National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-06-17
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
fCOafiAued from First PGge.)

DISTRICT INVESTIGATION,
tCOaftHusd from First PGge)
Iontrorfs made for work and not COM
Melted, two thirds Of which must be -
paid By the District Ss5,SS2 "
Amounting in the aggregate to sS,7t5,sSs s.
after eyhausting every available resource, near
or remote. for its payment. unless a new tax for
fhis purpose shall be levied. 1t is debt due and
DayabIe at the present. Bat this is not the whole
foaling or unfunded liability resting upon the
people Of this District The total obligations for
Ehiah the Board Of Public Works and the Dis
trict are really liable including such as is accu
rateIy ascertained and the remainder estimated
may Re stated at 81 ,SsS, $685. made up Of the fol
Cs M known as auditors s4,sOO,sss 8;
Contracts not yet completed, esti-
DamsSes to property, estimated 10000 3;
Property taken from streets $1,000 Of
District of Columbia debt to Febru.
Bi hiS p . ySSi s sjs,S 3 ;:
The total burden upon tie people of the District
much larger. r. ascertain that burden approx
mately there should be added TO the foregoing:
Certificates Of Indebtedness outstand-
Sewer esrtiaoa.ss outstanding Icso,cOS
Present obligation Of the District not
or total in addition Of A. $50 900, which must b
met by taxation in some form, or . total burden o.
tll,OlS656.se beyond that represented by the
funded debt, which is 90 9o2, rs; making tots
burden upon the property of the District Of
2O,9l6, 00S01. This does not include the sums re
quired to carry on the functions Of government
after July !, 1874. I'd
The present assets of the District, as represented
By every form Of taxation, may be approximately
stated as follows:
The unsolicited taxes for the year --
ISIS [<.hnd preceding years, levied
for general purposes, estimated - Q,Soo,ooo OF
ASSESSMENTS for improSements on
streets made against property ad-
Jacent, due IN hve annual INSTALL
ments. from July /, 1873 : zI4s, 800 o.
debtednsSS " - l.45o,oOo9c
Same, yet to be made, estimated 100000 90
Sewer-area tax, to meet outstanding
sewer eertihcates, due tp i've annual
1nstaumenu- - LoJo,VOo "
ts,726, $50 o
OF the foregoing indebtedness, under the provi-
sions Of the bill the following may be funded, at
the option Of the holder or creditor OF he DIS
tTict:
j. Auditors certificates sLoco,ssc 50
3 Amount due, or to become due, on
incomplete contracts, estimated, l,S2S,ooo 90
8. Claims for damages on account OF
change Of grade, and for property
taken from streets, estimated So, 900 90
l. Sewer certificates outstanding 1,0So, 1000 90
0. Amount paid under sewer tax as ran mn ~
sessmenH OOO,VOO W
Total that may be funded, estim'd, @, sos $50 SO
Should the foregoing not be funded, 1t must be
OHgTsss as Il is ali due sp9 payable except the
i, $50 900 representa- by sewer tax paid and GER
t4cates outstanding
IN which the board could have expected TO pay
this large debt; that is, BY receiving aid from
6bngreBs, as 1t must have occurred to Thorn that
The resources Of the District could not be taxed
SUFFICIENT to pay them. That the committee are
justified ip this conclusion will be evident from
the statement made By one of the counsel for the
nfstFfet his final
The Board Of Public Works Since September /,
1s7l, have expended spd contracted 70 expend
pVet twenty millions OF dollars in the improve
inent Of streets, avenues and roadwGys, and In
the construction OF sewers, and in the general or
hAnentstion and embellishments OF the city. This
y equal 70 about q, 900 900 per sDnum. Many Of
These tnpToy ements were essential, notably sys-
lem OF sewerage, which was and is essential to
she e snd t aSs SS@iGP1 81 as 1ot
less than q oop 900, including main, lateral and
connecting sewers. 81
equally IMPOSED, which should be borne 50 cheer
fully as that Which may be neeessary tor the pur-
pose Of paying for these sewers.
In the sISes Of financial embarrassment, how
eyer, the Legislative Assembly Imposed an area
tsE, HRhtin some localities and upon improved
Property,pnd excessively burdensoIne upon less
mote portions Of the eity, and in number of In
stances equal TO or pore than the assessed value
Also, beiieTine thst the other burdens imposed
upOn the people and necessarily required to be
Imposed upon the properly Of the District would
committee reeohmehd the funding of the out
standing sewer certificates and the repayment in
the proposed bonds Of the amounts paid by tax
payers on account Of special assessments for this
purpose, the sewers in the main being we'll built
and permanent In their character.
The carriageWGys on the wide streets and ave-
pVks have been narrowed, and parking substi-
tinted. This method Of Improvement We think,
should be commended, as 1t forms one Of the most
prominent features Of tho system adopted by the
hoard AIthOurh II has been eXDelRiVe and bur-
commentator. ..#
though expensive TO inaugurate, will be easily
kept In repair, and make the burden Of expensive
earriageEays in the future comparatively light.
We think the expensive payernents, so far as they
were laid in the main avenues and thoroughfRres,
were iushhsble expenditure. but the board
mote localities and unffeQuentcd streets, thus
imposing heavy burdens upoa property Of little
comparative value and unproductive.
The extent ofimprOvemerts nnde up to Novem-
Der l. 1873 IA summarized by the engineer in chief
In his last annual report. THIS gives the charac-
Ter and o. @ anG If me Se SSSrS
up TO that date, and is as follows Here follows
statement heretofore published in TIE REPUBLI-
Others matters Of less importance than those
we have considered might we'll be remarked upon
had we time and space to 60 So but the end Of the
session is near that We must necessarily sbbre-
fiate this report. And for the same reason we
are compelled to omit notice Of many complaints
Of hardship resulting to Particular individuals
from changes Of grades in the avenues and streets,
removal Of pavements, appropriation Of old ma
teriaIs inequality in valuations and assessments,
and to simply refer to the testimony bearing on
these matters.
DEBT OF THE DISTRICT.
The debt Of the District of Columbia, and Of
the late corporations Of Washington and George
town, and Of the county outside of these cities,
cannot be accurately stated, for reasons already
shown, except as TO the LOADED debt, which IL as
follows as shown BY the report OF the comptroller
This report, which is Quoted from, shows the
total debt to be % COZ as heretofore printed
There is not any bonded debt OF the county Of
Washington outside Of the cities Aforesaid, but
there Il yet unfunded fOaang debt of only
q, $3.50.
The District Of Columbia proper has unfunded
liabilities as follows. Here follows the auditor
statement in GoTernor's answer, pages 4s2-4oS,
To which Should be added for current expenses
TO June 80, 1874:
Estimated liability for salaries Of off,
GERS, employees, support of schools,
police, hre department, payment OF ILL.,.
interest and sinking FIND on bonds
and contingent expenses for the year
To meet these liabilities there are uHcolisctsd
taxes sR9regsting as follows:
Taxes uncollected for the current and 81
past years, a. per statement Of the =. >
III these uncoIIected tu1ss IT is .stfmatsf that
sbout ssoO,oO0 can be made available soon after
July1.
About $500 600 are Tor delinquent taxes for years
preceding the present fiscal year, and the follow
Ing statement shows amount received on taxes
levied for the current year up to February 1874.
This statement foots up the unpaid taxes OF the
assessments Of real estate for the year ending
June 30, 1874, 70 February, LA, q, lS1 TTs.2I
Since which time about 800, 900 have been paid.
All these taxes were due and payable July /,
1878. The delinquency In paying taxes accounts
in large degree for the present embarrassment
Of the District goyernm emit proper.
The following Is an approximate statement Of
the debt Of the Board Of Public Works unfundsd,
and for which they are liable. This statement
Of the floating indebtedness Of the Board Of Public
Works up 70 and including Hay 9, 1874, fOots up
$500, 79S.21.l
From this total there should be deducted an
estimate Of the assets Of the Board Of Public
Works, not now available, the sum Of $685.
5000.
CITY HALL APPROPRIATIONS.
On the Sd Of March, 1878 Congress made an ap-
propriation Of s75,OOO for the purchase Of the in
terest Of the District in tho City Hall building,
and provided in the act, (which viii be found on
page $40, II Statutes at Large,) 1.-The same to be
applied by said District only for the erection Of q
suitable building for the District oflces." The
Amount Of this a9propnst was drawn from the
Treasury, but the board, being IN need Of money
for other purposes, used so, 60o'of the amount,
notwithstanding the specific purpose for which
the appropriation was made and supplied the
place Of the same By depositing $50, 900 Of their
sewer bonds.
In antIcIrsatioo af tho ,sz.r,blJ,, ~ r,.-.-...