The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-25
MORE TROUBLE IN SIGHT.
The New Tax Collections May
Not Be Available Till
October.
YET THE TREASURY IS FULL.
Auditor Broderick Thinks the Law
May Be Salaries Of
Employees.

"I do not know that the money now be-
ing collected for personal property taxes
will be available in July. | am disposed
to think it will not and that no money
will be available till October" was the
rather doleful beginning of all interview
| with Deputy Assessor Herzer yesterday
| morning.
1.-THE more time give to the study of
the new law the more trouble it seems to
| bring" he continued. SIT provides that
the Supervisors shall first fix the rate of
taxation in June and then make an appor-
tionmenJ of the revenue into the several
funds in September. Now. we cannot take
money out of the treasury until it is ap-
portioned.
"The salaries, for instance, that are to
be held over, as 1 understand 1t, until the
| next fiscal year, come out of the general
| fund, but until the money collected is ap-
| portioned this fund is not created. There
! fore 1T cannot be drawn upon, at least,
that is the way it looks to me- If so, it
means there will be no available funds till
| October.
"How is the collection of personal prop
erty taxes proceeding under the new law?
We'll, we are collecting considerable
money, but as to the full working of the
are not following its letter, biding the
action before the courts to test it. We
| have not in single instance attempted to
seize property, as directed by the law,
when persons having taxable personal
property refuse to pay. We want to know
seeing that the right is questioned, by a
suit at law. However, very many people
| pay the tax upon solicitation.
1--WE began on the 18th, a week ago. On
! the first day we collected a thousand or
two. Now, however, we collect about
| $4,000 a day and have turned into the
| treasury altogether, not including to-day
100000 We receive many notes from
| people asking little time, which, under
the circumstances, we are disposed to re-
| spect Many others write us, however,
fatty refusing to pay. In these cases we
would make seizures OF course If the case
is decided for the Assessor. If not the
work that we have done is all astray of
course. The money collected would either
| have to be refunded or left to stand to the
credit of persons from whom collected, for
they would have to pay the tax later any
how"
Auditor Broderick was asked what he
thought OF this new phase OF the financial
situation. He said: II believe that we
will have to hold over the salaries for one
month at least until the next fiscal year.
1t would be a hardship, of course, if the
| new law withheld payment of these until
October; but l do not believe it will. The
new law cannot be so drastic and inflexible
as all that The salaries are paid out of
the general fund, which last year was ap-
portioned as Sc per cent of the entire
| revenue. Now on July we will probably
have 100000 in the treasury from the col
| lection of personal property taxes now
| going on. l believe that the Supervisors
can pass resolution directing the Treas
urer to place so per cent of the money, as
received, into the general fund to be draw n
| upon.
ave must have money, and / don't be-
lieve any mere technicality of the law
should stand in the way of the legitimate
operation of the government. l am conf
| dent it will be done that way"
| Chairman of the Finance Committee
| Taylor has asked Auditor Broderick for a
list of the employees now on the payrolls of
the CITY who are not accounted on the
salary list under the law. The pay of
these will not hold over-that is, cannot be
paid out of next years money for services
| performed this year. That is to say, there
is some doubt about it, and Chairman
Taylor thinks the warrants for these should
be signed and paid at once and only the
regularly provided-for employees kept wait
ing. The list will be prepared for him at
once,