The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-04-15

| time is supreme; unless one can af- ford to spend the time and the money to appeal to the court. This plan is not only undesirable; but undemo- cratic, oppressive and vicious. I hope this committee will recommend a change. Personally, I should like to see a board of three men, one to be | appointed each year by the mayor and to hold office for three years.
 Attorney Merritt in his support of the measure furnished extensive data and statistics to show the desirability and superiority of board of assess ors in place of tax commissioner. He discussed the results of both | explained how the assessors listed property to the value of S19S, 900, 900 at a cost of $14,00O, while the com missioner assessed only $24s,000,O00 | other expenses of the old system amounted yearly to but S14,0S0, while 1 the cost of the commissioners office l is annually 27,600, including S5,000 salary for the commissioner He charged that it had been impos- sible to receive an adjustment on an erroneous valuation since the com ] mission has been in office unless the i city administration is indebted to the owner for favorS-
 Discussing appeals to the board of relief, he claimed that the commis- SlOner pTactlcalIy the a0V1SeF or the board, and that decisions are made on his recommendations.
 He produced several instances where faulty assessments and decis- ions had been made under the present system. He cited several other ex- amples where reductions were made to friends of the administration. He mentioned sixteen, in 1919, specific cases where reductions amounted to approximately S945,OOO
 SNnTI 1910 were made to the following af- ter the final lists by the commission CT had been made:
 City Ice and Coal company, S15,- 900; Columbia Nut & Bolt company, s37, 300; David B. Crockett company. s41,TS0; American & British Mfg. company, SS,751; Locke Steel Belt company, 1000; Frank Miller Lum- Der company, s1o0,O0O; Manning, Maxwell and Moore, S100,0o0; Wheel New England Tire & Repair company, $11, 900; Naugatuck Valley Ice com pany, s3O,oO6.
 "The General Machine & Manufac- turing company filed their own list for $1o.0oo. It was reduced by the commissioner to s1,OOO.
 "The Heppinstan Forge company company filed their own list for $s0,- 900. It was reduced by the commis- sioner to s62,oOO.
 'tThe Karm Terminal company were allowed a reduction of s60.00O from the list which they themselves filed
 "he Henke1 Lace company were assessed for s732,294. The same year the property was sold by the Alien Property Custodian for s1,2o0,- coo.
 "In 1919, the Brunswick company filed their own list for S6,S00. The com missioner reduced it to $4,00O.
 ''The General Machine x Manufac- turing company filed their list them selves for s2O,000. The commission CTS reduced it to S2,200.
 'fThe following are a few that were allowed reductions in 1919 The Blue Ribbon Body company, $15,O0o; Challenge Cutlery company, SS S09; City Ice and Coal company. S37,000; Columbia Nut & Bolt company, S50,- 500; Compressed Paper Box company, s23.5OO; The David B Crockett com pany. s15.0G0; Jackson Stone com pany. S7,GO0; Electric Cable company, S45.000: George c. Batchelor & Co, S130. 900: American & British Manu- featuring company, s3OO.00o; karm Terminal company, S143.OSS; The Frank Miller Lumber company, s1O5.OO0: Naugatuck Valley Ice com pany. S23,000; Salts Textile company s10O.00e; StilIman Godfrey company S17.6O0.
 Edward H. Dillon filed his list at s13.O00 The commissioner made it $1.O0o less, or s12.00O.