New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-14
Travis's OppositionCauseS
Bills and Message 10
Be Held Up.
CONTROLLER FIGHTS
LOSS OF PATRONAGE
Roform Measures That We're
TO &c Introduced Last Night
thc Work Of Experts.

,r-.. s,,- Cor,s,o1n4,rt NJ TIE T1h1n'
Albany. Jan. 70. Governor whitman
t,., little fight on his hands as the
.,,ult Of his effort TO reorganize 'he
e,sto Tax Commission. headed p5
Thomas +. Byrncs, "a Brooklyn am
S,Stc Controller Travis. Hho Will iose
,,o,,.,.lcr.bIe patronage if the IoF
mo. nlar. 20 through. served not'oe
49,, tlc Governor that he would iShi 'n'
,,os.u~,s tooth aud nail while t'es
,ycro i'm thcir present form.
TLo hills we're 20 be introduced ~
.o.riobt's session. and the IoNeInV'
lad a message 10 the Legs lature reaqy
urgipg their passage. but an "e,e ~
un pcnding the settlement OF Jhe us
putc. ,-.,,o,, 10 ,biq.
uo does not want fight. he "antS ~
avoid one While he can do so honoI go
Rut if IL comes 10 question o, adCi
icing his ideas of reform Tor We IAN,
of avoiding fight, there WV u
light. In the hope tina, 'ou'r ~,
Travi4 will see things As he sees lneu
"a RI ,void row. the Governor
nog,poned sending in his message To-
night ,,-.l o,. the roc
o,,,,nerdationq Of the Governor ~ ms
Grst message. we're prepared by NUM-
bor If tax experts, including eA-oeu
ator Martin SAKE, r.. Z. a. SellgInan
rrofossor Of economies AT tolumDld ,
Leon Purdv. head Of the tax board o.
New York City, Charles bulocH' pro
so,sor If economies al Harvard, ana
A,.o-,o,. General Woodbury..
These measures are opposed by Coh'
+roller Travis. principally because tney
transfer many Of the tuncton3 dnu
iohs of his department 10 that OF t1t
nronosod new commission, which "ould
reailv be i'm the hands Of the Governor
As originally drawn, they would nave
talen the inheritance tax and corpora
tion tax bureaus from the ControlleT
and nut them under the new commis,
sion Mr.. Travis's objections resulted
IN a compromise by which the Control
ler was permitted to retain the inherit
ance tax bureau, with its scores OF EN-,
Moves and frequent fat fees, TO specIa
attorneys in the appraising OF plg
estates. ~ 49,
Mr.. Travis was not satisfied with the
compromise. He still objects 20 loSih
the corporation tax bureau, when also
has scores Of employees. and 70 othei
features of the bill. He sought the
Governor Immediately on learning oil
the possibility Of the bills oelng intro
duced tonight. and had heated con
ference with him. 49,,
81 told the Governor" he said that
I had not been consulted at all or taN
Legislation. | also said that if he want
ed TO put the taxation functions of the
state under one body he should create
a supervisory commission composed OF
the elective state officers under the
/ Governor and let actual work continue
to be done in the State Controllers
office"
Senator Elon Z. Brown, majority
leader of the Senate. also conferred
with the Chief Executive concerning
the tax legislation.
Taxation bills which Assemblymar
/ Human. the majority leader, had IN
/ { lded 20 introduce tonight would re-
place the present tax commission win
| a non-partisan commission of three
members, under whom would be bu-
reaus to divide the work. The corpora
/ ton tax bureau would be transferred
/ 10 the new commission. The new com
mission would have power to correct
/ INEQUALITIES in the equalization be
/ tween taxing districts within county
and also the authority to order gen
/ eral reassessment upon evidence OF
unequal or defective assessments
Ex-senator SAKE is said 10 be the
| Governors choice for chairman of the
new commission, and Frank Lord, g
/ Nassau attorney interested in tax re
! forms. for one Of the members. The
other member would be a Democrat
/ Besides Chairman Byrnes. the members
/ of the present commission are William
( II. Sullivan, of Norwich, and Joseph 5
! Schwah. of New York.