New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-15
MIR. CROKER ON TAXATION.
TAMMANY. HE SAYS CAN'T BE BLAMED
FOR THE PRESENT SITUATION.
THE GREAT INCREASE ~ ASSESSED VALUATIONS
DECLARED TO BE DUE TO TIE coSsorhDA-
TON OF THE FIVE BoRoUGHs-THE

EXCUSE FOR HIGHER SALARIES
Richard Croker yesterday took a reporter OF The
Evening World" into his confidence and talked to
him freely about the recent enormous increase In
the assessed valuations Of real estate In the city
and the surprising Increase Of salaries In depart
ments of the city government He said last even
ing that he wished to add nothing TO the interview.
simply suggesting that Getty government he used
in several places instead Of "Tammany." The In
terview. with these changes. was as follows:
Il don't know much about taxation said he to
the reporter land I've got nothing TO say worth
publishing. anyhow.
But people talking said the reporter.
George c. Boldt manager of the Waldorf Astoria.
who under his lease must pay the taxes. says that
the increase I'm the assessed valuation OF hat prop
crty from 81 COO 900 to s5,ooooo with an increase
in the tax rate to 50 60 will make his taxes SIO6iO
higher than ever before. and Will ruin and drive
him out Of business And hundreds of other men
talk the same way
1T isn't the city governments fault" returned
Mr. Croker quickly. 1T isn't our fault Every
body knows the big taxation is due to the con-
solidation OF the five boroughs into Greater New
York Everybody knows that all the outlying
cities and towns brought In under consolidation ran
themselves into debt clear up TO the limit Just be-
fore the consolidation. thus saddling the whole our
den upon the new city. Why those towns were on
the verge of bankruptcy, all OF them everybody
knows that The taxes Will be lighter than ever
before after this year when the debt saddled on
Greater New-York by the extravaganza OF the sew
eral towns and cities consolidated as the five bor'
oughs Is paid of.
THE city administration is not TO blame Nearly
all these places under other than Democratic
rule before consolidation
But" said the reporter 'in the face OF the pros
pective high assessments and high tax rate ram
many has enormously increased salaries Of city
officials so that over $3.50 will be paid In extra
salaries to clerks and other officials In eighteen city
Departmental
AN ERROR. HE SAYS
THAT is an error" said Mr.. Croker THE In
creases In salaries will not foot up more than $o""
altogether. I was talking with the Mayor about
that last night But suppose 1t was as high as you
say? Why. don't you know that would not add one
half n cent 10 the tax on each piece of real estate
in the five boroughsY
'It has been suggested went on the reporter
that possibly the increase In valuation ior TAXA
ton was a scheme looking to an increase III Inc
clty's power for increasing bonded Indebtedness
for the purpose Of enabling the carrying out OF the
scheme for rapid transit In Manhattan Borough
Look here, young man. just print what ! say
am I'm favor Of rapid transit. although nave
been falsely quoted against it. am Tor IL. lam
many is for IT, Everybody is for IT. II Tammany
was TO declare against rapid transit the Rapi1
Transit Commissioners would have the work going
in time at all Incy hIo" We h'' ""' 'ff''N'
to IT, II we were come out hot for rapid transit
those fploWs( the Commissioners would be against
If Just ae soon as the city gets out from under the
burden of debt bequeathsd to II b. the dying az
minisration OF the five boroughs when they were
consolidated into Greater New York We shall be "
transt The trouble with the critics OF Tam G 3,
is that they find fault with us " we doh 40 IT,
and when do do 1t they set up howi
FOUGHT TO HAVE HIGHER SALARIES
AS for the increases Of salaries. don't you know
thu, these officials have been getting the salaries
attached 10 the places in the old city Of New-iorK
Now that the city is nearly doubled In size, the
work imposed on the Is very much greater.
They are Woodworking officials. critics to the con-
trory Notwithstanding. and they ought TO have
higher salaries accordingly. We want TO Keep good
men and that can't be done unless we pay them.
AS for the salaries of school teachers, The
Evening World has demonstrated pretty clearly
who Is blame for the failure 10 give the teachers
been money enough appropriated for that purpose.
But ! can't say too strongly that the necessity
for the increase In tax valuations Is Que 10 me
immense debt which the towns and cities consol-
dated heaped upon Greater New-York II II runs
R RTSn' som nsdy else " Than NH the city
for it had no hand In IT, II rs only pas,i g,o one
boroughs Everybody knows this Is true Inc me
ostates 9r made by The @smabe gentlemen who
framed the charter for Greater New YORK a..
inst SHARE rs Of the tax burden? How is the multi
millionaire who owns the stocks and the bonds In
1sT GF to be- made pay his asked he
reporter.
NOT POSTED on THAT.
well. that is subject that has beaten the ex-
perts in taxation" replied Mr.. Croker You had
better see the Tax Commissioner He can tell you
more about all these questions in five minutes than
could in five years. ! am not posted very well on
taxation But do know that Tammany can't be
blamed for the present situation, for Tammany
had no hand in creating (which Is fortunate for
Tammany."
Senator John Ford says in letter to The
World that ne would abolish personal taxation be-
cause 1t offers premium on perjury and demor-
Allies honest men, who. seeing their dishonest
neighbors swearing off their personal taxes, swear
OF their own in scf-defcnce. Senator Ford also
says that NewYork should be able, Ike Glasgow,
10 do away with taxation on real estate, simply by
compelling those who enjoy transit monopolies.
lighting and other franchises to pay for their
monopoies in sufficient sum TO defray all the ex-
penscs Of government ana pay OH the HuhNipdi
debt"
Maybe so. maybe So" said Mr.. Croker, dubi-
ously adding: Docs Senator Ford tell how we are
s sSns to aS ma p SM San ga
the city government for the last century under
can be got in revenue from that source under ex-
istng laws is being got: suppose 1t Will require
Real estate men, said the reporter insist that
the Increased taxation under the new assessment
and the new tax rate will result In taxing some
men out of business-wIll be a back breaking bur
den on those who have put mp structures WIN an
eve TO beauifylng the city and making II richer az
well as TO their business needs and VIII result
ements throwing the heavy burden on the wage
earners who occupy those PLACES as homes .
~ don't know about that You had better see
the Tax Commissioner. am not posted on these these
see how Tammany can help II. CONSOLIDATION H.
fact The money has got to he raised 10 pay inc
bills How We going 10 get out OF "!
THE FAMOUS WLAUGHLIN BROTHERS.