New-York tribune., 1901-01-16
RUSH TO SWEAR OFF TAXES
CONTROLLER COLER WOULD OPEN THE
BOOKS FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION.

The rush of people to the Office of the Tax COM
missioners to swear off personal taxes oesah yes
terday and for several hours there was long Iihe
OF men who were awaiting their turn to get before
a Commissioner 1t was ascertained that many OF
the men never had Oeen assessed for personal
property before. and could not understand why
they had been suspected of having personal prop
erty that subject to taxation 1t was PLAIN,
some of the men said that the Commissioners had
thrown out dragnet, expecting to land some Dig
fish, and the net would not hold most OF the little
fish that had been caught. One man who had re-
ceived notice said he clerk earning $40
week. He seemed tc take sorrowful pride IN the
call to explain why he should not pay personal
tax $4,000. and said he wished he had so much
money.
The Commissioners will meet to-day and decide
whether not they will give information to the
newspapers about the assessments for personal
property. The books containing the personal as
sessments have been kept away from the sight OF
the newspaper men. The books containing the real
estate assessments show that the assessed Valua-
tons large office buildings, hotels, theatres
and clubhouses in the city have not been changed
much from last year.
The Equitable Building, at No 1N Broadway, has
the largest assessed valuation of all buildings in
the city partly account of the costly land which
1t covers. Is assessed this year, it was last
year. at s6O00.000 The assessed valuation of the
Mutual Life Building. at No. 80 Nassau-st.. has
been Increased from s3 $50 600 ST. 900. because
of addition to the building in Liberty-st. There
buildings in Broadway north of Chambers-st. this
year, because sales of property in that part of
Broadway showed a decrease in prices, but the
valuation of the New-York Life Building remains
100000. The Metropolitan Life Building, at No
Madlson-aye, Is assessed at S3O20,WO, or s0oOoO
more than last year.
The valuations Of the Waldorf-Astora buildings
have been cut down from $95O,0O0 to s4.sS500O The
Fifth Avenue Hotel valuation has been increased
from So OOO 600 to S3500 and the valuation OF the
Astor House has gone up from 100000 to 2O60 Goo
decrease from $2,eG000O TO $24000O0 in the vaua-
ton Of the new Empire Building in Broadway has
been explained by the statement that the building
was assessed too high at the time of its compile
ton
President Feitner Of the Tax Department has al
lowed the assessed valuation of his house at No.
~ East Ninety-second-st, to be raised from 800
to 2o5C0 but the valuations OF the houses of other
1amulany chiefs remain unchanged from last year,
as follows: Richard Croker, No . East Seventy
fourth-st., $4,000; Mayor Van Wyck No. 1S5 East
Forty sixth-st.. $4,000: John j. Scannen. No 100
West Forty-ffth-st.. $1,000; John Whalen, No. ASS
West One-hundred-and lift y-fifth-st SIS, 800
Controller Coler asked about the books be-
ing opened for public inspection.
Il think" he replied. 1T would be a good idea II
the books were opened 1 know that If I at
the head of that department the books would have
been put on literal public inspection yesterday, and
there would not have been any trouble at all