The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-02
WAY AHEAD IN TAX RETURNS.
Personal Returns FOR 1896
DOUBLE LAST YEARS.

The Work of Preparing the Digest
for the Payment of Taxes TO Begin
at Once-The City Treasurer Kept
busy Last Week Receiving License
Fees-The Receipts for January In
Excess of Those for the Same
Month Last Year-City Treasurer
Hardee's showing of the Receipts
and Expenditures for Last Year.
Only about fifty returns were received
yesterday by the board OF tax assessors
and receivers. Pretty nearly everybody
got in before the month closed. There
are doubtless some who failed to make
their returns. The assessors have both
eyes open for people Of this class. and it
can be taken for granted that there viii
be some double taxing done.
The board will classify the returns at
once and get them IN shape for the city
treasurer's Office TO make use of. After
this is done they will begin to look around
for people who failed to make a proper
return Of their property. The work of
reassessing the real estate and improve
ments Of the city will probably begin this
spring.
The total number Of personal property
returns is something in excess Of 400
As soon as the returns are classified and
transferred to the proper books the total
amount OF personal property returned for
taxation will be summed up. AS the num-
Der of returns made is more than double
the number made last year, evidently the
increase will be considerable.
City Treasurer Hardee said yesterday
that the receipts of his Office during Jan
uary were very satisfactory, being about
$3.50 more than for the same month last
year, Jan. 81, the last day on which license
tax payers could secure the 10 per cent
discount allowed for prompt payment of
specific taxes, over $4,000 was received
from this source. Mai. Hardee says that
either more people are taking out licenses
to do business this year or they are more
tofore.
This agitation Of the tax question has
done us good" said Maj. Hardee. 1T kept
the matter before the public and caused
the tax payers to come forward more
promptly than they would otherwise haze
The city treasurer's office is perhaps the
smoOthest running piece of machinery of
the city government. Everything is done
systematically and is so quietly conducted
that 1t is seldom anything Is heard from
that department. This is due to the per-
feet system with which the office is con-
The figures quoted by Col Garrard IN
council the other night, while discussing
the tax ordinance, showed that Atlanta
Savannah expends $1,000, and that the
force employed in the collection of axes
In the capital city is more than three
times as large as that employed for the
same purpose in Savannah. The amount
of work done by,Ma1. Hardee and his as
sistants. Messrs. Bell, Dreese and Myers,
Is really wonderful. 1t is doubtful IL twice
the number of men could do the same
work and do 1t as well. This is due in
part to the proficiency gained by long
experience. Mr.. Bell has big job before
him now in the preparation of the tax
digest for the year, showing the amount
of real estate and personal property re-
turned for taxation by each tax payer, and
must be ready by April l. when the pay
ment of these taxes begins.
The annual report made TO the mayor by
Maj. Hardee is a complete showing of the
receipts and expenditures of the city dur
ing the previous year. Figures are usu-
ally dry, but the following summary or
the receipts and expenditures may be of
interest. as showing the sources of the
city's income and the directions in which
1t is expended: