San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-19
COLLECTOR EXPLAINS.
WHY HE DID NOT DEPOSIT CITY
MONEY.
1qnuiry Into Back Tax Collections-Eot
Much Business Done, Other Than Fir
ing 0ratory at Mr.. Umscheid

The full board of aldermen were
present at the council session yester-
day. After the usual brOtherly
greetings, putting fragrant Havana'S.
reading minutes, etc, the trouble he
gan us follows:
Petitions Read
Citizens, asking that the city attOr-
ney give opinion whether architects
and contractors can be required to
pay license tax. Referred to city at
torney.
Franklin Il Cobb. attorneys for John
Darragh, in regard to property line
on Olive street. Referred to city al
tOrney and public Improvement com
mittee.
J. c. Kerr, permission to pay de-
linquent taxes without cost. Refer
ed to assessment committee.
John w. TObin, chief of the fire de
partment. asking the city to purchase
a chiefs wagon, as the one now in use
is in Il defective condition. Referred
to finance committee.
The following communication from
City Attorney Minor was read:
"To the Hon. Mayor and City COun-
ell of the City of San AntOnio-Gen-
tlemen: l herewith report n list of
statements given by me to the city
collector of amounts due from delin-
quent tax payers as shown by the
back tax records in my possession and
statements there from prepared by
nj f,n tot
period from the 10Th day Of July,
1895, when I took charge of said re-
cords down to the present date. As
to the list 121 of said statements |
have received 10 report from the col
lector showing whether the taxes in.
cluded therein had been paid.
"Of said statements the first sixty
two were numbered cOnSecutiveH ac-
cOrding to old numbers used by Mr..
l.. G.. Brand, but thereafter l num-
bered statements according to new
system of numbers, beginning with
No. IS.
Beginning with statement No. 123.
new SYSTEM | rendered to the col
lectOr statements i'll duplicate to ena-
bic him to make return duplicates
showing amounts of taxes paid, and
have continued to make such state
mentS in duplicate down TO the pres
ent time: but throughout said time
the collectors return on said duplicate
statements has consisted merely of
the official stamp of the collector
impressed on the duplicate statement
with signature of the collector
written across the stamp, which rc.
turn, the collector has verbally eN-
planned to me to mean that the
amounts included in statements so
stamped and signed have been paid.
| objected to this form of return as
being less definite than it should be
but have not been able 10 obtain re-
turns in any other form from the col
lectOr. Upon these returns / have en-
tered on the back tax records i'll the
columns for payments the amounts
shown by said return to have been
paid, making the entry in red ink and
annexing to the entry reference 10
the statement by number ana date
with collectors return.
Il herewith suggest the necessity of
the councils requiring n formal re-
port from the collector of all cOllec-
tlOnS Indue vi the slhltlutulS given
by this Office since July 10, 1895, to
cover the first 121 statements on
which no return has been made as
we'll as the remaining 419 statements
returned in the informal manner re-
ferred to. Such n report will be nee
eSsary to enable this Office to know
which claims to sue upon and which
to treat as fully settled.
"R. Il. MINOR, City Attorney"
An ordinance requiring the city col.
lector to make report TO city council
Of all collections made by him on
rendered by city attorney
since July 10, 1895, was laid before
the council.
City Collector Umscheid said 1t
would take two months to make the
called for in the ordinance,