Public Safety, general expense,
S6 IA; Police Bureau, So Al; Bureau of
Electricity, 50 O4; Building Inspector,
50 80; Department of Public Works, gen.
eral expense, s23S 80; Bureau of Engineer
ing, SIG 40; Bureau of Highways, IS %;
Bureau of Public Lighting, 5000 o.: Board