The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-07-04
THE TAX PROBLEM
 ENCOUNTERS SNAG Tax Commissioner Corbin Waits in Vain for
 Information. MANY TOWNS SILENT A Snug Fortune Due to the State But Still Un-
 collected.
MANY TOWNS SILENT

Hartford, July 3.-Tax Commissioner Corbin has sent out a pamphlet which he has been for some time preparing on the subject of taxation in the towns. He mailed copies to assessors through the State, to members of boards of re- lief, to town clerks, selectmen and so on. designing to bring to official atten- ton the figures and facts that he has secured as a result of many inquiries.
 There is multitude of questions with their answers. Assessors tell the number of such officials in their town, the compensation, the number of days they work, the number of lists, the number revalued during the year, the poll taxes and the per cent, of assessed value to actual value. Boards of relief are asked the pay and days of work and also the number of applications and the reductions and increases made by the board. Tax collectors are asked their pay, the amount uncollected, the uncollected poll taxes and the military tax uncollected. Town clerks are ask ed to give the grand list of 1906, the ex- emptions, the tax rate including school taxes, the nonresident lists, and their valuations and the taxes uncollected since 1900 and the commissioner adds the complete tax list as passed by the State board of equalization.
 The most discouraging point in the exceedingly Interesting schedules is found in the foot-notes. Here we see "Information not given after repeated requests" Unknown" NO figures giv- en," Refused to give information as requested" Don't know" No rec ord, and so on. The next discouraging detail relates to the column giving the rate of valuation in the different towns of the State. This Is not official from the commissioner but only as it Is glv- en by the town authorities.
 The following towns profess to make valuation of 100 per cent:
 Hartford county-Burlington East Hartford. Hartland. Manchester, Plain vile, southington, Windsor Locks-7.
 New Haven county--Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Mddlebury Milford, Naugatuck, Prospect Seymour. South bury Wolcott Woodhridge-10 New London county Franklin, Le- banon. Lyme, North Stonington, Old Lyme. Salem, Waterford-7.
 Fairfield county-Darien, New Can aan, New Fairfield. Ridgeield, stam- ford-5.
 Wndham county-canterbury, Kill lirgly-2.
 Litchhed county Barkhamsted, Bridgeport, Cornwall Goshen. Ply mouth, Roxbury, Salisbury, Warren-s
 Middlesex county-chester, Durham KiIlingyorth, Old saybrook-4,
 Holland county-Andover Bolton, Coventry, Hebron4.
 If these statements are correct, there are 4S towns out of 16S in which the assessors comply with the letter of the law In Branford the assessors report that they do not know the ratio of val uation. Trumbull with valuation ranging from S3 per cent for manu- factories to 50 for other property Wind ham with 33 1-8 and 5O Watertown with 30 and SO, New Milford with SS and TO- represent the lowest ratio of valuation A guess would put the aver age at about 75 per cent. taking the State through. Some critics think that towns reporting less than 100 per cent, do in fact give a higher valuation than some that claim to go the full measure.
 The amount of taxes due and uncol- lected on the list of 1905 Is given as far as possible and shows about $450,000, The difficulty of drawing any inferences from this Is that there Is no rule for collecting Some towns begin in the spring and others not until fall-nearly a year after the assessment. But there is given by the town clerks statement as to the amount of taxes due from 1900, and to the credit of number of towns not dollar Is due in them, Here is the list of those whose tax col lection Is cleaned up from 1900 to 1905;
 East Windsor, Marlboro, Ansonia, Derby, Madison, Montville, Canaan, Winchester, Clinton, East Haddam.
 The total amount uncolleoted throughout the State from 1900 10 19O5 not inclusive. Is about S1000,000,
 IA study of the returns, which are full of information and suggestion, shows a amentable lack of system. It is encouraging that the legislature has passed a law requiring town officials to answer hereafter questions to be put to them by the tax commissioner on blanks that he will prepare. "