Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-16
REDUCTION OF TAX ASKED.
Petition TO City Council From tho Estate
OF william Thatcher, Deceased.


OF william Thatcher, Deceased.
Application was made at the meeting
of City Council Thursday. by Robert
Adair, counsel for the estate of William
Thatcher, deceased. in the Ninth ward
for the correction OF the city tax bill
against the estate for 1896, reducing the
amount levied against the estate for
city and school purposes from 81, AS. 05
to 1914. OF, on the ground that the prop
erty was on the hRlfrate list for that
year. The communication was referred
to the finance committee and City
Solicitor CcDrad and report may be
expected at the next meeting of Council.
BY an act passed by the General AS
sembly on March 9Th, 1877. it was on.
acted that the Mayor and Council OF
Wilmington should levy and collect
from certain persons aud estates in
parts OF the Second, Sixth and Niuth
wards taxes for city and school pur-
poses, in full Of all taxes, at rate not
exceeding e.hHlf OF the rate levied on
persons and estates in the remaining
parts Of the city, and, further, that the
act should continue in force until
December 31st, 1886. Tho reason given
in the preamble for exemption was that
the districts described were very
sparsey inhabited. that there were only
few buildings erected thereon aud
| that the owuers derived little, if any,
benefits on account OF being included
! in the city.
This act was rs.enacted, renewed, ex-
| tended and continued in force until
December 3lst, 1896. by an act passed
by the General Assembly ON March
2Sth, 1897. The reasons given for renew
ing the ari were that the same condi-
tions existed as formerly, that the land
in the district we're mainly devoted to
agricultural and grazing purposes.
The estate Of William Thatcher, de-
ceased. which is mentioned in the petit
tion to City Council, is in that part of
the Ninth ward included in tho pro-
visions of the acts Of Assembly referred
to. The then exempted portion Of the
Ninth ward consisted of all of that por
ton of the ward north OF the Brandy
wine and Christiana to the then north
ern and western city limits and the
Delaware River, with the exception of
the settled portion of Brandywine Viii
lage and small district in the vicinity
of Eleventh street bridge over the
Brandywine.
The Thatcher estate is located in the
vicinity of Sixteenth and Pine Streets
and extends in several directions there
from. The Florence Crittenton Home,
formerly the Door of Hope, ia located
on portion of it, most of the remain
der being unimproved. The tract COM
prises in all about 65 acres. About 20
acres are used for farming purposes
about 30 acres are either low marshy
land or high rocky ground and unsuita-
bile for use, while the remainder would
he suitable for building sites II streets
were cut through and graded.
The estate was taken into the city
by an act of the General Assem- oily
February oath. 1869. the !, city bounda.
RIGS being extended for the purpose oil
including it within the limits. Since
February oath. 1869, the estate has
paid about s3j, 900 in taxes about
$15, 600 OF which has gone into the CITY
treasury. 1t has always been claimed
that the owners received very little il
return in the way of city improvements
for the taxes paid.
The eHtate was assessed for 1896 al
the full rate of 81. 40 on the valuation
of SIS, 099, the amount of the tax levied
being 81, 145. G5, including ) per cent,
which was added on account OF delay
in payment, as provided by ordinance
The claim of the petitioner is thai
the property was put on full rate toe
soon, before tho expiration of the half
rate law and on that ground the appli
cation for reduction il made. The re
quest is that the bill be corrected ant
made to conform to the halt-rate Law,
thus making the tax due for 1885,
pmount to s574.02.