The home journal. [volume], April 23, 1952, Image 1

About The home journal. [volume] (Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, V.I.) 1951-1973

Image provided by: University of the Virgin Islands

                
THE &
0
ME JOURNAL
2nd Year
Tax Assessor
Charged With
Unlawful Acts
In a letter to Tax As
sessor Clarice Bryan,
Leayle Levi, president of
Leayle Levi Sales Corpora
tion, yesterday pointed
out that the Act of Con
gress, dated May 26,1936--
No. 616--74th Congress,
which prescribed the re
gulations governing the
levy, assessment, collec
tion and enforcement of
real property taxes in this
municipality, specifically
requires that the Tax As
sessor shall have a time
limit in which taxes may
be re-assessed or property
valuations changed for
tax purposes.
He quoted section 14 ' of
the Act which saysin part:
‘As soon after Jan. 15'h
of each year, and not later
than March 31, it shall be the
duty of the tax asses
sor tO fill out an assess
ment sehedule showing in de
tail each separate piece of
real property and improve
ments thereon, subject to
taxation withinthe municipa i
ty, belonging, on January isth,
to each taxable person whose
property, in the opinion of the
assessor, should be revalued
or reassessed for purposes of
1ERL0D..... .. ‘
“‘I have in my possession a re
assessment nroticeof my pro
p-rty, dated April 16, 1952.1
which was delivered to me on
April 18, 1952. jSection 14
states that *‘not later th an
March 31st’’ should you ap
prise a property owner of a?‘
change in property valuation.
“‘l, therefore, refuse to ae.
cept the increased valvaticn of
my proper:y as applicable to
the year 1951 as you have not
acted withiin thetime prescribed
by this Act. I challenge your
authority and the authority ot
the Board of Review, or for
that matter, the Governor ot
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Wednesday, April 23, 1952
i
| Lendlord Connot Pass
.
'sfln higher Taxes
'To Tenan's <
1! Even if the assessment
'of a property is drastical
'ly increased, the owner
‘cannot pass the increase
ton to tenant in the form
of higher rents, Adolph
Gereau, chairman of the
Rent Control Commission,
.disclosed yesterday. The
ißent Control Ordinance, he
Istated, only permits rent
increases for major im
provements to property, &
3unless the law ils amended,
property owneys will be re
quired to absorb the high
er taxes. |
! Many property owners
lhave been requesting the
Commission t o approve
rent increases to meet in
creased assessments, and
some tenants have made
icomplaints that they are
being required to pay high
er house and land rentals.
Girls Softball Tomorrow
The High School’s girl soft
ball team will clash with the
Police Athletic League in a
game at the Ball Park tomor-‘
row at d o’clock. '
Loses S7OO Bracelet
Mrs. Sexton, -a guest at the
Tradewinds Hotel, reported to
the police that she lost a brace
let in the city sometime yes
terday.lt is valued about S7OO.
i the Virgin Islands, to arbitra
lrily change the regulations of
an Act of Congress. It takes
an Act of Congress to change
jan Act of Congress.
' “Will you, therefore, send[
ymea corrected valuation of my
property, based on the valueg
; which appears o» the Tax Rolls
for 1950, & which, under thel
! conditions outlined above, is
gtill applicable tothe year
3961."
s |
‘Man Shot While
On Ground, ‘
intness Says 1
George Faces Murder
I Charge Next Month
Evans‘“Kaiser” George
. who was arrested on Fri
day night, following the
fatal shooting of Ralph
Joseph was held without
bail on a charge of murderi
in the first degree follow-i
ing a preliminary hearing
in the Police Court yester-‘
day. l
George, who when he
gave himself *up, told pol
icemen he shot Joseph be-}
cause he “provoked me”,
declined to make a state
ment. It is expected that
the will go ontrial during
the next session of the
lDistrict Court. He pleaded
not guilty. |
. Ivan Leerdam said he
'was sitting at his window
as ‘“Kaiser” rode up on a
'bicycle and approached
lJoseph and Cynthia Bly
;den, and asked them why
they don’t keep away
from each other. Cynthia
lived with Kaiser.
Leerdam said Joseph start
ed to use abusive words, and
took off his coat and threw it
to the ground. ‘*You mean to
fight?”’, George asked, as he
put his hand into his pocket,
and took out a white object.
Leerdam <caid when Kaiser
pushed Joseph he got up from
the window and went farther
inside the house. T hen he
heard a shot,Leerdam charged
that ‘‘Kaiser’”” fired the
second shot after Joseph fell
to t h e ground. several mo
ments after the first shot.
Cynthia Biyden said she
left before the shooting tovk
place. She declared t hat
Joseph called her, but that
George came up before they
could speak. She was watch- |
ing the quadrille dance at the
No. 147
) . 3
Hospital Cer’mony
Here May 5
' Governor de Castro, who
arrived in Washington, D. C.
on Sunday evening has an
nounced that Interior Secreta
ry Oscar Chapman will lay
the cornerstone for the Knud-
Hansen Hospital here on Mon
day, May 5 at 11 o’clock. The
cornerstone laying ceremonies
i for the hospital at Christian
sted will take place on May
'4. Mr. Chapman will be in
the islands to attend a meet
ling of the Board of Directors
lof the Virgin Islands Corpora
tion.
|Acts to Bar
Divorce Here
Charles R. Jelm has
filed suit in the Cleve
land common pleas
court to restrain Patricia
Laursen Jelm from obtain
ing a divorce in the Vir
gin Islands. He charged
that Mrs. Jelm,former na
tional junior skeet cham
pion, moved here just to
get a divorce.
continued on page 4
155 New Country Voters Register
One hurdred and fifty five
new veters have registered for
the special election to be held
on Mzay 25 to elect a member
to the Council frem the Coun
try District. 107 were register
ed on Friday and 48 on Mon
day. The list of country voters
now shows a total of 721.
Requiem Mass Saturday
A solemn Requiem Mass
will be celebrated at Ajll
Saints’” Church on Saturday
morning, Aprii 26th, at eight
o’clock for thelate Wilhelmina
Dennery, who departed this
life on March 26, 1952.
A cordial invitation is ex
tended to all.
St. Joseph Hall, and every
few moments would go to her
home nearby to see if the 5-
month-old baby she and Kai
ser have was still asleep, she
stated.