The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-17

Mayor declares that committee is
 without power to summon witness
 es or to incur any expense and
 says he will refuse to approve
 bills for expenses incurred.
 Committee replies that expense
 will be small and that the com
 rnittee is satisfied with its author
 ity.
 J. W. Knowlton, member of the
 board of assessors. and Former
 Mayor Marcus L. Reynolds the on-
 ly witnesses examined, last night.
 According to the list of 1908,
 upon which the tax for the pres
 ent year is laid, Bridgeport mas
 e,350 dwelling houses, which the
 assessors have listed at an aver
 age of s4,711 This is a much lar
 ger figure than the average for
 dwelling houses in Hartford, New
 Haven and Waterbury,. These
 dwellings constitute considerably
 more than half of the grand list
 and pay more than half the taxes.
 The assessors listed, in 1908, 2 .4,Oo2 acres of land at an average
 value of $1, SIP an acre. The aver
 age value per acre in Hartford
 in Waterbury s334. Land values constitute per cent of the grand
 list and land and dwelling house
 values together nearly GA per cent.
 of the grand list.
 The assessed valuation of manu-
 featuring property, in 1908, was
 substantially 14.000, ,0o0.
 The valuation of the same prop
 erty as returned to the United
 States government as early as
 Jan. 1, 1905, was $49, ,381 ,34S and the
 increase in the reported value of
 such property from 1900 to 1905
 was 56 per cent. or more than .s17. 900, 900.
 According to the Federal reports
 land used for manufacturing pur-
 poses in Bridgeport in 1904 was
 valued at $2,S34. s64; the buildings
 at $7135, ,7s0; the machinery at
 $13,031,7 ,725 and cash, goods on hand,
 raw materials and other items at
 $26. .37S, 979.
 The state board of equalization
 has raised the grand list of 2
 Bridgeport s6, ,0OO,0 GOO because of
 the undervaluation of special forms
 of property.
 Col Knowlton testified that this
 underyalued property might be
 machinery. But he had no way
 of knowing. he said, whether it
 was machinery or machinery and { other property.
 Almost unheralded the Council com mittee on Tax Equalization entered upon the second phase of the tax in- vestigation, in the Aldermanic cham Der of the City Hall, last night, when 1t began @ public inquiry into the methods of the Board of Assessors. But two witnesses were examined. One was Col. J. W. Knowlton, who testified that he had been @. member of the, Board of Assessors since 1898. The other was former Mayor Marcus L. The committee was ap- pointed under resolution of the Com mon Council, offered by Alderman William Thomas, which was adopted Sept 8, 1877. Mayor Reynolds on Oct. 3, 1907, named as members of the com mittee Aldermen Thomas, Griffin and Finlan,. Lynn W. Wilson, F. c. Mu1- Iins and Senator Archibald McNeil. The two last named resigned and the were not filled until four months later, when Mayor Lee named N- H. Jones and Frank J. Hughes, who Is president of the Board of Assessors. Four meetings of the committee have since been held, but that of last night was the rst which was attended by every men Ter of it.
 It is un cstood, however, 1Rat the time has be- employed in a search for data, and ths- the facts assembled will be liberally used in examining wit nesses and in guiding the committee to conclusion.
 The especial duty imposed upon the committee by the Common Council is 10 ascertain if the public service cor porations of the city are undertaxed and if the homes and dwellings of the ,ity are paying more than their share ,f taxation. The committee is order sd to investigate the assessment and pal purposes with view to obtain ns greater equity therein, and to re- port it's conclusions to the council
 The only persons present when the he members of the committee, George : Eawley who is the stenographer for he committee, the members of the Board of Assessors, the newspaper nen, former Mayor Reynolds and As ;istant City Clerk Gill.
 The inquiry would have been with ,ux sensation had it not been for the yiOlent opposition of Mayor Lee, who .faiIEed that under the resolution ere lting it the committee had no power ,ense. He declared that he would not approve bills for any expenses in :ll1 red.
 TO this MT. Wilson replied that the incurred was slight, but nec- ssary. That the committee was sat sficd with its powers and that if MT. xnowlton desired to object to exami- .ation upon the ground of lack of au- hos ity in the committee, that the cenbers of the committee would Iouttless be willing to excuse him un- il the city attorney could settle the 
 Mir Know1ton made no objection, and he IIoceedings continued until Mayor .ee broke in to say that the exami- Iation which was being conducted by dr. Wilson was not fair. The Mayor aimed that no effort was being made n consider individual lists.
 Mr Knowlton was asked if he was bIe tc furnish at the moment the in ormatirn desired by the Mayor. He t-p.ied of at he was not.
 ronf med ODDOSitiOn of the Nav r finallY drew from member of the the remark that it was inn roper for the Mayor to attempt to icfate the manner in which the com nittce shn'.1d proceed, the more espec- sliy as the inquiry was hardly be- un.
 The examination of MT. Knowlton fas continued for two hours. It nat raliyzwas very tedious. The princi- al facts brought out were as fol- swS-
 up to 1893 it was the custom of boards of Assessors to list property at rom 70 to 50 per cent. of its market due But in 1893. in compliance with L of rneYnharz zrf fho Roo ,x7