New-York tribune., 1897-08-12
PEEKSKILL IN A FERMENT.
Continued from First Page.


tire assessment roll is void and an effort will
be made to set 1t aside because one Of the as
SCISSORS, John M. Tuttill, was, when he assisted
In the assessment and making out the book,
was living in Yorktown. At the school meeting
last week In District No. L. where he had been
a trustee for some time. II was announced tlat
he had moved out of the district, and in cen
sequence he was replaced by a new trustee.
In the third place, the original assessment
book is not on exhibition. but copy OF 1t, made
by the daughter Of Assessor Hill. 1t mas been
found that the copy contains many errors which
have been corrected from day to day. The IA
vorte error seems TO be the omission OF cphers,
which sometimes s of great Importance and
means n thousand or 80 lessening or increasing
Of assessment. There have been several
people assessed twice for the amount
through error.
Last week one piece Of property was sent up
from $1,000 to $4,000. another from $1,000 to
$500. another from $1,000 to $500. and these
ere only few Incidents Of many similar ones
both In personal and real estate. People who
looked at their assessment last week, and a few
days aferward looked at 1t again and found 1t
had gone up, were much angered.
When there will be any figures real estate
Is not known. AS many people have several
pieces of property, it would be a Herculean task
for any but the assessors to total all the in
dIvidual holdings up and then make a copy and
add those amounts to get at the grand total
Last year the total assessed value Of real es-
tate In the town Of Cortland was S4,Sl9,6IJ.
This corrected by the Equalization Com
mittee Of the Board of Supervisors to S3,13l Dos
What 1t Is this year no one has the slightest
idea. Even the assessors profess the profound,
est ignorance But the roll has been pretty well
examined by n number Of good compilers. ana
from comparisons made on certain pieces OF
property, and the amount that they have been
'jacked up from last year, a conservative esti-
mate places the real estate assessment this year
at n figure close to S12OOO.O00. or an approx
mate increase Of S1,0OO,OW. When the exact
amount will be known cannot even he guessed.
Not at least until week after grievance day.
unless some good Samaritan or public-splrited
citizen sits down to the books and figures IL out
himself
CHARGES AGAINST ASSESSORS.
The assessors Of this town John NJ. Tut
TILL Republican, and Eugene B. Hill and Merle
Heady. Democrats. 1t is perhaps singular CO.
incidence that they all of them carpenters
and builders and actively engaged in that line
of trade.
They began their work couple of months
ago and a week ago Monday placed the assess
ment book. or a copy of it. exhibition at the
office of Supervisor Franklin Couch. Assessor
Hill sits with the book. open to the public from
10 a. m TO D. m. every day and two evenings
this week Monday next will be grievance day,
when all three assessors will sit at the Town
Clerks office and hear complaints. and they VIII
be legion. They expect to spend at least week
listening to grievances. And the reasons Tor
complaint are many.
When asked for an explanation tHe dssesoolS .
told them that it was a clerical error. IL
was all right on the original book, but In copy.
ing a mistake had been made Tne orlglhai
hook however is not produced to verify this. IL
Is alleged that man might look at his properly
list find it assessed to his satisfaction and go
| away and not return until after grievance day
| or until taxes were levied Then he would DIS
| cover that after he had looked at his assess
ment If had been lacked up" 1t Is for this rea-
| son that some lawyers here say they tthe as
sessors) have no right to change those hsures as
| they have been doing. ox,o
There are other complications, ana the peopie
| talk about nothing else except the assessment.
| The lower part of the county has had IL SO lonS @
| that IL is an old story. 1t is new Ill reehShiii
| and not at all pleasant.
GRIEVANCES IN OTHER NlLLAHES'
| The assessment books of the town OF Matharo-
| neck are at the home of William II. THford
| near the railway station, and are being eagerly
| examined The people of Larchmont Manor APP
| near TO be more exercised over the assessments
| than those of this village. ana number ol ,he
| largest taxpayers have retained Thomas D. Mc-
| Cahill to appear for them ., =. la
The assessors are causing public notice 10 ne
eiven that the tax roll Of New-Rochee can be
! seen at the home Of George Lambden' III hssi.
| dence Park until August II, and on every day
! thereafter to September at the Towh HAN
| On and after Grievance Day the assessois w. ~.
| meet fr,.n 10 to II. and to u O'Clock III the
| Town Hall to hear objections ana gile' dh'e'
| It is expected that they will be kept busy