Evening star., 1936-08-23
Fiscal Probers Haze Brilliant Careers
L. Jacobs Highly Regarded for Work of Restoring Finances
of Chicago and Cook County.
sreeial pisr Itch to The Star.

cobs, Chicago efficiency engineer Sc
lected by President Roosevelt to sur
vey fiscal relations between the Dis
trict Of Columbia and the Federal
Government, accomplished . her
culean task in bringing order out OF
Chicago's muddled and corrupt tax
situation and introducing far-reach-
ing governmental reforms in Cook
County.
Cordially disliked by most Of Cook
County's politicians because Of his in
sistence on efficiency and economy in
government administration. he was
nevertheless respected for his adher-
ence to his principles and his impair
tiality In administering them.
Called to the post of county as
SCISSOR of Cook County. when its as
sessment and tax collection machinery
was q wreck its tax administrators
thoroughly discredited and Cook
County and the City of Chicago faced
with bankruptcy, he perfected . new
system of tax appraisals. and brought
Cook County to q point where tax
collections are now only one year in
arrears instead Of nearly three years.
Served Board Many Years.
Jacobs had served the Cook County
Board for many years as an advisor
on matters of personnel. budget and
operating methods, having been ap-
pointed by Anton j. Cermak while
Cermak was president Of the county
board. In this. capacity he was with
out power to enforce his recon-
mendations. but his recommendations
carried sufficient weight with non
political civic leaders and organiza-
tions that public opinion frequently
forced the politicians in control Of
the county,s affairs to adopt reforms
that he urged. He was regarded as
effectively resisting political pressure.
Among his notable achievements as
efficiency engineer for the county
board was the abolition OF the old
"chain gang" Of ward heelers and
precinct workers employed in the
county building for many years. This
group was kept on the county pay
roll almost continually by shifting
them from the assessors ONCE to the
office of the treasurer. or county clerk.
In each office they were supposed to
compile the records. but the work was
inadequately performed and the po-
litical henchmen highly overpaid.
Jacobs succeeded in tossing them
out and substituting Department OF
Public Service to compile the records
of all county offices. For the ward
heelers, he substituted young women
trained in operating bookkeeping ma
chimes.
Found Critical Situation.
When Jacobs was called to the post
Of county assessor. Chicago and Cook
County were in a desperate plight.
The 1928 quadrennial assessment of
real estate had been declared Invalid
by the State Supreme Court on
grounds that discrepancies in valua-
ton OF comparable properties was 90
great as to constitute fraud. The
1929 assessment based on the 1928
quadrennial had also been branded as
fraudulent by the court. Tax collec-
tions were more than two years In
arrears. The 1890 assessment was
in . muddle. City and county en-
ployes were unpaid and the borrow
ing power Of both governments was
approaching exhaustion.
The State Legislature had abolished
the five-man Board of Assessors be-
cause of the evidence of ineficiency
and fraud in the 1928 and 1929 as
seSsments, and substituted for the
board a county assessor to be elected
at the November. 1884, election. In
the interim the post was to be filled
by an assessor appointed by the Gov
ernor. The situation was 50 desperate
that even the politicians were agreed
that an honest and courageous man
was required for the post, and Jacobs
was acclaimed as possessing these
qualifications plus thorough knowl-
edge of the machinery OF the as
sessor's Office.
Jacobs was loath to accept the post
since it would be full-time job and
would prevent him from carrying on
his own business as consulting
engineer, but was induced to accept
on grounds that he was the logical
man for the job. His salary was
fixed at $4,000 year.
His program involved development
OF . series Of standards and classif1ca-