Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-03-07


A well-known business mnn of this city
aGcosted representative of TUE GAZETTE
Saturday and in very pointed man
ner claimed that he had suggestion to
make which he believes a very valuable
one.
You know the citizen said, that the
Street and Sewer Department Is short of
funds for its general street purposes. |
and others are of the opinion that the
horse and mule tax in the city is only very
incOmpletely assessed. That IL that there
are numbers of quadrupeds owned Hnd
used in the city whose owners pay no horse
or mule tax. The tax for city purposes is
81 per head for each animal. think the
tax might very properly be increased TO 49,
Now that seems a big increase to make
IN tax of 500. But my reasons are these:
The Street Department has expended
S5OOO0O in improving the streets of the
city. We have now us fine Toadways as can
be seen i'll any town Of Wilmington's size.
The work Is not completed vet. But there
is no doubt Of the great advantage and of
the wonderful transformation made in the
streets of the city through the expenditure
of large share of the half million on fire
brick, Belgian block and the other varie-
ties of pavement. The whole community
advantages by it,. But the owners OF vehi-
Giles are specially helped. Ny wagons.
which before these street improvements
were made, had an average fife OF two
years, now last for three. This is because
there are tire-brick pavements In the place
of the terrible cobblcstones.
THE saving in .horse-ffesh also is quite
20 per cent. This fact no one doing dray
or wagon business i'll the city can deny.
The saving is probably even more than |
say. But give these figures III order to
be within the mark.
Now the point is that as the wagon and
horse'owncrs gain such a great special ad-
vantage. why should they not pay some-
thing more for III The citizen who owns
real estate pays the great bulk of the hun
dreds of thousands of dollars expended in
street improvement and gets nothing of
the special advantage that the owner of
vehicles does. Why should he pay for the
special advantage of the horse and wagon
man. ....z.
The citizen who was talking continued
in stating that in his opinion there are
more likely 5000 horses IN the city that
should be taxed than the 200 or l.510
that he understood are assessed for the
city tax.
AT THE CITY TAX OFFICE.
In order to obtain more definite figures
on the question the reporter then went to
the city tax Office aud interviewed the
collectors for the Northern and Southern
districts. Every opportunity for investi-
cation was Immediately accorded The
GA2ErTE's representative. The books
were opened and the pages of record
shown where the exhibit of horse and
mule assessment and receipt of tax for the
year 1894 is fully recorded.
Major Mitchells books of the Northern
| District show AN assessment of SOL ami
mails; and MIR. Sayers of the Southern dis
! trict 9Jo-a total of S95 horses and mules
assessed in the city. of this total possibly
| 100 has to be allowed for non.
collection. OF course it is impossible
IN collect the full assessment. For
| example, physician owning three horses,
| would have but one in the city, the others
being out in the country OIL grass. On
| those not in the city no tax can be col.
! lccted. Then, some people who are on the
| horse and mule assessment list, have sold
| their animals by the time the collector
comes around. The tax cannot be col.
leCted from the new owner, his name not
being upon the assessment list for the
horse or mule sold.
There is better collection of horse and
mule TAX in the city" said Major Mitchell
MonGay, than in the collections Of
private business places"
This was true. for as he spoke the col
leCtOr ran his fingers down the column oil
names. On the full page of 80 or 40 line.
| thefe were not more than two or three
blanks, All the others had the big blue
stamp Of paid" with the date marked Op
poslIe. In a page where is horses werl
recorded al were paid. Under some o
the items there would be names Of owner
of two or three dozen animals. The col
lection undoubtedly looked thorough anC
complete.
WATER DEPARTMENT ExHIRIr.
The Water Department collects a ia,
from stablcmen and carriage owners VII,
use city water. In 1891 the tax was col
leCted ON 1900 horses and mules. This. i
Is understood, does not however represe eli
the total number OF horses and mules il
the city, beCau>G a number of stablemei
and carriage owners use their own pumps
wells and springs, On these owners ii
tax can be made us they do not use cit
water.
"lf you estimate" said Water Depart
ment official to The GhZETrE's repre-
| sentative, 5000 horses aud mules in th
city, you wiz have the right number u
near as can be-"
Then the result Of the above is Waite
Department estimate of 5000 and q cit
tax office estimate Of ,SJ5. with about ~
taken OF additionally from the latter, thu
allowing u net disparity in estimate {
horse and mule population as betwee
the two departments Of 1,30U.
1t is shown also that the city horse an
mule tax is fully and effectively cOllecte
50 far as the assessment goes, but that tn
assessment IS incomplete The claim
that fuller assessment would yield goo
sum annually for the city treasury.