The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-10-23
COMMITTEE ON CLAIMS.
Several Petitions Considered Last Night
Action In Regard to Each.

hctiOh III lktBHio W LhChs
The committee on claims met in
room 10 and II City hall last night to
consider several petitions for damages,
abatement of assessment, etc. The
most important matter before the COM
mittee was the petition of Ernest A.
Holt for postponement Of time for pay
ing sewer assessment. Mr.. Holt was
| assessed in 1895 $3.50 as his share of
the cost of building a sewer in Shelton
avenue, the avenue on which his prop
erty is situated. Mrs. Abigail Hitler,
who owns property on Shelton avenue,
| was also assessed at the same time,
| and secured an extension Of two years
| for the payment of the assessment. Mr..
| Holt did not secure an extension of
| time, and did not pay his assessment,
consequently a lien was placed on his
property. AT that time interest could
not legally be charged on unpaid as
sessments, but by an act of the last
| general assembly it is provided that in
| terest may be collected. Mr.. Holt
therefore now petitions for an extension
of time equal to the extension granted
to Mrs. Hitler. The petition of Mr. Holt
was supported before the committee
last night by his father, Alfred Holt
| The elder Mr.. Holt presented lengthy
| statement.
The following letter pertinent to the
matter of assessments for the Shelton
avenue sewer was read:
To the Joint Committee on Claims:
| Gentlemen: In view or the ineqult-
able assessment upon the owners of
abutting property in front of the sewer
| laid on Shelton avenue, in which as
sessment those least able to pay were
assessed at the full rute of $1.75 per
foot, and without any extension of
time in which to pay it. while those
most able to pay were not assessed one
cent (as in the case Of the Winchester
Repeating Arms company although
willing to pay, and others, as in the
case Of Mrs. Hitler, were given the ex-
tended time of two years in which to
| pay the assessment.
| Whether this inequality of assessment
arises from misrepresentation, ignor-
ance of the facts, or by inadvertance or
accident, justice to all parties and the
city demands that the Shelton avenue
sewer matter should be referred to the
board of compensation, reassessed and
submitted to the court OF common
council for it's approval.
This action indicated above is what
we desire.
Very respectfully,
MRS. J. e. REED.
In executive session the committee
| fItI rpfpr-
ence all the papers relating to the case
The other petitions considered by the
committee with the action taken in re-
gard to each were as follows:
Petition of Clarence Blakeslee for
| abatement of sewer assessment, rec
commended that leave to withdraw be
given.
Petition of August Levendowski for
damages from flooding caused by boule-
ward sewer; recommended that leave to
withdraw be given.
Petition of Frank Hoffman for injury
to property from flooding; leave to
withdraw.
Petition of August Bode for damages
from flooding; leave to withdraw
Petition of Isaac White for damages
from back water from sewer on Oak
street; laid on the table until next
meeting.
Petition of Anthony Mcdonald for
$3.50 damages caused by flood; leave to
| withdraw.
Petition of Sarah ]. Nichols for dam
ages to person; damages to the amount
of $115 recommended.
Petition of Mortimer O'Brien to be re-
leased from assessment. The petition
was an offer to transfer land to the
city in return from the abatement of
sewer assessment on James street prop
erty owned by Mr. O'Brien. The may
or was authorized to receive the deed
when it was executed and turned over
to the city. Mr.. O'Briens property in
question consisted of a strip about
three feet wide along the street. On
this his assessment was about $27. The
offer of the land to the city in return
for being relieved from assessment,
was accepted.