The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-02
SOMETHING MUST Be DONE
Appeals Board Assessors Squabble
Needs COuncilmanic Interference.
LIABLE TO EMBARRASS CITY
No Assessment Con Dc Completed I'm
less One Sido or the Other Makes
Concessions and This Neither
Side Is Disposed TO DO.

AS matters now stand there can be
no assessment made for next year.
Few people who have watched the
board Of appeals realize to what an
important pass the affair has come.
Mr.. Chittenden, Of the special COM
mittee, appointed by select council to
act as a mediator between the two
boards. when approached by a Tribune
reporter yesterday, confessed that he
had not been aware of the serious as
pect of affairs which the reporter point
ed out to him.
Il Will get to work the first thing to-
morrow morning." said Mr.. Chittenden.
Immediate and definite action Is nee
esSary."
The board Of appeals has refused to
allow the assessors to take the 1895
books to the assessors office and the
assessors emphatically affirm that they
will not go to the board of appeals
quarters to consult these books which
are necessary for comparison in maxi
Ing the assessment. The appeals board
claim that the 1895 blotterS, which are
still in the possession of the assessors,
are sufficient to answer the purpose and
agree to have the blotterS compared
with the books and corrected. In re-
sponse to this offer the assessors send
the following letter:
This Means No Quarter.
Gentlemen of the board of revision
of taxes and appeals: Your favor Of
the 26th inst, is duly received and con-
tents noted. Permit us to inquire II
you have read the act under which
your board was chosen. If not we
suggest that an immediate and careful
perusal of the same will not only i'm
part valuable information. but will
probably be the means of removing
whatever difference may at present
seem to exist between your board and
the board of city assessors.
Permit us further to respectfully
suggest that you will find by examin-
alton of the provisions of said act that
you are not assessors, but members
of a board of revision and appeals, and
that your duties are not to make an
assessment, but to revise and when
made by the lawfully constituted
board of assessors.
1.-The assessment of 1895 having been
made and revised and the duplicates
therefrOm having been placed In the
treasurer's hands before your board
came into existence. you of course have
nothing to do with that.
'The assessment of 1896 not having
been made, it is certainly not as yet a
subject of your solicitation or atten-
duties at present are confined to fur
nishing us the necessary books for TAX
ing the assessment. The books that
are necessary are those illegally taken
from our office. and If you will return
them we can proceed with the assess
ment at once. Should any other books
be required, we will inform you.
Consider Them Impc rtiucnt.
"Allow us to further suggest that the
resolutions you send us are imperti-
nent as well as without warrant Of
law. Having no use for them, we here
with return them to you. We do not
find any provisions of law requiring
you to assist in making an assess
ment or prescribing as one of your du-
ties the comparison of blotters with
any former assessment Your gener-
Gus offer to allow us to inspect assess
ment books at your office Is declined
with thanks. When furnished with
the necessary books as required by law,
we shall be able to get along very
well at our own office.
I'm order to prevent any misappre-
hension or misunderstanding, permit
us to say In closing that we are anX-
ious to croceed in making the assess
ment with all possible dispatch. but
are prevented for the reason here
inbefore stated. If the city shall in
any way Dc tIuodITdSStu py ItdSol
Of the assessment for 1896 not being
completed at the required time. the re-
sponsibility must rest where it prop
erly belongs. Charles F.. Yoos,
Henry d. Jones,
Rudolph Buensll.
Board Of City Assessors.
What viii the Harvest Bc.
IF the warning boards do not come to
some agreement soon there will not be
time enough left before Feb. 1 to COM
plete the assessment as the law re-
qures. Just what embarrassment"
the city is liable to in case of the as
sessment going by default is not set
tied fact as no such condition has as
yet been contended with. One ques-
ton, however, is brought prominently
forward, and that Is whether or not
an assessment illegally made could
stand test Of law If some one took 1t
into his head to fight it.
As a further evidence of their de-
termination not to be dictated to by the
board of appeals. the assessors have
"Mr. chairman and gentlemen of the
board of revision of taxes and ap-
peals:
1--WE, the board of city assessors, here
with return to you the petitions of ex-
onerations of dogs. We cannot find
where there is any law mDelling us
to investigate, as we made the assess
ment and return the same to the previ
Gus board of revision and appeal and
they having heard appeals and the dup
licates made out is an acceptance of the
assessment made by us.
Respectfully yours.
Rudolph Buensli,
Henry d. Jones'
Charles A. YOos."
The boerd Of appeals has taken no