The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-12-04
COLLECTION
 IS LAX OF
 CITY TAXES
Judge Keogh in Bankruptcy Court Scores Lax Tax Co1lection-Says Thousands of Dollars Are Lost to City Annually.


 "The city of Bridgeport in tho
 the lat few years has been very
 negligent in getting in its taxes"
 declared Judge John J. boogh of
 the Bankruptcy Court His re-
 mark was qualified by declaring
 that the present administration
 is not responsible but rather those
 who were in charge at the time
 the collection should have been
 made.
 This statement was made today when Samuel Reich, trustee for the bankrupt firm of the Morris Metal Pruducts company. this city, through counsel. w. Parker SeEley, endeaVOr- ed to disaIow the amount of the claim of $721&2 placed against the estate, on the grounds that the as sessed valuation of the property was excessive and Illegal The city has already received Sa+,#99 5S. Oct. 10, last by reason of d foreclosure ac- ton brought for back taxes against the firm.
 Judge KeoEh, who heard the testi- mOny of witnesses. called City At tOrney John A. Cornell. Jr.. and W Parker Seeley, declared that the citv of Bridgeport allowed taxes of thous- andS and thousands of do lars to go IluCOIcCted while a corporation tax was being paid to the government and that The payment of the claims Ot the general creditors would be great ly enhanced by the taking of most of the money obtained from the as sets to pay the taxes.
 City Attorney Cornell claimed thai it was not within the Jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court to reasSess the estate. Judge Eeo-h remarked thal he did not know whether 1t was or lot but he hoped it was.
 Trustee Beich.s opposition to the payment of the amount of the claim made by the city is based on the as sumption that the court has the right to find the true valuation of the prop erty. 'If the officials of the company had an inflated valuation placed on the property and If through their neglect to ask for relief the amounts assessed are too high ] do not think the general creditors of the company should suffer as a. consequence" he declared.
 That some of the books of the com papy were never ntEcn to the trustee was brought out at todav's hearing.
 The Morris Metal Products Com pany was the name or the last cor pOratiOn doing business In tLe factory located on Union avenue. near the East End freight yards. I-le Bridge port Pr0jectile company. the Ameri- Ordnance are other companies who operated in the building.
 An involuntary petition in bank r15DtCv was brDuynr agafnst inc Nor ris Metal Products c0mapuy and it was adjudicatoG bankrupt An order for the sale of the buildings and the machinery therein was given Attorney SamueI Reich. trustee After at tempts were made to sell the plant by private sale the firm of J. P. COnanr &z Company Of Lowell. Mass. were made agents A corps of attendants were brought to Ertdgeport and a 5G- page cataI0uEue was printed. $500 or which were sent ro prospective pur- chasers. At the paHEc auction held August 3l last. iounrl ". Me<eiI of this city was the sgcoa ssra- bidder for he buildings Tlr total amount real .zed from the sale of the buidire and the machinery was about $2s~ OOO.