The daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1902-19??, 1903-03-30
ASSESSMENTS REDUCED
Collectors Lewis and Sayers
Say That Criticisms of
Them Are Unjust. Board
Authorized Reductions

500, 900, for which the experts
found no recorded authority. The
Northern district reductions were
found to be almost as great. All
extract from the report is:
The accounts have not been kept
in such a manner, as to be easily
verified. In the taxpayers ac.
counts no reference is made to the
pages of the cash.books where the
receipts of the taxes are entered,
and while the dates of collections
made in July and August are given
a great deal of labor is required in
finding them among several hun
drod items entered on the same
date.
In the cash-books, the pages of
the accounts of the taxpayers from
whom the collections are made are
not entered, except in those of the
Northern District for the years 1900
and 1901.
During the examination we dis
covered number of discrepancies
III the account.
NORTHERN DISTRICT, YEAR 1898.
In the collectors book (or dupli-
cate) for This year there are a great
many erasures and changes, which
were evidently made with the inten
ton of decelving the auditor as to
the amount Of taxes collected.
We understand that in making
settlsments with the collectors, it
has teen the custom to base the
charge on the total amount of The
assessment, and it has not been Gus.
tolnary to add up the columns for
taxes in the collectors book. For
this reason, while the assessments
have been reduced by making eras-
ures in the books, in manv cases
the amounts OF the taxes have not
been changed; while in others
both the assessments and the
taxes were erased and lesser
amn0uta substituted Tua Gu-
try J.. .Ac cash h-byCno alone Of the
correct amounts collected Is not
sufficient, for had the erasures in
the collectors book not been dis
covered, the collector would not
have been charged with the tull
amount OF the taxes; ana although
he may have paid over tn money to
the city, It would have bccu applied
in d ,sCharge OF his liabilities on
other taxes.
A schedule of those items which
were found 10 have bscn altered is
submitted, pages s TO 10 hereof,
showing reduction in the city as.
sessmeuts OF Sb4, $50 90 and in the
school assessments of $50, ,0jO. 90,
making a difference for both city
and school taxes OF 1915. IS.
School taxes to the amount of
Sl4o. l3, as per pages y and l3.
we're struck out OF the collectors
book and marked "colored," but
are shown by the cash-books 10
have been collected.
Capltation taxes to the amount Of
S4O,25. as per page II, we're smi-
!arly struck out Of the collectors
book, but are entered in the cash
books as collected.
These items make total insult
hcient entry Of taxes 10 the collec.
tors book Of $l.063.53.
A great number OF entries were
N a lie in the collector . book in pen.
Gil which were subsequently erased.
O! those which we were able 10 make
out, several ite ms were found en-
tered on other pages, but others,
the assessment OF which aggregate
s57, 10000 as per page IL hereof,
we were not able to trace. These
may be entered under other names
but are not marked SO as to be iden-
tilted.
We are Informed that the return
book covering this period has been
destroyed. In view of the number
If erasures discovered, we are of |
jhe opinion that many others could |
nave oeeo tra:ed If this book had
oeen available for comparison with
he collectors book.
Thomas S. Lewis, who was sue
'ecded by George II. Mccall as tax
collector for the Northern District,
md is still engaged in collecting
taxes, SAYS that the criti-
isms made in the report, with regard
U tie collectors. arc very unjust.
MI. Lewis says that instead of hav-
ng an opportunity TO make cxpla.
Iation relative to the accounts for
he entire four years, they were per-
nittcd to explain the entries for one
ear only.
Mr. Lewis says that the books
we're not sent to City Auditor Bough-
nan for settlement, but that Mr..
only received the book
or 1898, and that it was the specific
understanding that the book was
ot ready for settlement. He said
ha. in 1898 he had assessed all the
olored people with the whites.
This brought in the item of school
TX, but under the law, colored
eople do not have to pay a school
Ak to the city of Wilmington.
When he learned this Mr.. Lewis
ays he marked the colored people
colored to show that they,did not
ave to pay the school tax. Before
nat was done, many of hem had
aid their bills, which included the
,hool tax item, and consequently
10 city collector received from them
loney they did not owe. Mr.. Lewis
aims that as this money won't in.