The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-31
BIG DAY IN
 OFFICE OF
 COLLECTOR
Citizens Rush to Pay Dues to City on Last Day But One S2OO,oO0 IS DAYS INTAKE Tax Payers Represent All Ele- ments of City's Cosmopolitan
 Population

Everybodys money looks alike when it is pushed through at the window of the tax collectors office at the City Hall today. This is rush day with Collector Donnelly and his staff, and it will probably be equalled by to- morrow, which will be the last day that taxes can be paid without an in- tereSt charge. It is always custom ary to give June 1 as a day of grace and the largest number of taxpayers always wait until near the last day before paying taxes.
 Collector Donnelly estimates that he will take in in the neighborhood of $200.000 today and the greater part of it will be in sums of lesH than $10O. Today and tomorrow would afford the Taxpayers League an opportunity to find out who pays the taxes. The majority who present themselves at the collectors office are women. This explains why only 2,900 of the city's 5000 taxpayers are electors. There were few fashionably dressed wo- men and then there were many with shawls over their heads and others who wear no head covering at all. But dress makes no difference in the manner of how they pay their taxes Some push a handful of badly mussed currency through the wicket along with their bill and say, "I guess that Is the right amount" Others have it figured out to cent.
 One little woman this morning asked Assistant Collector Kelly to count her money for her as she found it diff ferent amount every time she went over it. A big strapping woman who hailed from Sunny Italy and who has never done anything to advance the rrice of corsets, did business different ly. Her bill was $5s.S2 and she care fully counted the money before pre- senting it. She had just the correct change and there was no wait in her case. The large number of savings bank books in evidence in the office shows that the banks were being hit hard this morning. A stolid old Ger man. who has passed the three score and ten milestone. counted his money twelve times and smiled when he found that he had drawn $10 too much. He put it back in the bank book and an- nounced to the rest in the room that he was "$10 ahead of myself The old German sighted the pile of money in front of the big Italian woman and made a pass for 1t. She grabbed it man informed her that ''womens should not be too careful with so much money
 There were several little women in black who had small bills to pay up- on the little places they call nome" " They shyly passed the money through the window and left without saying a word.
 One little Italian shouted a name through the wicket that did not have the slightest English tinge to it. The assistant collector caught .Pasquale" was blank to- him. Write it." he said, passing 8 pad of paper and a pencil to the swarthy little man who puffed on long black cigar. The man scribbled a, name and he was handed bill calling for over $1S0. He dug down in his jeans. counted out the money and was gone in a few sec onds with his receipt.
 One keen looking young man who came from some foreign land, who had mastered English sufficiently to write his name, scribbled it on the of it blank pushed it through the win dow with the request that the assist ant collector make it out for the amount of two tax bills which accom- panied it.
 Two men who looked as though they had not been in this country long. for they wore leather boots with pointed toes and smoked long black pipes. both presented bills and paid them with vel low backed gold certificates.
 Many. people standing in line had sympathy for tired looking little wo- man in black whose hands shook as she nervously tried to count her money. She looked greatly relieved when the genial collector took the mass of small bills from her and counted them quick ly and deftly.
 Up to this morning Collector Don nelly had collected $925. 900 out of a total of $1 400 900.
 The collector and his staff kept Fabreast of their business Every hour the stubs are taken from the bills and recorded upon the books of the office, the new typewriter with adding attach ment being used for the work.