The morning call., 1894-12-29
A BILL EVERY SIX SECONDS.
The True Tale of a Deputy Tax
Collector.
ODD BITS FROM THE LATE CRUSH
Taxpayers Who Do Not Know How
to Pay Taxes-Some Peculiar
Incidents.

a man $50 gold coin as two-bit piece in
change" said Hiram B. Cook, Tax Col
lector Block 5 chief deputy, yesterday after.
noon, casually recalling some of the odd
things that happen during the great rush
to pay taxes. that for few days in every
year fill the long corridors of the City Hall
with more or less patient property
owners.
t''As THE CALL stated the other day.
three-fourths of the S2,9OO,O0O collected
was taken through the two windows
that of Cashier Susman and the extra one
opened for the final rush-during the last
ten day of the two months limit.
During those ten days we sat at those
windows from the time they opened in
the morning until they were closed at
night, adding up bills and making change
under high pressure. During one period
of that time it was calculated that dis
posed of 1921 tags or individual accounts
(Which often means several bills which
have to be entered in the botter and
added togetherl in six hours, or one every
six seconds. II is done so fast shat the
man paying the bill is left uncertain
which way 10 turn. When the people
pass along promptly and don't stop to
discuss the weather or 10 be thanked for
paving their BILL the making of change is
fast as it can be picked out of the boxes.
But with the best of them the brain will
stop working for time and mistakes Will
occur. After day of that sort of steady
work with the coins, big and little, will
step down from my place: put on my hat,
light q cigar and say, We'll, how does
she stand, boys? will, of course, know
nothing of the result. Il has been cease
less pouring in of coin and handing out OF
change"
And when you make Mistakes"
"When we make mistakes against the
man outside the window he quickly calls
us down. He has not been standing in
the line for nothing all this time. be has
carefully figured out the amount of his
half-doZen bills Of he has so many and
the amount Of change due. When he steps
up to the window and | ask him how much
he has made it he looks innocent and says
ne hasn't figured 1t out. He is hoping that
[ will make a mistake 10 his favor. When
the waiting line gu side Is not long and the
hurry, therefore, not great 1 have once or
twice given this class OF taxpayer the
wrong figuTe-told him it was a dollar
more than il really was, just to see him
Jump at me. But let the mistake be the
other way and see how eagerly be picks up
the change and makes away. can gen.
orally tell by the way they o 1t that there 8
something wrong, and SO call them back
and count it over again.
but LudG Is HUI uulNcIodIs
Mr.. Cook, stnot by anv means had
man come back with So that had over
paid him during the recent rush, and the
thing has occurred so often IN my expert
ence of years as to entirely disprove the
frequent assertion that the world is all
dishonest.
F'But next to the man who is hoping we
will pay him more than is due is the man
who delays the game by mere stu pidity ;
who has been standing in the line for
fifteen minutes To no purpose, and arrives
at the window at last with an immense
sign of relief. looks in expecting US to
sym pathize with him, and who seems to
forget what he has come for.
"'Where is your bill? wakes him up.
"'OhP he goes through half dozen
pockets leisurely, wholly unconscious Of
the regiment of anxious people behind
him. Finally he drags out crumpled
piece of paper. l beg him to give it to me,
but be wouldn't think OF putting me TO all
the trouble of opening il, and so. leisurely
and good naturally, he straightens il out,
places the several bills carefully one
above another and lays them down on the
window shelf with look that invites a
compliment. / ask him how much he has
figured the total TO be and that reminds
him of the paper in some other pocket,
which he begins TO hunt up. But have
figured it out by this time and handed him
the change. Still he refuses to move on.
DOD Rob q IcCOlpbg ITO ohHo'
SO You must go on TO the next window
for your receipt The receipt has already
passed to the next window, and the clerk
is yelling at him to come and get 1t.
Then there is the army OF people who
don't even have their bills, who come and
wait patiently in the line until they at last
get 20 the window and lay down postal
card-the simple notice that the taxes are
due-and say that they want TO pay it,
It must all be explained to them how they
must go round into the Office and have
their bill made out. Then there is the
frequent man who allows you to figure up
his several bills and then tells you that he
only wants TO pay half. You figure that
out and cut off the margin Of the bill pro-
vided for such cases. and hand him the
change when he discovers that be wanted
TO pay all of one and half of another, and
your work has all been for nothing-and
so has his for that matter, for you send him
away to get another bill made. The most
troublesome citizen OF this class is the one
who sends an amount of money and his
bills by mail, the money not being equal
To the total of the bills, ana is never NOR e
than half of them, leaving US 10 figure out
by combining the sums Of the bills one
way and another until we can guess at
what be wants to do.
AFTER long siege with this sort of tax
payer you may Imagine with what relief
we see business man step up 10 the win
dow, his Dlll5 dll SLIalRDL6neQ OUT, the
total figured up. He says: Mr.. Cook, l
think you will find that alright, and here's
the money
cit may be bag full of coin, but big or
little it is always right. The transaction
is completed and in a twinkliOg he is
away. Oh. yes; have had sums as large
as $4,000 for taxes paid through the little
window that way. And the very next
man in the line will pay cents. rhaps.
'And speaking of cents. The CALL
referred the other day to the trouble we
have with the fractions of the nickel. 1t
is wonderful the feeling the people have
over ii. A man comes with dollar to pay
a bill of " cents. put down % cents
without an instant's hesitation. The
fraction will run against me for dozen
times in succession. Then it comes my
way once. The man has been eylng me
with distrust from the instant he arrived
at the window. He picks up his change.
looks at it, looks at me and growls:
"'Where is my two ceDtsY and goes
away growing about how l am growing
rich on the split-nickel proposition. NOW,
in bis case it is only cents and probably
not until the next time ne comes to pay his
taxes will the question about another 2
cents arise with him. With me 1t was
coming along as fast as the procession