New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-07
A LIVELY GRIEVANCE DAY.
PROTESTS FROM WESTMINSTER PROP
ERTY- OWNERS PILING UP.
THE EXAMPLE OF THE ASSESSORS THERE IN IN
CREAsrNG VALUATIONS BEING FOLLOWED BY

THE EXAMPLE OF THE ASSESSORS THERE IN IN
CREAsrNG VALUATIONS BEING FOLLOWED BY
THOSE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE.
The remarkable number of the protests the
taxpayers Of Westchester County have been
making against the assessments made against
them In the tax rolls just completed revives, anu
recalls the complaints that wealthy residents OF
suburban places have made in the past against
the officials whose duty IT is to estimate the
value Of their property and TO adjust the
amounts they should pay upon IT. The astonish-
Ing unanimity Of the assessors OF Westchester
County In raising the estimates OF taxable prop
erty within the towns under their Jurisdiction Is
not the least interesting feature Of the situation.
1t seems almost as IL there must have been some
agreement among the boards Of assessors OF
the various towns as to their line Of action, for
in almost every town in westchester County
the value Of the real estate has been increased
upon the tax rolls this year about two and one
half times last years figures
This increase. which has proved so distressing
to many of the taxpayers Of the county Is the
direct result Of the famous charge to the Grand
Jury OF Westminster County made by Judge
Martin ]. Keogh, of New-Rochelle. In that
charge it will be remembered that Judge keogh
declared that many of the assessors or the
county were violating the law by underestimate
ing the value Of the real and personal properly
held by the. residents of the various towns OF
the county, and the Grand Jury proceeded 10
act promptly and vigorously upon that charge
They had number of the assessors Of the towns
indicted, and II none OF them were brought 10
trial it was because the affair was meant simply
to be a stern warning of what they might ex-
pect If they did not mend their ways ana lake
heed unto their steUs
tix- tha ~
County have mended their ways very thoroughly
and taken the greatest heed unto those steps OF
theirs In the town Of Greenburg. which in
cludes the villages Of Tarrytown, Irvngton,
Dobbs Ferry Hastings, Ardsley on- the Hudson
and part OF White Plains. the valuation OF per;
sonal property has been increased this year 10
81 600 600 from 81 $40 900 in 1896. and the valu-
alton Of real property to S25.OO0,0O0 from slo'-
100000 In New Rochelle the assessed value Oh
personal property this year is 800 against
81 OOJ 3D. in 1896 In White Plains the assessed
value of real property has gone up to Sl2""oVo'
or five times what 1t was in 1896. while the as
sessment upon personal property has oeeh III
creased twentyfold and more. In lrVlhg'oH '"e
tax roll shows assessment upon more IMAM
So 100000 OF personal property that was never
,axed before In Sing Sing the value OF per-
sonal property, estimated by the bodiu va
Assessors has gone up from Sos"" 10 Hl'''i'-
oOo The estimates of Mamaroneck property
have increased from S240oOO to ABOUT
IS 100000
Rut the manic which stems to have oVertakeh
the assessors has not been confined 10 "e9'
chester County 1t has spread In less Voiei''
form all over the upper portion OF the STATE anu
n Long Island In Long Island CRY the III
crease in the estimate of personal property n'lS
90 len iIpl
Tn IN Utica and in Troy. and in other small
cities in Northern and Western newborn tie
protest against the increased valuations OF the
ossassors has almost reached the proportions OF
small riot In Utica the valuation OF tne
propertv In the city has gone up from Sl9V"-
600 10 S6OOOO.OOO. and the increase elsewhere
seems 10 be in the same proportion
EAST CIEsTER'S ROLL.
~. .ssessors az the town of East Chester
have tust completed the assessment roll OF real
end nersonsl property. and left it at the Office
of the town clerk. in Tuckahoe, for public In
snection until August Il. The town was former
| 10 one Of the largest and most wealthy in West
chester County but since Mount Vernon has
been taken out of It and the lower portion mas
heen annexed to New-York City 1t has been
placed in a class with Pelham. Harrison and
Scarsdale Last year the total valuation Oh
real property was 100000. and there was prac-
tically no personal property on the rolls me
assessment just completed will show S4,oop'"o
valuation In real property and about S-"'ooo
| in personal assessment. The New-fork ana
| Harlem Railroad. which last year was assessed
| for 500. 600. is down this year for SioOOoo sam
ue Fee one Of the assessors, has had his prop
erty increased from 50 600 TO $4,000. The prop
ertv Of s J. Garth is assessed FOR 100000 and
oil ha
for $4,000 and to give any assessor $4,000 II
/ he will get him a buyer. Other large properties
Ike those OF the Dusenbury estate William V.
Iawrence's Lawrence Park Frank r. Cham
berss home. Crows Nest; Mrs Elizabeth Gus
fer the New-Rochelle Water Company, owned
hv Adrian Iselln the estate OF A. T. Stewart.
Alexander Masterson. and the Mutual Life In
surance Company have been more than doubled.
The assessors. Michael Mcnamara. John II.
OGorman and Samuel Fee. expect lively time
| on grievance day." August II.
But the assessors are not unreservedly blamed
for what they have done. Doubtless the vaiua-
,ions in many cases were formerly too small.
and II is also to be considered that the assessors
are acting under the instructions OF the State
| Tax Commissioners to say nothing OF the ter
| ror inspired by the action OF the Grand jury
! last fall For Judge keogh took care TO say
that he would be passing that way asalH heA'
| fall and that he would take pleasure In seeing
| that the Grand Jury performed its duty what
! ever the assessors should have made thar duty
appear. Moreover be it remembered that severe
penalties attach to the ill-performance Of the
duty OF tax assessors. But for all that the
| assessors of Westchester County this year
nearly the as last.
SOME PROVISIONS OF TIE LAW.
Many OF the provisions OF the new tax laws
passed June -. 1896 are just coming 10 be un-
derstood and properly enforced. number OF
the articles OF that law. in fact. many OF them
are merely repetitons Of the old law already
In force. but there are also number OF pro-