The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-05-14
Assessor Bullard Explains.

Tt the Tax Payers of Putnam County.
Since the payment of taxes for 1914
began, learn that many are inclined
to censure me because of having to
pay more taxes than for previous
years. being the assessor, it is nat
ural that you would, provided you are
not acquainted with the facts; and
the facts are what shall try to give
you, and | ask you to consider them
we'll before blaming me further.
First of all you should give me
credit (Which / fear some have not
done) for keeping values low for all
these years since the freeze of 1894
1895. You have paid more taxes all
along, but it was because of the rails
ing of the mills, which have gone
from 144 d., 91b in igkteen years.
You can compare your receipts as to
value, and you will find that there
was no material raise, except where
improvements were made. My idea
was that, while other freezes We're
coming on as they did, that the one
way to encourage orange culture was
not to increase values, and | think
yet | was right; for today>we have
an orange producing county, even
| though we are away up north in the
state. But now listen: The Legis-
IIature created Tax Commission and
put them in authority above the as
SCISSORS. They said values were, ever
the state, on an average of about one
fifth of full value. They instructed
us to work on a so per cent value, or
one-half of full value. The assess
ors, in convention, agreed to follow
instruction, and l for one tried to do
this. AS to what others did l know
not, but judging from the published
report of all the counties we must
know that many counties did not
comply, or else their values were al
ready high. If they were already
high, then I should have especial
praise for having values in Putnam
county low for so many years. If
credit be given me for this, it would
more than offset the raising of your
values for just one year.
If you have one in your employ
and you instruct to do certain work
and those instructions are not fol-
lowed, then you do not think so much
of the employe. That is the posi-
ton in which | am placed.
The Tax Commission is in aIthori-
tv and l didn't create said commits
sion, but I felt it my duty to work as
they said.
Again, during the years I have
served you, numbers of people have
asked "why not higher values and
lower mills?" Saying, "it would
look better to outsiders, and to all.p
The real estate men favor high val
Iues. and now that we have them,
many seem to blame me for the in
crease. No, I am not responsible
for the raise in values, nor am | re-
sponsible for the high millage left on
after values were increased. AS as
SCISSOR | have nothing to do with
making the Indebtedness of your
county. nor do l have any say when
the millage is made up.
All tax payers who are reasonable
should know that if public improve
ments are to be made and kept up
that such would require more tax
money, but l am not the one to say
how much is required, and as to
blaming me, l shall ask you as the
Irishman did the judge when sentence
was about to be passed: 81 hope
vour Honor will be azy with me apd
if YOU can't be azy-then be as azy
as you can." =,
In closing, I'll say that while
have held assessors place for num-
her of years, l am not the one to
think the office belongs to me as
some would say, but on the other
hand. for being favored with it, my
appreciation is beyond measure or ex-
preston. p,u1Apn