New-York tribune., 1910-01-19
PROBE, SAYS MAYOR.
Tells Ne5c assessors to Inuest;-
gate Old Boards Acts

Mayor Gaynor intends to nut a ston IN
the excessive awards paid by the citv for
damages TO property caused by changes in
grades or streets He wrote a letter to the
assessors appointed yesterday ordering
them to make an investigation of the re-
cent work done by the old board.
Grossly excessive awards seem to have
been habitually made wrote the Mayor.
The Mayor in his letter cited a number of
cases in which the city had been nulcted
for heavy damages. stating that in several
OF them a lawyer named Flannery is said
to have profted heavily. He charged that
Flannery made a practice of organizing
company from among his office staff to
buy property and then appear as counsel
to collect heavy damages from the city
for changes in the grade of adjacent
streets.
The Mayors letter was as follows:
In appointing you TO constitute the
Board of Assessors l desire to make
known to you my wish that a complete
examination of the recent work Of that
board in the matter of awards for dam
ages TO lots by changes of street grades be
made at once The Commissioners OF Ac-
counts will work with you. Grossly ex-
cesslve awards seem TO have been habit
ually made through either official incom-
potency or else official dishonesty. and the
results In government are practically the
same IN the one case as in the other.
experts who testified in respect of values
IN these proceedings. and also TO the rela-
tons between the attorneys who repre-
sented the claimants and the different per-
sons who represented the city. 1t is man.
ifest that the city's experts testified
rule 10 damages many times too large,
that the claimants experts testified 10
about twice as much, and that the as
SCISSORS settled upon mean between these
the premises seems TO have gone for
naught
The Mayor then mentioned some of the
awards and gave their history as follows:
The Morris estate conveyed plot of land
on nth street at the Harlem River, TO
named Flannery, for $4,000. He then
formed a corporation called the Morris
Heights Dock Company. to whom she con-
yeyed the property. The stockholders and
directors Of this corporation were Office en-
ployes of Flannery. He then began pro-
Ceedings in its behalf before the Board of
change of grade at a railroad crossing. He
evidently bought the property for the pur-
award, with interest. was $1,000, although
Flannery had bought the property, as I
have stated. for So. 600, and the assessed
value thereof on the city tax rolls was only
$4,000. The property does not seem TO have
been damaged TO any substantial amount.
It was unimproved and the change of grade
was very little If any, in front of it
The same lawyer had the case Of the
Gas Engine and Power Company. on the
tax rolls at $4,000 The award for dam
ages for the said change of street grade
was S3le, 900 The claimants experts swore
TO .266 Of damage, and the city's eX-
perts 10 S259. $50, although the land was
valued on the city tax books a only $4,000.
and was probably worth not TO exceed
Sl25. 900. In nv judgment no competent
person can look at the property to-day
without seeing that it is not damaged one
dollar.
In a subsequent Iitiga tion between the
lawyer and the company about the formers
compensation IL was shown that the agree
nlent with him was that he was TO be paid
- 7er cent UP 10 $50, 900. 33 Is per cent
Up 10 500. 600. 40 per cent UP 10 $50, ,00O.
and 50 per cent If The award should exceed
S150.000. The court set aside this contra CT
as immoral. In order 10 make il appear
considerable the lawyer testified that
award OF over S25.000 was not expected
when the proceeding was begun.
Another case is that of the Third Avenue
Railroad barns on the Harlem River at
129th street. The valuation on the tax
rolls was 0.O0O the award for dana ges
was Sl5I.GoO. The property was not dam
aged al all.
Another case is that of the Devoe &
Reynolds property on GOWanus Greek,
Brooklyn. The street in the rear
raised 1boJt two and one-half feet to
ton Bridge. The property was valued on
the tax rolls at $4,000; the award was
S119 600. It is difficult to see how il was
DANA ged 5000 at the outside. / am per-
sOnally familiar with the locality and with
land values there.
The Mayor added that there was a large
number of similar cases. He said further
that TWO lawyers appeared for nearly all
OF the claimants. and that one of them
is now undergoing disbarment proceed
iuEs