New-York tribune., 1899-06-14

|
o.-Why didn't he? A-Because don't think they
| Q.-You went 10 the owners but you went. not
stating your real purpose? Ayes. sir.
QUESTIONED The OWNERS.
Q-You went to the owners and asked them the
Q-You went TO them In what way-representins
yourself to be real estate s2eculatos7 A'.hepre.
Q-Who Instructed ou tc do 1t that way? A
The chairman-what your custom? You
! went TO the real estate owner and asked him what
| he valued his property at? AIN very few cases
| O-What record do you mean? A-"The Record
| and Guide" And thev show the transfers.
| Q.-How many on an average? A.-One hundred
| Mr Moss-Whom did you report to? You made
weekly reports. / suppose: you made weekly reports
| .o.-whom did you give those reports TO? A-The
| chief OF the Office
Q-who was that? A.-Mr. Bell ..o.o -,
Odd YOU come TO New-York with those re-
/ ports? Al had to come to New-York TO DO the
Office work. We We're so much In arrears IN nHns S
up the field books. the maps were not ready i % nad
| 10 come over very often to the New-lorK onlGe
! Q.-t3ut you had an office In queens A-1es'
9W4o was in charge Of that? M co26ooi &6
| was directed by the chief to report 10 the New
! 0NDidn't YOU have any consultation with Mr..
! Condon the chief OF the office A-No ~,
! Q.-And did the other deputies report to New
! Q~only yourself? A.-No there were several
]
! o-Why was that so In your casee Why weren't
! you reporting to the chief Of the euee1s touhH
| call every third or fourth day. sometimes every
! other day. get new sheets. o.-. ,,o,,.,,.
| O-Then in fixing the values In Queens county
| wNere you were. you didn't have the advice OK the
! chief OF The Queens County office Ale u'u"
| advise. so far "a ] know
he TOOK NO ADVICE
O Who aid advise you In nxing values? A-No
On now many did you consult WITH n; n;
o~Were there many Mot many.
| Q-IIaif a dozen? A-More.
S-Wshhy did you see the owners In only ten cases?
! A'-There was vacant property in a good many
! cases: We couldn't find the owners.
'HsTs So1 d0Seset @Srs i9aD AY te9 occupied
| Q~Hundreds Of occupied places in your district!
o-Why didn't you see the owners in each case? case,
II It the rsht thing to 30 % IN IN tTn ,r yesr and
| a half TO do IT, and had to get ready by New
itoc1-Didnt YOU have any headquarters over there?
Qhsn you had consultation with re3 bens ts
in contact such long while with reai eS'a,e AZ an
QHo am s a'K,ns Hon u9re y9" ON the work Of fixing
the values for the purpose OF taxation, you sStns
! over from the Borough OF Manhattan IN %hIch
80 tiII live dld YOU have any consultation with ex-
! pert real estate men OF the Borough o, Queens,
! while you were fixing those values Al WAS
Q"Sevcr mind that now. Answer the question
yes 'oUWbo " did YOU consult with? A-some people
! ont there in Brooklyn.
| G-Who-one or two is only one or twocname
them? A-We, certain gentleman up IN 'oro"N
reo1HMUbat was his name? A.-FIls name was Ham
V-whnt IS hs business. A real estate
'oNDid Won consult with him? Al don't call It
! a Sonsuitation. merely asked him what lots were
| bringing in his immediate vicinity ,so, .And 7
! ODD you consult with any one e'Se' n EA'N
| o
"9e,I1 "91Yon have said You went to about ten owners
! Is that all the consultation you had? Al oe"eVe
HOW HE GOT THE BASIS.
Q-How did you get the basis for estimating
values? ABy getting the figures OF fe'es yo, have
| ten sales IN an Immediate neighoorhood' am sure
| Q-To be sure but how many neighoqrhoods haYe
you where there ten recorded sales? An
N15. q oWhere are your books? CThe witness pro-
! duces bOOk) ,, ,.. a., Gov
Gu baye n osi d6d pay Ti19 N chief Of
| the Queens County office. about values? Al mere
no Tfeqe' f. e' CHEZ Clerk? "A chief clerk yes
| Q-well now let us strike in here at random and
| see what we find in your book. You did not say
that You had made heavy nGreases but Jet m us
see Herr 1o n s ss 20 200 lco per cent What wa,
! that Increase made for? A.-lmproyemehts on the
! Where does II show that? A.-Indcating)
| There are The marks this book :,
| Q-Those marks sho" the improvements 90
Q-Here You are on opposite corner; you have ,1,
| Increased from $500 10 $3.50. What was that for'
| A-To equalize with the adjoining property
Q-WelL the adjoining property IL raised 50 per
cent? A.--Yes.
Q-But this property ls raised almost 100 per cent;
how does that equalize? Al don't think you nave
to explain that.
| O-You have said that It was 20 equalize with
tho adjoining property. and have shown you that
the adjoining property was raised 20 per cent and
this particular place s raised nearly 100 per cent
A-Assessments no criterion to go by.
Q-But you said It was to equalize the adjoining
property A.-But you base your questions on
former assessments and common sense Will tell you
that former assessments no criterion 70 go by.
| Q-Common sense will tell you that? A-Yes
Q-What are they IN the book for? A.-What?
Q-The former assessments? A.-Sort OF a guide
LEANED HARD on THE CHARTER
OF you cannot go by the former assessments.
what can you go by? A.-The charter.
Q-The charter does not tell YOU what the value
OF property is? A-From my Civil Service examna-
ton. It IS proven that am able 20 assess.
| OF proves that you have passed your examna-
ton; that is all that 1t proves II does not prove
that you able 10 assess A.-The Civil Service
examiners seemed 10 think so.
| Q-YOur average y your examination
papers? Any percentage IS, Mr. Moss.
Q-I am speaking OF your general papers. You
say you only talked with Mr. Hamilton about some
lots in his neighborhood. and you only talked with
about owners, and you are not In the real estate
business, but simply in the grocery business.
Now / would Ike 10 know where you got your basis
FOR going over this entire place OF Newtown and
| making your assessments? A-Arriving at the
/ course OF construction OF buildings
C-Iave you ever been a builder? A-Yes. sir
We have built own buildings.
Q-You have built your own factory? A.-Oh
no: quite building
O-Wha: kind OF a building? A.-Brick building
| O-Brick building. When did you build Il? A
! In 1892
O-What part did you take in the building? A
From the blasting OF the rock to the covering OF
| the
Q-What did you do? A.-Figuring; financial