The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-03-06
OF DOLLARS LOST
BECAUSE OF NEGLIGENCE
OF OFFICIALS.
FROM BAD TO WORSE
CITY LAWYERS SCRAP IN
PLACE OF GETTING
ACTION.

@ONDiTIONS at the city hall,
viewed from the standpoint Of
~ the taxpayer, are growing
worse every day. Because of
sheer negligence in collecting spe-
ciaI improvement assessments by
the legal department Of the city,
the taxpayers have been compelled
to advance thousands of dollars for
the payment of improvement bonds
in late years. ...
Thousands of dollars of the
amounts thus advanced is lost to
the city through almost criminal
neglect in permitting the city's in
terest in delinquent public i'm
provements to be lost through tax
sales at the courthouse.
Thousands of dollars of these un-
paid public improvement assess.
ments were levied against valuable
property in the business district of
the city, held in the name of men
reputed' to be quite wealthy.
Yet while the poor devil with the
one lot in the residential sections
has been made to pay for the side
walk or grade in front of his house,
the rich delinquent has been per-
mitted to escape.
1t is but another phase of the
operation of the rotten System"
that has prevailed at the city hall
for years, which is as bad today
as it was four, six, eight or 10
years ago.
PETERSON FINDS IT.
The present treasurer. J. Oscar
Peterson, saw how things had been
going in the matter OF these spe-
cial Improvement assessments and
hired a young attorney to check
up the delinquents. Rolls that were
hopelessly lost to the city were not
checked up-only those rolls that
the city had some chance of recov-
cry were bothered. When the total
was footed up the treasurer had
something over 100000 of unpaid
special assessments, some of them
over six years old.
These amounts We're checked
over and statements sent to all of
the delinquents. In this way $1,000
was hurriedly gathered in, leaving
over $4,000 still due in that list.
The next step was to turn the
delinquents over to the corporation
counsefs office to bring suit, and
this was done in December, with
the various amounts of interest
checked up to the first of the year.
LAWYERS SCRAP; CITY WAITS.
Did the city's attorneys file the
suits. No, indeed; the lists of de-
linquents are still piled up in the
corporation counsel's office. after
the city treasurer having paid $500
for compiling the data on which
the suits were to be filed.
Corporation Counsel Connor says
that he requested his first assist
ant. John +. Blair, to bring the
suits, but this Blair denies. Any
way, it appears that the corpora
tion counsel's office was torn by
dissension and lack of cooperation
and that as result, no step has
yet been taken to protect the city
in the matter of these delinquent
assessments, in which the city has
advanced its good cash.
SOME OF THE DELlNQUENTS
Among the citizens against whom
these delinquent assessments are
charged are Col. w. NJ. Ridpath,
$92S; A. T.. Richardson. $273.64;
e. w. Kienholtz. $537S5 Qost by
tax sale); William Carroll, S769
(lost by tax sale); Exchange Ma
tional bank and l.. II. Prather,
$780, William Huntley, $190.S0
(outlawed); lot 5. Brownies addi-
about $1,000 of back taxes charged
to this property and the city Is in
danger of losing its special assess
ment balance. f..
j. c. Ryan. Exchange National
bank, Is charged with s313.50; Ru-
dolph Jundt, Sl90S0 tbarred by
tax decd; Vincent NJ. +. church,
$l24,4S.