Footnotes to Long Island History
Taxes were low in 1914 and so
were salaries
January 18, 1962
by
Thomas R. Bayles
An interesting comparison of school costs and taxes of
the six schools making up Middle island central District 12 back in 1914
and the present is shown by the following figures:
According to the Directory of Public Schools published
by J. Henry Young, superintendent for 1914. Coram district had an
assessed valuation of $151,505, with a tax rate of 25 cents; West
Yaphank valuation, $131,210and a tax rate of 23 cents; West Middle
Island district was valued at $74,290, with a rate of 21 cents; Middle
Island district was assessed at $106,620and the tax rate was 35 cents;
Yaphank has an assessment of 169,215 with a tax rate of 25 cents; Ridge
was assessed at $237,680 and its tax rate was only 15 cents.
This made a total for the six districts comprising the
present Middle Island Central School District 12 of $870,520 with an
average tax rate of 25 cents. The present assessed valuation of the
central district is $9,500,000and the rate last year was $8.07, with a
budget of over 1,000,000. In 1914 there were not much over 100 scholars
attending all six schools and now the number is nearly 2,000, which
gives some idea of the growth in this area in the last 47 years.
The salaries of town officials paid in 1926 were quite
different from the present time, according to a printed list prepared by
Walter I. Jones, who was town clerk in that year. Robert Macintosh,
supervisor, is shown as receiving a salary of $1,200 a year; Walter I.
Jones, town clerk, $2,700 yearly; eight justices of the peace each
received a salary of $1,000 and six assessors received $1,000 each for
the year; the receiver of taxes is shown as receiving $2,500, while the
overseers of the poor only received $500 each, and Dr. William H. Roe,
health officer received $1,200. No salary is shown for for the
superintendent of highways, although in the list of bills audited are
many large payments to Arthur Murray, who was superintendent of highways
then.