New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-16
MR.. ROBERTS'S GOOD WORK.
THE STATE CONTROLLER REPLIES TO HIS
ENEMIES.
THE FACT THAT HE HAS BEEN COMPELLED TO
WHAT HE HAS DONE IN THE CoILEc-

-7
BORROW is DUE TO NO FAULT OF HIS
WHAT HE HAS DONE IN THE coI.LEc-
TION OF THE CORPORATION TAX
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNE.l
Albany Aug 15.-James A. Roberts's faithful
stewardship as Controller OF the State of New
York has been productive Of good results. de-
spite the adverse criticisms of his enemies in his
own party, who hate him because he refused 10
obey the dictates of Boss Platt. When asked
to-day about the statement that he was com
PEELED to borrow s2OOOoOO because of deficiency
in the general fund, ne said
The existing defei, is the result Of 70 n
part OF its State tax so to make a low rate for
The city This year as last year IN paylhs lii III
make a deficit OF 81 10000 at the beginning Of the
next fiscal year. October /. This deficit Is caused
OF the state tax. The amounts Withheld by New
York County are those which are set apart as its
proportion for the State care OF the insane.
Mr.. Roberts says that ne and the Corporation
Counsel of New-York have agreed that If the
case which is now before the General Term is
decided without any question Of doubt it will
then be settled and not taken to the Court OF
Appeals The General Term meets in septem-
Der, and the Controller hopes for n speedy argu-
ment on appeal The money which the State re-
uHlItS 10 run IT'S CIVIL anu hhH''.s ''N'''N' >
begins to come in on October but the bulk of it
Is not payable until in March Of the following
year. Mr.. Roberts is deser ting Of praise for the
manner I'm which he has conducted the affairs Of
his office for when he took the reins the Demo-
Gratis had left the Treasury pretty well cleaned
out They had placed the S2OO00o0 Of Federal
refund money in the general fund and had used 1t
to help them out of several bad holes.
A LIE PROMPTLY NAILED.
Regarding the statement sent out from Al
bany on August that the tax rate Is 32i be-
cause large and wealthy corporations have been
lightly taxed In return for liberal contributions
to Republican campaign funds Mr.. Roberts
makes a most emphatic denial The statement
was credited to Charles r. De Freest. clerk Of
the Democratic State Committee. Mr.. De Freest
says positively that ne never saw it until he
read II in the newspaper and he adds incl
dentaily that ii was a weak ana himsy appeal
for votes The fact that ne was credited with
the authorship of the charge nettled him. IL
was learned subsequently that the statement
WAS prepared in the Democratic state Press Bu-
reau here Mr. Roberts's statement In reply to
this charge follows
During the fiscal year ending September 30 1884.
rs new corporations were added TO the list OF those
CHAPTER 5i2 Laws Of 1889. and the acts amendatory
thereof Since that date. loA have been added to
inr Ing corporaons lS5s which have been added since
the beginning Of the fiscal year 1884 -,-.
When the present administration assumed chaTge
the entire number Of taxable corporations upon lhe
books Of the Department was 2 l52 while the num-
her which have actually paid taxes Is now 40ll
Comparsons of these figures show that the NUMBER
before the close OF the present fiscal year VIII De
more than double. the entire number upon the
books at the beginning OF the year lo94. H.. /.
From the new companies placed upon me usL ny
the present administration taxes amounting 10 AoS o
have been coec ed This amount OF tax has been
assessed upon and collected from $2ns695'' Oh
corporation tax into the State Ireasnry- OWING 20
the decrease OF dividends and OF values. ana the
depression in business. there was paid INTO the
Treasury sos7 30 less by the old corporations on
the books OF the Department during the year ending
September 30 1884, than by the same corporations
during the year ending September 80. 1898; yet. on
amount Of tax collected was only si23w2 less than
the total collected during the year preceding. whicn
was a year OF unusual business prosperity Co..
The total amount related by previous CON-
trollers. which had TO be allowed on last year
payments was sl59.542. OF this amount sSl12' was
granted by the then Controller in November, lSs3
II this rebate had not been granted, the collections
OF the Department for the year 1894 would have
exceeded those Of 1893 by sl'ti22
THIS YEARS GOOD SHOWING
The total amount Of tax collected during the first
ten months OF this fiscal year is N.6l361i This in
dicates that the aggregate for the entire year VIII
exceed the largest amount collected since the
passage OF Chapter sol. by more than S2Sl"V, not
vi,hsanding the terrible depression in business dur
ing the period covered by the comparison
The following table sets forth the amount OF cor
State Controllers Department. and the nunoer OF
corporations on the tax list at the close OF eacr
fiscal year:
Number Number