The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-22
STILL INCREASING RETURNS.
HOW THE TAX ASSESSORS GET N
THEIR WORK.

At Their Suggestion Property own
ers Come Forward and Raise Their
Personal Property Returns From
Hundreds to ThOusands-some Big
increases known TO Have Been
Made in This Manner, But No
Names Are Gfven-OHe Property
Owner Who Was Glad the Asses
sors Called Him Up.
The tax assessors Will not begin the
work Of reassessing real estate property
until some time in the summer. probably
about July /. Mr.. J. H II. Osborne, clerk
of the board. is now engaged in compiling
the personal tax returns for record in the
assessors Office.
The books made up for the city treas
urer's office combine both real and per
sonal property returns. 1t is the inten-
ton of the assessors to keep separate
books for these two classes Of property.
The work of bringing in those whose
returns are not satisfactory to the as
SCISSORS is stin going on.
Some of the work done on this line
would make startling information TO the
readers Of the Morning News if the as
SCISSORS would consent to its publication.
wealthiest in the community, and bust
ness men known to be doing large bust
nesses made such small returns the as
SCISSORS say that they were forced to set
about obtaining through some means or
other more just valuation of their prop
critics. The returns of this kind were
usually some trihing sum for office fur
niture or for household goods. The as
in having returns raised from hundreds
to thousands In several cases parties
who returned practically nothing were in
duced, after having the matter presented
to them, to make returns nigh up in the
thousands.
The manner in which the assessors pro-
ceeded was to simply call the parties
whose returns were not satisfactory into
conference and present the matter to
them, showing them that the assessors
were in possession of sufficient informa-
ton to make a. much larger return nee
essary. This procedure was successful in
almost every instance. The assessors
nave underworld to perform this portion
of their duties as discreetly as posi-
BILE without making it unpleasant for the
parties whose returns were doubted, in
which they have been very successful.
Had the assessors possessed the expert
ence in the beginning which they now
have the already large increase in the
personal property returns would have
been much greater
A wen-known citizen received a notice
from the board the other day that his
return was not considered correct. He
responded Immediately. Being possessed
of considerable corpulence as well as
wealth, by the time he had climbed two
flights of stairs TO reach the office of the
board he was entirely out of breath, but
it could be seeen that he was mad.
do you mean to doubt my returns?" he
exclaimed.
He was informed that this was exactly
what was meant, some remarks uncompli-
mentary to the board followed. one of the
assessors remarked that he was glad to
know there was one man who had fine
ly furnished house and was willing to re-
turn it at it's fun value The fact was that
he had returned his household property
at $4,000, when he meant to return il at
5000. He was very glad to make the cor
rection and departed in much better hu-
NOR than he came. 1t is needless to say
that he holds higher opinion of the board
now than he did before his attention was
called to the error.
This is not the only mistake of this kind
to which the assessors have called the at
tention of property owners. Some few re-
turned property outside the city limits
and others made the mistake of return
ing real estate and improvements, which
had already been assessed against them
as personal property.