Held Up

New York, 1895

HELD UP

The Tax Arrears Commission Bill.

A PATRONAGE GRAB

Vacheron and Fairbrother Want to Increase

THE COMMISSION TO FIVE.

What was Originally a Good Bill is Now to be Turned to Use to Fleece the Tax-Payers.

BOSS YOUNGS' FINE HAND.

"Republicans Must Get Fat While They Can."

READ, YOU TAX-PAYERS.

Senator Childs is Holding the Bill in Committee to Hear from the Supervisors—The Newtown Creek Tunnel Bill, Another Republican Job to Plunder the People, Likely to Pass—Senator Childs Passed the Bill to Prevent the Strong's Causeway Robbery, but Vacheron and Fairbrother are Holding it Up in the Assembly in the Interest of the Brooklyn City Railroad—Burial Tax Bill May be Withdrawn—New County Road Bill On Third Reading—Local Bills Introduced.

(Special Correspondence of the Farmer.)

ALBANY, Feb. 21.

A discreditable condition of things exists in the Assembly in relation to the Senate bill to create a commission to clear up the tax arrears of Queens County. The bill has the approval of the home board of Supervisors on its merits, but it is said here that there is a disagreement as to the persons who shall be commissioners. Senator Childs introduced the bill and had it referred to the Judiciary Committee. The committee, it is understood, will report it favorably when Senator Childs asks for their action. Mr. Childs thinks it is a good bill, but at any rate, he would give it his support out of respect for the action of the board of Supervisors. He is waiting for the board to advise him of their wishes as to the commissioners, and then he will pass the bill through the Senate.

Mr. Vacheron and Mr. Fairbrother are waiting for the bill to reach the Assembly. They are said to have made up their minds to swell the number of commissioners from three to five, so as to make places for their friends, the purpose being, it is said, to have Mr. Vacheron appointed counsel to the commission, and Mr. Fairbrother appointed chief clerk. If the bill is thus amended in Assembly, it will have to go back to the Senate for concurrence, and Senator Childs might then feel like killing the bill as a matter of economy, for he would hardly be justified in imposing a tax of $7,500 a year on the people for the services of five commissioners, and perhaps $4,000 more annually for counsel fees and clerical help.

There can be no possible justification for creating a commission of five to do this simple work. The arrears bureau in the city of Brooklyn is conducted by a single head, and the work there relates to property valued at millions, while in Queens County the extent of the apparent arrears is about $500,000, and the actual arrears are said not to exceed $225,000, for the reason that a very large percentage of the arrears is fictitious, growing out of errors in the assessment rolls, and covering property that has no existence. On the plan proposed by Messrs. Vacheron and Fairbrother, about every dollar of arrears collected would be consumed by the expenses of the commission, for they are to have the right to sue and be sued, and as they are to sell the fee of the property to recover the tax, it is easy to see that the county would soon be overwhelmed with litigation, and whether the commission collect much little of the arrears, say not enough annually to pay expenses, the contingent fund of the county is made available for the expenses. There is no limit to the time the commissioners may remain in office.

A late dispatch to THE FARMER from Albany says:

"Vacheron is riding a wild horse. He will [make] every effort to kill the tax arrears bill unless he is allowed to name two of the commissioners."

Senator Childs has passed the bill to prevent the building of a road and bridge in Flushing, known as Strong's Causeway, at the expense of Queens County, and for the almost sole benefit of the Brooklyn City railroad company. This is the bill that the Supervisors approved. It is in the Assembly now, and is opposed by Mr. Vacheron and Mr. Fairbrother, who seem to have become special agents of the interested railroad company.

I can advise you, with a reasonable degree of safety, that the Newtown Creek tunnel bill will be amended to name the commissioners, and that it will pass in spite of Senator Childs. Two big contractors and a gas company and railroad company are backing the bill, and the influence of their money cannot easily be overcome. Senator Childs, however, still hopes to succeed, and to that end he relies on Governor Morton vetoing the bill. There is less reason for passing it now than there was last year, when Governor Flower vetoed the bill.

Senator Childs will have to withdraw his bill to impose a tax of one dollar on each body brought into Queens County from New York or Brooklyn for burial. The Newtown board of health is to submit a substitute bill providing for levying a tax on cemeteries. It is not likely to meet with any sympathy. All of the large cemetery corporations are in a combine and they can defeat any bill that comes up here.

These local bills have been introduced:

By Mr, Vacheron—Providing for the application and distribution of foreign fire insurance premium receipts in Long Island City.

By Mr. Fairbrother—For the raising of money to support the hospital and dispensary in the town of Flushing.

A bill has passed the Assembly authorizing the city of Brooklyn to acquire ownership of the Brooklyn and Jamaica plank road within the limits of Kings county and to expend $50,000 for its improvement. This is the wretched highway that runs to Jamaica.

Senator Childs has introduced a bill to regulate and protect the cultivation of shell fish.

The amendment to the banking law, introduced by Mr. Childs, has passed the Senate.

The new county road bill, introduced by Senator Childs, is in the order of third reading.

The bill introduced by Senator Childs respecting bridges on county lines has been reported favorably.

Mr. Campbell introduced in the Assembly a bill amending the general law so as to enable Kings and Queens counties to raise the money to build a bridge over Newtown creek at Hunter's Point. It will also enable the building of bridges over any streams in the state that are county boundaries.

The representatives from Brooklyn are somewhat alarmed over Mr. Higbie's bill to prevent Brooklyn from going over into Suffolk for a water supply and incidentally to prevent the taking of any more streams in Queens.

The bill provides that a board of supervisors in any county of the state that does not contain an incorporated city may decide by a majority vote that certain streams and ponds in the county are necessary for the supply of pure and wholesome water to the people of the county. Then the supervisors may cause a certificate to that effect to be recorded with the county clerk of that county, the certificate to contain a proper description of the stream or pond.

The real point of the bill is found in the third section which provides that "whenever such certificate had been duly recorded it shall not be lawful for any person, corporation or municipality to enter into or upon such ponds and streams, or upon the land adjacent thereto and take water therefrom, for the purpose of supplying water to any city or county other than to the citizens of the county wherein such certificate is recorded, except upon the written consent of a majority of the Supervisors certifying that the said ponds or streams are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they have been set apart."

If this act should become a law it would pretty effectually shut off any attempt on the part of Brooklyn to extend its water supply system over Suffolk county.

The bill to appropriate $900,000 for the improvement of the canals passed the Assembly by a vote of 82 to 31.

The bill to prohibit women from wearing big hats in theatres was beaten in the Assembly. Mr. Vacheron made a speech against it.

There is a bill before the internal affairs committee of the Assembly providing for the election annually in each town of a Supervisor and Town Clerk. It may not pass this year.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, Feb. 22, 1895, p. 1.