Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-22
SPEND THEIR TINE TALKING
Assessors of the County and City Hold
Their Annual Meeting.
FAIL TO SUGGEST CHANGES IN VALUATION
Devote Their Energies to Protesting
Against Taking n Census Unless
Given Extra Compensation for
Doing the work.

Under the provisions of the state law the
ward and precinct assessors met in every
county in the state Tuesday to discuss the
general plan of assessment for the year and
receive their final instructions, in connec-
ton with the books and documents that they
will use in their canvass. The Douglas
county assessors met in the quarters of the
Board Of County commissioners at 10 o'clock.
but as three of them were absent and the
law declares that absence from this meeting
shall be sufficient cause for summary re-
muval from Office an adjournment was gem
erously taken until 2 O'Clock in order to give
the absentees a chance to be present.
Some of tie previous annual meetings of
the local assessors have been sigualized by
the adoption of some broad resolutions
looking toward reform OF a general eleva-
ton of valuations to a point more nearly
where they are alleged to belong. But in
this case there was no apparelt disposition
to indulge in sweeping changes and the dis
cussions served principally as a vehicle by
which to exploit the personal grievances Of
ono or two Of the members.
The meeting selected Chris Boyer of the
Eighth ward to preside and p. p. Mergen
of West Omaha precinct as secretary. Then
some one suggested that it is now pro-
posed that the assessors shall make a COM
plete census in addition to their other du-
tiec, and the inquiry was at once raised
whether there will be any additional COM
pensation for this work. No one seemed to
be clear as to what the alleged census meant
and the difficulty was adjusted by Secretary
Mergen, who read a copy of the instructions
issued by the state officials. This called on
the assessors to make a list of the heads
OF families and indicate the number of per-
sons in EACH family on March /. On the
other hand they were not required to make
tho complete wage statistics of a year ago,
but merely to discover the amounts that are
paid in wages by the manufacturing con-
Germs.
bubble Over the Pay.
Attention was called to the fact that this
is the year on which the return on veterans
of the civil and Mexican wars must be made,
and on this occasion this must be supple
mented by a list of the men who are now
serving their country in Cuba and the Full
ippines. This brought the discussion back
to the question of compensation, which was
promptly settled by a country delegate, who
suggested that there was no sense in quib-
bling over pay when the law provides that
they shall get SO a day and employ as
many deputies as are required to get the
work done in the sixty days prescribed.
Simon Trostler of the Ninth ward took the
floor to ease his mind in regard to some
outrages that he declared had been perpe-
trated last year by an assessor whom he
declined to name. 1t was suggested that in
order TO be properly entitled to the floor he
must abuse some. one who is now an asses
sor and he consequently subsidized.
Ostrom Furnishes Pointers.
A rnntinn that M a1;n,,rr,n1-r ~ to1,a,
to meet again at Mr.. Boyer's office not late
than April 10 to discuss real estate assess
ments was voted down and County Commits
sioner Ostrom was, introduced to give tn
assessors a few pointers from the stand
point Of a man who will be compelled I
pass on their work and receive the kick
from dissatisfied property owners. He com
mented with some vigor on the negligenc
of previous assessments. He declared tina
it is getting altogether too fashionable I
merely copy the assessments of previou
years, instead of going to the pains of
personal inspection of the property. He sal
that even at that. some Of the assessors ha
been too careless to copy the assessment
accurately and then he proceeded to cite
number of instances in which assessment
OF $50 had been carelessly copied as $500 o
$500 as $500 and the errors were never dis
covered until IL was 100 late 10 reClily lnel
and the property owners are now compelle
to pay taxes on these ridiculously unfai
assessmer~s. He urged the assessors to qui
copying and go to work, and added an ind
rect suggestion that the valuations ough
to be increased all along the line. He sal
that years ago when the packing houses an
practically all the other big enterprises !
the county were in their incipiency the az
gregate valuation was s26. 600 600. Now
after ten years of growth, it is only SCI