Evening star., 1943-03-16
Tax Returns SET
Record; 20,525
File Here in Day
Officials Face Huge
Task in Sorting
And Checking Mail

Breathing a sigh of relief as
the income tax deadline passed
at midnight, Internal Revenue
Bureau officials here and
throughout the Nation today be-
gan the gigantic job of opening
mail, sorting returns and pre-
pairing to check the biggest flood
OF taxes in the Nations history.
So heavy is the mail one Treas
ury official predicted that many
mail bags probably will not be
opened for several days.
Income tax Offices in the Revenue
Building experienced rush up to
midnight. The City Post Office
throughout its many branches had
a big day in sales of money orders.
The income tax office and in the
City Post Office both reported that
records were broken.
20,525 Filed YESTERDAY.
A total of 20,525 persons filed re-
turns yesterday compared with 49,
205 on March IS last year, for a
gain Of 1920. For the last seven
days Of filing this year, A. Parks
Rasin, administrative assistant, re-
ported there were 81.765 returns, as
compared with 66.206 for the COM
parable period last year, a gain of
1859.
Postmaster Vincent C. Burke. re-
celvlng reports from post office
branches all over the city, said that
the sales of money orders to pay in
come taxes broke all records in the
history of the City Post Office. He
SAID 39,489 money orders were issued
for s1,089 900.
A lew stragglers shuffied into the
virtually deserted income tax office
when 1t opened at SIS am. today.
OHcials accepted their returns and
taxes, but there was no information
available as to what kind of a pen
atty, II any, they were forced to pay.
The mails were reported to be
hooded this morning with thous-
ands OF returns from all corners of
the United States. Washingtonians
were instructed to mail their re-
turns to Collector of Internal Reve-
nue. at Baltimore, which is head
quarters for both Maryland and the
District of Columbia. But many
were said to be arriving here also.
No Estimate Offered.
Due to the heavy filing by mail.
Treasury officials said it would be
impossible to get an accurate esti-
mate as to the size of the record
breaking payment.
The last person to file return
here was Mrs. Jeanne Gordon. wife
of Seymour I, Gordon, an income
tax expert. Mrs. Gordon's return
was accepted as the final one last
night, even though the clock read
1910 am.
Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury John L. Sullivan, inspected the |
tax Office yesterday. He predicted |
virtually every one would pay up, !
but according to the Associated !
Press, officials at several of the rev.
enue offices scattered throughout the
country said hundreds of thousands
OF returns still were missing. Some
expressed fears that delinquencies
would be heavy.
45,5o0,ooO Expected in U. S.
The Treasury is expected a total
of 45500,000 returns this year. of
which about $500 600 would be tax
able. This compares with 26,400,OOO
returns received last year, of which
100000 were taxable.
Treasury statements showed COL
lections amounting to S473,029,254
during the first II days of March as
compared to SAL ,394,702 in the same
period last year.
In Cleveland, according to the AS
ISOLATED Press, where war workers
had been reported threatening a tax
payment strike, late mail brought in
100000 payments, pushing the total
received to about 100000 out of an
expected 100000. Collector Frank
F. Gentsch said the heavy mail indi-
Gated returns were coming in from
war workers, adding:
we can't tell where the mail is
coming from yet, but it looks as if
something has broken"
Little payments came with the big
ones. In Chicago corporation
plunked down Sl5,0O0,000 as a quar-
terly payment and in Cincinnati
another paid S11,000,000
Despite the last-minute hurrying,
Collector Charles DonnelIv at
New Orleans predicted thousands
would be delinquent because they
underestimate their obligations by
as much as IS per cent.