Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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October 5, 1918 RECORD AND GUIDE 393 $145,000,000 on real estate and an increase of more than $1,100,000,000 on personal property. It will be especially interesting this year to note the final assessment after dissatisfied taxpayers have made their complaints to the department. If we were not at war the increase in the real estate totals might occasion little surprise even if the total of the tentative assess- ments should ultimately prove to be the total of the final assessments. But, in view of existing conditions, New York taxpayers undoubtedly will take the attitude of Missourians. They wiU want to be shown how it happens that their real estate holdings in the Metropolis have enhanced in value to the extent of $145,000,000 during the last twelve months. Not much surprise is to be expected over the fact that thc tentative assessments on personal property have been increased more than a billion dollars as com- pared with last year's finals. Placing impressive per- sonal assessments on the tentative list has been the custom for years, just as has been their reduction later on to insignificant totals. No matter what may be the final figures for the cur- rent year's assessments, the fact is patent to every student of taxation that no permanent relief for New York realty owners can be expected until there has been an intelligent, systematic revision of the tax laws of the state. This revision must take the form of relieving real estate fr^.im the unjust share of the tax burden it has been carrying for years. This burden should be assumed in a very much larger degree by the owners of personal property and until the laws are so changed as to give real estate a square deal in taxation this problem will not be solved. The most important duty which will confront the Legislature of 1919 will be the enactment of just tax laws. Whatever dissatisfaction arises over the tenta- tive assessments announced by the city authorities should act as a spur to those who are striving to have the question of taxation properly and justly solved once and for all. Taxpayers and Tenants League Formed MR. WILLIAM E. HARMON, of Wood, Harmon & Company, has originated a movement to band together the small taxpayers and tenants of New York City into an organization to combat the constantly mounting real estate taxes. Mr. Harmon is chairman of the committee on organization, and the response of those who will be benefited by the limita- tion of taxation is large and influential. Already the movement has received the endorsement of the Council of Real Estate Interests. It is proposed to secure a membership of 100.000 to the organization, which is named the Taxpayers' and Tenants' Protective League. Mr. Harmon is one of the largest taxpayers in the city, but his plan is not to appeal to the big taxpayers but to organize a co- operative movement among the smaller taxpayers and tenants who, once interested in the plan, will spread the organization among themselves not only as tax- payers, but as voters. The object of the organization is to get behind a bill to limit the assessment on real estate in New York City to $17.50 per thousand of valuation and force the ta.xing authorities to find other sources of revenue. Mr. Harmon says: "The preliminary organization has been effected. The sniall rcal estate owner and tenant is back of this organization. and the initial response is so encouraging that there is iio doubt of its success. Ample funds are being pledged by the members to supjjort the growing membership. The control of the organization is to be in the hands of the taxpayers and tenants who are building it up. "A niark of 100,000 has been set as the size of the niembershi]) in the city alone and as many more in the state. When this number of taxpayers and tenants who are voters unite on one platform, regardless of party affiliation. a pressure will be brought to bear on the Lcgislature which will be irresistible in securing legislation to reduce the tax levied on real estate to some just pro])ortion and force other forms of wealth to bear their just part of the tax burden in the city "The war revenue mcasures are showing the way to state and city authorities of how reveiTaes can be raised without destroying the value of real estate." Increased Production of All Kinds of Coal (Continued from page 389.) until several months after the estimate was made. The production of Pennsylvania anthracite in 1917 established a new high record of 99.611,811 net tons (88,939,117 gross tons), exceeding that in 1916 by 12,033,318 net tons, or nearly 14 per cent., and surpass- ing the previous record of 91,524,922 net tons in 1913. With the exception of West Virginia all the large coal producing states recorded increases, the only decreases having been in West Virginia (0.02 per cent), Oregon, South Dakota and Georgia. The number of men engaged in producing bituminous coal increased from 561,102 in 1916 to 603,143 in 1917, and the number producing anthracite decreased from 159,869 in 1916 to 154,174 in 1917. However, the number of men employed underground in the produc- tion of bituminous coal increased from 474,244 in 1916 to 498,185 in 1917, a gain of but 5 per cent. compared with a gain of 20.8 per cent. in surface employees. In the anthracite regions the number of underground employees decreased 5.8 per cent., but the surface employees increased 2.4 per cent. In both branches of the coal mining industry there was a relatively large gain in the number of men employed on the surface, which is significant when it is realized that it is the underground worker who actually produces the coal and who is the more skilled workman. The average number of days worked in both bitumin- ous coal fields and anthracite mines was the highest recorded—243 in the bituminous field and 285 in the anthracite. Debate at Real Estate School THE efifect which the enforcement of the "bone dry" law will have on local real estate under present conditions vvill be thc subjcct of a debate liv two teams, picked from the members of the Real Estate Class of the Murray Hill Evening Trade School, 237 East 37th Street. The date set for this debate is Thursday evening, October lOth. It will begin promptly at 8 o'clock and any one interested is' cordially invited to attend.