New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-15

o.-And what did you do with those properties: :
Did you raise them lower them. or Keep them hem as
they were7 A.-Whereyer, I have iouno mat
ra n yrs ast.si'
Net mHow much did You lower? AIN some In,
stances ssO where found for instance, in block Of
houses row q houses butt aSe some o eoT T Il
l Strengthened them out a., ,o,, ox,rira, A
2mHo low, many oiGyr P phousan %io '''
o.-ln that period between september ana '""u-
"ryILAA great many buildings in your part' A
New buildings. you mean?
81 have looked over several pages here a. an Sao
find practically the same e @ Sss Of
figures OF that character You did NOT se,%uslit
depart from the last years sgres did ySSda yaul
alton was up to what any property shouiu pe as
sessed at left alone the figures printed in the
book for your comparison are figures Tor leg, o
IS column and $3.50 s ~ the ,s Sest e4s not given
Ave had no taxes In 1898; brooklyn pau ho
taxes. u,o had No ap-
ures I for ri ISIS @s' That Fl was to eauallze IT,
oThat vas one OF the pep nsnaisv i0 You Know
Brooklyn paid in advance. $4,000,
QBroOEyn had BEEN %nq R pa ody IN aaVa"ce
o-And at the time OF consolidaton BROOKLYN
skipped Sa5 adyance There wasn't any penalty
ao'HAnd Brooklyn also had It's values kept at
bout the same figure very slight increase? A.
We'll BROOKLYN values have always been-that Is.
you know. figured on a percentage-assessed h'sner
Q'-What percentage did you figure on? Al
o'EWhat percentage did you understand Brooklyn
was assessed at? Al never onicaiiy uhoers'oou
Dwell unofilcially. what percentage did you
understand? A-The rumor has been all the way
from 10 to 50 per cent.
HE FAVORED BROOKLYN
o-what did you understand the percentage was
A from
f. was 40 before consolidation.
Wr Feitncr-That is the Brooklyn end Of IT,,
0EThat "a the Brooklyn end OF It speaking? A
Yes. sir; that from Brooklyn taxpayer Ooui-
o'nIt was s. per cent In Brooklyn? Al said 10
eve ysua lions Are YOU assessing Brooklyn
AT full value? Al assessed Brooklyn IN my as
trlct what the property would sell for under ordi-
o-What do you call ordinary circumstance t.s,;
A%Well | will demonstrate TO you. II you VIII
certainly A-say buy house to-day for
market in month from now it s more than likely
could get purchaser who would give me ~ ~
Who knew ne the value would give it that is, assum-
Ing bought It at the market value couldn't. oe,
Over 0 SSu or soo for it, ANot at present
time in Brooklyn If you f9rGed It tour yoaaS
on the books? Al kept up a very conservative
value to assess at !, 1o.,.,..,
Qi cdnse fRat yHs x don't Know what they
done before | was appointed am only responsible
o. mean this year, A.-we. IT was conserva-
'OLHow was IL in the other districts? Al know
nothing about II. only those that adJoned me
Q.-Dldnt you consult with those that ad)oined
'oLDidnt YOU know what they dong7 A
Q.LWeren't you advised what you were to do?
Didn't your superior officers advise you what
you were to do? A.-No sir
NO ADVICE FROM FEITNER-
Q.-And they left it entirely to you? A-Left 1t
QHBefore you started out upon your work did
Mr. Feitner sit down with you and say: NOW,
Mr. Schliemann, | am going 70 SEND you over 70
Brooklyn to assess values ana eeE5e You yo s9vd
had in such business" Did he do thatT A.-Wlli
You permit me to answer O, tt that Did he? A.
We'll want this 70 you: Before rel, was ap
EEommIsssion underwent an examination held by
the Commissioners OF Taxes and Assessments; OF
mV abi fI After that never had any conversa
ton with Mr. Feitner or anybody else: 49, ,,o-o
YOU had Some e" trouble with the Civil service COM
fnissioners you were examined by Mr.. Feither!
Q.-And they decided you were able? Ayes
'o.-And from that time on you have had no con-
suitation with them? A.-None whatever.
16n you You can cam the
you started of to particular district In Brooklyn
& Mr. Fenr ask sS sI
called meeting of the Deputy Commissio,nersM1,1
No or now n6 Did he ask you? AEWheher he
asked me If had any experience IN tha' d's'f'c'
BID Mr.. Bell ask ask you II you had7 A.-No
Q.--IDid, any o. the Commissioners ask you 'na'
HQ.~Did any superior officer ask you that ques-
% Q.LDid they ever, so far you know, know
whether you had any experience In that district?
A-7es, think one of them did: did,, A., pa.torsor
knew that had
Odd you know OF those, Commissioners and su;
any experience in the district to which he was
sent? Al don't know what they asked any otnsr
deputy. I know that they did not ask me that ques
o-You never heard OF that practice? No. r.,
district the best YOU could? A-Yes. / owned some
property there myself and do to-day
DID NOT INCREASE HIS OWN.
ON what part of the district, did you own
tonlaye which is in the Twenty-thrd Ward.
Q-And you had to assess your own property!
Odd you Increase It? Al did not 1t was In
creased two years previous; o,,red rronertv IN
that very district that property was assessed high?
be assessed any higher than il was? Ayes sir.
oAnd If anything i ought to be Of reduced De-
Q.-And that is the view you had when you went
out in the district A;des d,d No, know any,
thing about that? A.-You will have to ask the
Commissioners that question:
O-You went out just the same as all the other
deputies TO do the best you could? Al dld
Q.-Wth whatever experience you had? A.-fes,
sir. - l.. ~ IL,
Q.-And that the way you were to equalize
the burden OF taxation II not? A.-The bur-
den OF taxation | looked at In this way, that
BROOKLYN was already burdened enough with taxa
ton As a property holder, TO my sorrow, l have
had some experience there. know Brooklyn prop
erty as we'll as anybody. 1t Is absolutely impos-
sibe to sell any real estate in Brooklyn, and 1t has
been for FIVE years. or to rent 1t.
O-Was IL not your idea as property owner In
that very district that equalizlng would have to be
done by putting a heavier burden on the other
boroughs than Brooklyn? A.-Correct. That
my idea. -. ~,
Odd the Commissioners tell you that7 A.-No.
Odd they intimate that TO you? A-No, sir.
Ono instructions went out, so far as you know,
that Brooklyn not to be increased? A-No. sir.
O-And do you mean to say that all that delicat to
work of adjusting the relations between the differ