The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-03-27
TAKE STOCK IN ONE PLACE.
Collecting Taxes with the Patrol Wagon
Proves so Successful that it will be
Made Regular Adjunct of the Office
of the City Treasurer.

Collecting taxes with patrol wagon
was tried out for the first time in Ke-
nosha on Saturday afternoon and the
plan worked with such excellent sue
cess that the patrol wagon is now a
regular assistant city treasurer. =
For years the notice has been given
that the city was planning to seize
property to make good delinquent per-
sonal tax, but Saturday was the first
time that the plan was carried out and
it worked so well that the wagon will
be kept busy for some time picking up
property in lieu of tax money.
Treasurer Steinmetz started work
early Saturday afternoon and he had
as his first assistant Joseph G. New
house assistant chief of police. BY
the time the wagon had been backed
up to several of the places on Main
street checks were coming into the
treasurer Office with regularity. But
three places were visited on Saturday
afternoon and only at one place was it
necessary to take property to satisfy
the demands of the city. At other
places where the wagon stopped the
arguments were cut short and the
money produced. One or two of the
people promised to bring a court ac-
ton, but these people were promptly
advised by attorneys that they had no
case against the city and that the only
thing for them to do was to pay the
taxes and be done with it. The only
fight Of the afternoon took place at
the fruit store of Lencioni and Com
pany on Park street. Here the treas
urer made demand for the payment
Of taxes amounting to a little over
$1,000. The demand was refused and
Assistant Chief Newhouse began to
load property into the patrol wagon.
The men in the store attempted to use
force in preventing the seizure, but
when informed that they would be ar
rested on a charge of resisting an Of
ficer they desisted and the police Of
ficers took dozen chairs and several
hundred cigars which Newhouse held
was sufficient to pay all claims by the
oifu omaipct Tho anmnanu
On Saturday the treasurer took only
cases where the men who had been
taxed had intlmated that payment
would not be made until the men tax
ed got ready to settle. This morning
the treasurer had a list of some forty
places which were scheduled for a Wis.
it from the patrol wagon on Tuesday
afternoon. These people have all been
given plenty of notice and if the
checks for the taxes do not reach the
treasurer before noon on Tuesday the
property will be taken and held six
days before it is sold to meet the tax
demands.
There is still on the list something
like hundred delinquents. In some
cases the claims against these people
are very small but there will be NO
bill too small for the city to collect
and City Treasurer Steinmetz has been
notified that he must go to the full
limit of the law to get the money for
the city. If the delinquents continue
to refuse payments private homes may
be invaded by the patrol wagon and
the men in charge in order to secure
collections. The treasurer and other
officials of the city are hopeful that il
will not be necessary to humiliate
property owners in this manner, but
the money must be paid and paid at
once.
The question of collecting income
taxes is in the hands of the city at.
torney and he will be instructed by the
council to begin suits and garnishee
actions to collect the amounts still
scheduled on this years tax list.