The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-03
City Council Hears Report
of Visit to Assessor
Noyes
WILL GIVE OTHERS
CHANCE TO APPEAR
Alleged Excessive Bill for
Assessing Property Stirs
Up City Government


reaches of psychology to produce the i'm
preston that they are much over.
worked lot Of city officials were told by
two aldermen at the regular meeting Of
the city council last evening. The dis
closures originally came from the lips OF
one OF the assessors, A. L. Moves, who
was interviewed by Mayor Glysson and
Aldermen Milne and alexander on a re-
cent evening. At the request Of the NAV.
or, who said he was desirous of having
his own statements corroborated, his two
colleagues quoted Assessor Moves in the
interview. Somewhat surprising reyela-
tions of the methods alleged to have been
employed by the assessors served to post
pone once more action on the redl1est
that the warrant youchng for the salary
Of the assessors during the last week Of
their service, which ended Oct. is. be an
proved for payment.
Instead, the council, on motion made
| by Alderman Milne, directed the clerk TO
request each member of the assessing
board TO appear in the council chamber
at f;3U O'Clock on the evening of Dec 10.
Ihat the assessors cultivated the prac-
tlee OF deliberately raising the assess
ments or appraisals of men whom they
styled as fighters" on the theory that
Their energetic protests would convince
the board of civil authority, before whom
they appeared, that the assessors, after
all, were industrious servants of the peo.
pie was volunteered by Mr.. Moves, ac-
cording to Alderman Milne, in quoting
from the interview. Mr.. Moves is alleged
to have said that he was informed of the
practice when he was elected to the board
Of assessors and that he frequently had
seen the subtlety work out in practice.
1t came out during the meeting that
Mayor Glysson and the aldermen had
bided their time before seeking the in.
teryiew, having been informed that Mr..
Noyes was seriously i'll. When they
called they found the assessor not only
eonvalescent~ but willing to reiterate
statements which the mayor said had
been made to him before. In the inter-
view which followed, Aldermen Milne
and Alexander appear TO have been re-
spectful listeners, at least, for they quot
ed the assessor at length in reviewing
for the benefit Of the council the discos-
ures then made.
According to the stratagem 80
archly practiced by the assessors, as it
was described by Mr.. Noyes, the idea Of
using psychology on the board of civil
authority worked out very well at
meeting held late in September. when
appeals on the quadrennial appraisal
were heard Some of the most emphatic
protests came from well known property
owners, who are now believed bv the
council to come within the designation
OF lighters as used by the assessors.
Among them were d. NJ. Miles, H. r.
Cutler, j. M. Nelson for the Barre Gas
Co., Alderman Stephen Rizzi, A. E. Camp
bell and w. j. Clapp.
Quoting Assessor Moves in continuing.
Alderman Milne said that someone told
the. assessors that he wouldn't do their
work for IS per day, and that assessors
capitalized the statement in
an effort to strengthen the impression
hat they were doing pretty well by the
,ity to work for 81 Neither Assessor
A. NJ. Rossi nor Assessor Martin Riley
was present at the meeting, so the eoun-
ii got all of its information from As
iessor Noyes, who was further quoted
Is saying that not much work was done
,y the board after Aug "a, although it
lid not cease to draw its salary until
Oct. is, In the disclosures, Mr.. Ressi
vas represented as getting down to the
,ffice at l0:30 a. m. from April to Oct.
3, and quitting at noon. He usually re-
urned at 2;30 and stayed a little while
n the afternoon, according to Mr.. Moves.
great many days, in the words quoted
Il Alderman Milne, he was not present
d the office at all, and it was alleged in
ddition that on one occasion he worked
or four days over and under his auto
Mobile. Mr. Riley, according to Mr..
'oyes, was on the job much more regu.
lrly and it often happened that Messrs.
,oyes and Riley had to proceed alone
hen property on the outskirts of the
ty was TO be appraised
Assessor Noyes also was quoted as
lying that he had repeatedly protested
gainst the three Of them remaining on
he job and drawing pay when there was
My one book to work on and that book
Irge enough for only one assessor to
Sc.
The city attorney, at this iuncture,f in.
,rpolated a query as to whether Mr..
Dyes, in the interview, had imposed
1y secrecy upon his auditors SO far as
ewspaper publicity was concerned. The
ply was in the negative. In the same
II Alderman Rizzi said that Mr.. Rossi
I'd been managing stoneshed business
ltil the last two months. 1t also came
1t that the bill for assessing taxes in
llS was $2,46l.03.
Various opinions were offered as to the
urse to be pursued. 1t was recalled
at the statute permits the assessors
continue their labors until Oct. Is,
ID that the voters not long ago author
ed salary of $4 per day for the as.
ssors In the end it was decided to let
e matter rest until the assessors are
ven an opportunity to appear before
c city fathers.
Other Business Done.
Midway of its investigation of condi.
ms growing out of the influenza epi.
mie, the charity committee paused long
ough to recommend that the city em-
)y social worker. The recommends
IN was Incorporated in a report which
Is unanimously accepted. Plans for
rrying out the recommendation are
mewhat indefinite, but it is probable
1t the welfare worker may be engaged
rough the state board of charities and
1bation. Members Of the charity COM