The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-09-14
TALKED OF At CITY HALL.
The Board Of Assessors Now Preparing
the Poll Tax List.
WILL Be ABOUT 10000 NAMES
Upon It-Taxes Will BE Due In Novem-
ber-City Received Over $4,000
From This source Last Year-Delin-
quents Have Not Been Arrested.

Inc labofs OF the fSsessors OF taAes
were not concluded when they finished
the annual levy on the real and personal.
property in the city. They are now
working on the fall tax list which will be
made up and sent to the city treasurer In
November next.
A good deal OF work is involved in the
preparation of this list. In the month OF
June a small army Of enumerators is sent
out. A house to house canvass Is
made throughout the city ard
| the names OF all the citi-
zens liable to assessment are obtained.
These names are returned by the emu
merators and then the assessors 90
| over them eliminating those who
have been assessed on real or per-
| sonal estate for any amount IN
excess Of 81 A man who owns lot on
which the tax assessed is go cents is as
| sessed 40 cents on the poll tax so the city
| gets the full 100 ceuts In such cases.
The number OF persons found
by the enumerators this year who
are Liable TO assessment Is
about 10000. When the names
Of those who have already been assessed
on real. or personal property are
| stricken off there will be between
$4,000 and 20. 900 sent to the city treasurer.
| Bills for taxes on real or personal proper
| ty are made out in the treasury depart
ment. but those for poll taxes are pre-
pared in the assessors department..
Collecting Poll Taxes.
In the treasury department 1t was
| learned that the number of names sent
| in last year was 190s2 and the sum col
lected for taxes was $40. l49 TO- This is
considered a very fair showing taking
| the difficulties Of collection into account.
A very large perceu tage of the poll tax
payers move from place to place and are
nard to find. From boarding houses a
| long list of names is returned, but when
| the collector calls he not tinfrequently finds
that a majority Of the owners of the names
have departed. In one case a return of
twenty names was made from a certain
boarding house but when the collector
made his rounds he was able to find but
| two OF the parties assessed.
The law providing for the collection of
| poll taxes is a very stringent one and it
is not likely that its non-enforcement is
due mainly to the prevailing sentiment
| that 1t is too severe. 1t declares
that If any person who has been as assessed
| neglects or refuses for thirty days to pay
| the tax the collector shall demand the
same with % cents for the cost OF such
demand. II after this demand is mad g
there is further neglect or re-
fusal for the space of rive days
the collector is directed to levy on the
body of the delinquent and commit him
| TO the Providence county Jail, where he
| must remain until be pays the tax and
| all the costs or is discharged in due
| course of law.
Thus far, siuce the passage Of this law
| in May, 1890, there have been 10 commit
ments. Bills against delinquents have
| been placed in the hands OF sheriffs and
T. ey are collecting them as rapidly as
possible
Large Number of Vaccinations.
Free vaccinations have been made Mt
| the health department on the two Satur-
| days of the present month and the num-
| ber OF children who have been inocu,
| ated was very large Last Saturday the
number was 22l ana the prec ding Sat-
urdsy 1t was l52. making a total
| Of $40. Over 80 per cent were children who
| desire TO attend the public schools and
who we're compelled to comply with the
| requirement. of vaccination before they
| could do so.
The number inoculatei last Saturday
was probably larger than on any other
| day since 1885 In that year It will be
remembered there was an epidemic of
| smallpox in Canada and the
| scourge was carried to several manufac-
| turing towns in Massachusetts. 1t was
feared that IL might be introduced into
some Of the local manufactures, ana
| there was general rush OF the people TO
be vaccinated. The health de-
partment Offices were kept open
In the evening aud Superinten
| dent Chaplin aud hisassistants vaccinated
all who came. More than this, they went
out to the mills In Olneyville. where in
one afternoon 400persons were inoculated.
| This was probably the largest number
ever vaccinated in one day.
Notes About the Hall.
There is a large force at work in the
| city trt asurer's oflic, making out the tax
| bills. The bills will be due the I'd OF Oc-
tober.
| The con ract for The new pumping en-
| pine at p ttaconsett will be signed in
| Commissioner Smiths Office tomorrow.
The Corliss engine at tine Hope pump
in station has not been in service for
several weeks.
Dexter Gorton has been awarded the
contract to build bridge over the rail
roa1 at Adelaide avenue. The bridge
| will be OF wood. This con-
tract does not include the abutments. as
| those were built when the sewer was
| constructed mt that point.
The paving Of Wickenden street has
been completed. much to the satisfaction
| of the people who use the Brook aud
| Governor streets aud the Elmwood avenue
cars.