The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-10
TAXPAYERS COMING UP.
The Returns Of City Property Going
Ahead Of Last Year.


a Large Increase in the Returns Of
Personal Property - S75o,ooo Of
Street Railroad Bonds Already In.
The City Looking Closely After
Mortgage Returns 49, Real Estate
About the Same as Last Year.
The city tax returns for 1894 are being
rnade at a lively rate. The returns so far
are very satisfactory, property holders
coming forward rapidly, and the returns
being larger than expected. The latter
is a most surprising and gratifying
feature.
City Marshal Wade, who is acting as
Treasurer Hardee's assistant in receiving
the returns. says that as a rule the prop
erty holders are making larger returns
than they did last year. The amount of
city property returned for taxation last
year was something over 81 ,O00,0 900, and
the prospects are that this amount will be
exceeded this year.
LARGE Personal PROPERTY RETURNS.
A large increase is shown in the re-
turns of personal property, taxpayers ap-
pearing to be more careful in making
their returns of this class of property
than heretofore. Large returns of stocks
street railway bonds alone having been
returned for taxation. This shows the
large investment in these bonds in Savan-
nah A large amount of cotton factory
bonds has been returned also, as well as
stocks and bonds of other corporations
Particular attention is being given to
the return Of mortgages, Of which large
amount are being given in for taxation.
One large property holder who returned
only $500 in mortgages for taxation was
found upon examination of the records in
the clerks Office of the superior court to
have S2S, 900 in unsatished mortgages He
was notified that unless he increased
his return his assessment would be raised
TO that figure, and he would be double
taxed upon ii as unreturned property &C
cording to the ordinance to that effect.
THE LAW on MORTGAGE RETURNS.
The tax ordinance provides that If any
person required to make any such return
shall refuse or neglect TO do so within the
time specified for the same, it shall be the
duty of the person designated by the
finance committee of council to proceed
forthwith to make the return himself.
from the best information he can obtain,
and to hand the return so made by him TO
the city treasurer, who shall assess a
double tax against such defaulter. Mar
shall Wade is the person DESIGNATED by
the finance committee. for the purpose,
tion.
SEARCHING THE RECORDS.
The records Of the courts are open for
his inspection, and when he finds a person
having on record a greater number of
mortgages than he has returned for taxa
tion, he proceeds at once to take action.
This probably accounts, to a certain ex-
tent, for the increase In tax returns.
Bay street merchants, and the whole
sale dealers generally, are making larger
returns than they did last year, showing
that they have larger stocks of goods on
hand
The returns Of real estate are about
the same as last year, besides the in
crease of about Sl,500000 In the annexed
section which will be returned for tax
alton.
Altogether it looks as il the city will
show a very handsome increase in the
amount of property to be taxed this year
as compared with last year. 1t win be
a fine showing, indeed, after the hard year
that has just passed.
The time for making city tax returns
expires Jan. 20.