New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-02
TEN MILLIONS DUE CITY
COLLECTION RETARDED
Borough Presidents Neglect to Ger
tify Assessment Work.

John c. Hertle and George Won Skal the citys
commissioners OF accounts have made report
to Mayor Mcclellan showing that the city ought
TO have collected $40 154,465 "a on work on high
ways and sewers which # has not collected be-
cause the borough presidents have failed to GER
tify 10 the Board OF Assessors the work done.
Corporation Counsel Ellison wrote TO Mayor
Mcclellan that the city had performed a great
deal of assessment work for which assessments
should be levied and that the borough pres-
dents had failed 10 send assessment certificates
in many instances, particularly in the Borough
Of Queens. He complained that the city was
compelled to borrow large sums Of money through
the sale Of bonds. which would not be the case II
the assessments were properly collected. that
failure 10 collect also resulted in the loss of
large sums in interest and that fraud was
perpetrated upon the innocent purchasers OF
real estate who. seeing the improvements actu-
ally constructed, and not being familiar with the
facts. buy property at enhanced value caused by
the improvements but find later that they are
called on TO pay for these very improvements
through the imposition of local assessments"
He also said he had been informed that contracts
had been let. particularly in Queens for regulat-
ing and grading streets which did not exist ana
had no established grade.
The commissioners OF accounts report that the
excuse for or explanation 'of the conditions or
assessment work in the various boroughs. par
ticularly in Queens and Brooklyn, where The
trouble is most acute. is that the Typographical
drafting force is inadequate and unable to Keep
up with the work Of preparing maps essential
for apportionlng the cost of an improvement to
the real estate benefited thereby" They go on
to say. I'm part
As the Board of Assessors in report TO his
honor the Mayor for 1875 acknowledge the re-
ceipt of only one assessment list from Queens
during the year. amounting 10 S2I,35l 90 while
our investigation shows an accumulation or loo
completed contracts which had been on file
awaiting certifcation of cost to the Board or
Assessors for more than one year. costing the
city 81 95S :}57 Of there seems little reason TO
doubt the inactivity weakness or the queens
drafting squad. Our investigation goes to show
that in addition to the lists when were SEM IN
for assessments during 1906. as many more
covering three times the cost, might have been
returned for collection had the borough shown
prompt preparation OF the isis aIter completion
and cost OF the work had been determined.
The commissioners say that the charge OF the
Corporation Counsel that contracts were let for
grading and regulating streets TO supposed
grade which did not. as a matter Of fact. exist
and was not a legally established grade, is not
in any way exaggerated" They report finding
ont OF thlrty-four contracts for 1906 in Queens
three Of such contracts. and for 1905. out of
forty contracts fourteen were Of this char
acter The commissioners add however;
The above statements are made Professionally.
because the condition Of the records in the Blu
reau OF Highways in the Borough of Queens IS
such that authentic data cannot be had in the
form Of maps 20 verify the grades actually used
ia tho construction Of said streets. With only
two or three exceptions none OF these maps
there examined bore the signature of official
OF the bureau as a voucher for authenticity
There Is no doubt whatever but that the engi-
neeTs the Borough Presidents office are thor
ougny familiar with the facts on the subject.
TO remedy or mitigate the existing evils we
suggest that immediate action be taken to
strengthen the weakness which is the alleged
cause thereof, either by reinforcement of the
borough Typographical engineering forces, or by
the establishment OF a central Typographical
bureau adequately equipped TO cope with the de-
layed assessments and get them started the
route toward collection.