Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-05-25

/ COUNCIL BuDGET.-On Monday night, the pre-
urinary business was passed over rapidly, and
upon the call for reports Of committees, Mr. Jones
on 'he ways and means committee, reported bach
| the - : :"
| TAX BILL TIE ALDERMEN
WIN snndIy amendments by tue committee and
PitIaClng II with a lengthy statement IF his own
| views which the committee had consented sbonld
DE read in connection with the bill. =
| The committee express regret that under the
instructions of the Board they are comneIIaa .,
report back the bill without any certain info,,,s "
ton as to the taxable value Of pror ertv undo, ,h
new assessment, thereby legisfating in the DARK
on niater Oh siIai interest to the city, the tax
clerks VINO nave the books in hand assuring them
mat Ten or twelve days will elapse before s1,ch
formation can be furnished From an i'm ne,fact
e1, :; OF the books, the committee estimate
tLaI u may amount TO thirty-sx miIlions Of Ill
lars being several millions less than the imate an
"nicn the Board Of Aldermen based their action
MS Al The rate fixed by that Board will Weld
h. ,Dy slaa,UO nett, being only Sl7 900 more
.Idh the amount Of regular taxes collected DURING
anr I,st nscai year, which was SIG Us SICO lsi
Will De derived from other sources ,natin,I The
e e,.a estimated revenues Of the coming wear
e~'o,"n 10 pay the Heating debt the inter
On Tue funded debt, and at the same time carry ON
moderate system Of improvements will reonire
NOT itss than s3ooo showing deficiency in the
required, does not equal the Expenditures of thu
nscdi year 1897, which was 1919 .52g From these
premises II Is argued that the rate fixed by the
nodru VI Aldermen is insufficient, especially in
regard To the public schools for whose benefit a
special levy Of cents OH each hundred dollars of
assessed property is made. This the committee
recommend he increased 10 10 cents 30 as to place
the schools beyond any contingency of want and
10 provide proper school buildings which are
much needed In every direction throughout the
city. "
The committee do not propose to alter tho rate
OF Do cents liked by the Board of Aldermen for
general purposes; d minority of the COMMITTEES
uiner from this conclusion and proceed to adduce
strong reasons for so differing. The present rate
Is shown to be uniform with that which ms nre
vailed almost since the origin of the CITY exrent
when under the rule of the American party in ls55
IL was reduced TO 30 cents, the amount now fixed
by the Aldermen.
Tue disastrous consequences NJ tho reduction a
Iat tlnle are proved by extracts from the message
OF Mayor Towers as foreshadOwing what NAV be
expected now should similar course be now pur.
sutu a comparison is made with the rates of
Baltimore, Charleston and Philadelphia which
are stated to be 81 81, 81 81 aud 50 respectively ON
each SlVO Some suggestions are made as to a
roPet use OF any surplus means which the city
III Sht nhd itself possessed Of-such as the compile
uon OF the City Hall, the erection of school houses
anu mouse OF refuge, new centre market house
ana a guardhOuse &c, &c
reference Is also made To the fact that since Mr.
Manry's time the $1,000 required annually to be
Paid towards the extinguishment of the funded
debt has not been so paid
The PHI liked the rate of tax upon properly at
Ceh's thls The committee left. The rate of tax for
the school fund was fixed at cents on the hundred
dollars; the amendment proposed 10 cents The
pll nhes the tax upon the capital Of bankers bro
kers and money lenders at 90 cents: the amend
school tax. ~ fN' '
MI. orme said he could not agree with the re-
port tie saw 10 necessity for retaining high rate
Oh taxes under the present exOrbtant assessment of
property. high rate of taxation would be op-
presslve IN the extreme, especially Oh men Of small
hledhs-Worklngnen, who by the force Of other
circumstances are now living i'm the exercise of
e onomy which at a more favorable time they
would not practice Money is 5carce; employment
IS hard TO obtain the prices OF provisions are very
hgh: ana the prospect darkening for the future;
ana yet, under these circumstances another shade,
has been added to the darkness by the acts of the,
assessors In the late Ourag ssment and the
report suggests another by favOring higher tax
rate There is no hope Of relief FROM the
ana rs representative Of the people of the Second
Ward he would appeal to the Councils to relieve
them OF part Of this weight which would bear so
heavily upon them, by passing tue bill as IL came
from the upper board. Mr.. o. stated that one of
the assessors told him the increase Of the assess
nleht over that OF the last live wears is about
SS,NO,OOO but lie thought, if the assessors had
pursued the same course OF the property of others
that they had on his, it would reach SI2 600 GA
he proceeded to compare the assessments Of his