New-York tribune., 1874-12-28
WASHINGTON.
p,CIpIC RAILROAD TAXES.

DEMAND OF SECREIAk1 bhioAO" AN'
OF EARNINGS NOT COMPLIED wIrIi-A coMPOlA'
r,oS or EARNINGS MADE FROM DIRECT
oRs, REPORTS AND THE TAX AsSESSED-THE SEW
vpIt COMPANIES IN AN EMBARRASSING fool-
rIoN-LARGE AMOUNTS DUE THE GoVLhN"AN''
tpY rEIEoRApH TO THE TRIBUNEJ
w.su,ScroS. Dec 27.-Judge Robnson, Assistant
Solicitor Of the Treasury. who went 10 Caiiloi"'"
md Missouri to demand five per cent OF the groSS
earnings Of tho several Pacific Railroad Companies
has returned to this city, An act Oh congress pas'o
in 1869 required that after the completion OF any ol
these roads tax amounting to five per cent OF the
annual earnings should be paid into the treasury
In addition. the law provided that the companies
should make an annual report OF their earnings W
the Secretary of the Interior This was prescribed
in order to allow the Secretary of the Treasury to
use it as basis of computation to ascertain the
amount of tax due Up to the present. time not only
has the law with reference to the payment OF tax
been violated but also the provision with reference
TO making annual reports, none in this specific re-
speCt ever having been made. In January last Con-
gress whose attention had been invited to the dere
liction directed the Secretary of the Treasury to
make an immediate demand for all sums due, to
date from the completion of the respective roads up
to the time of demand.
To carry ont the provisions of this law Secretary
Blstow was considerably embarrassed. lie found
first, that 10 reports had been made which would
enable him to make a computation of the amount
due Subsequently he called on the companies to
make such reports. but here he was met with
second embarrassment, each in every instance fail
ing to respond Accordingly, finding that his labors
were not to be accelerated by cooperation from
the railroads he took the matter in his own hands
and computed the sum due in this wise: PROCURING
from the reports of the directors made to the stock
holders he took the figures representing their net
earnings, therein contained, and made an aggregate
of the several amounts due. In this manner 1t was
found that the Central Pacific, whose road was COM
pleted Jan. IT, 1862 owed $1.s36,6S5 10; the Union
Pacific, completed Nov. 6, 1862 S1O4OO5o 90; the
Sioux City Pacific completed March 3, 1853. S2l,-
104 49, Union Pacific Central Branch) COM
pleted JAN 20, 1861 $47,l97 So; Kansas Pacific,
completed Nov Q, 1869. S3Os,SS0 Is. These several
sums have been demanded by personal service in
writing. Since it has been made nearly all have
been heard from. demurring as to the amount and
requesting to know upon waat approximation OF
earnings the tax was levied. What chagrins the
companies that the reports of the directors to the
stockholders should have been taken, inasmuch as
such reports usually more favorable than they
should be, with view to influence the stock in the
market Three of the companies have apprlsed Secre-
tary Blistow that they will furnish him figures with
which to make q supplementary demand. These
will now be refused, because no response came when
such request was made. and legal data not baving
been reported to the Department. the Secretary took
the only available figures from the reports above
Indicated Nearly all the demands are dated Oct.
81. Payment must be made within 60 days, which
will place some of the companies in default at the
end of next week. If not paid then, the matter will
be turned over to the Attorney-General who, under
the law, is directed to recover by prosecution.
CONFLICTING DISTRICT DEBT STATEMENTS.
THE FINANCIAL EXHIBIT MADE BY THE COMMISSION
ERs NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NATURE OF SOME OF
THE AssETs-THE COMMISSIONERS PROBABLY
MIsLED BY MEMBERS OF THE OLD RING.
IBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBCNE
WAsuINGToN Dec. 27.-The financial exhibit made
ty the Commissi0neisof of the District Of Columbia in
their late report, waS a surprise to every one who
had studied the c'nHictng debt statements pub
hshed by the late Territorial Government, and it
only became ineligible when an examination OF
the credit side Of the account was made and the
character of the "assets" was discovered The fc-
tOus nature of single item of these assets is thor
ouglly exposed by Forney's Sunday Chronicle to-day
The item is as follows:
Oucthlr4 Of costs OF special street improve
IlrniS, asstesaDle to adjoining prop
Amount assessed. collected by Board Of Pub
c WORKS, PER act Of Aug 10, 12726sS II
This report was prepared by George w. Beall,
now Deputy Controller of the District In 1873
this same gentleman was Supervisor of Assessments
and OIL page % of the Board of Public Works for
that year. may be found his statement of the
mens and collections up to Oct. 81, 1873, as follows:
Total assessments against private property
Collections up 10 63645o 10
few months later Feb. 81. 1874 the same gentle
man compiled for the Governors answer to the In
vestigation Committee another statement, as fol-
lows:
Governors Answer. Page 460:
Aggregate amount assessed. II
aos oSt o.
l'SZo'ZoA oo
These two statements may be easily reconciled,
because during the Summer and Fall of 1s73 an i'm
mense amount of work was completed for which the
assessments were not made until after the report OF
October was printed but the report lately made by
the Commissioners cannot be recOnciled with either
of them nor with the facts. The whole amount of
assessments made during the season OF 1874, as
shown by the Surveyors report, was $2l ,757 81.
which, added to the assessments made up to Feb. q,
1874, makes S2,5S7,573 53 At the highest valuation
for the work done the past season, it cannot have
cost more than ST. 05000 and will therefore, yield
assessments amounting to only $350,000. which sum
ought to be added to the assessents already made
These assessments 6fe pledged for the payment OF
the special Improvement certificates, OF which there
outstanding 81 552 400, leaving as balance.
when al the assessments are coseoteds only ABOUT
$19 0O0 instead of nearly 81 40OODOo
The excuse of the Commissioners for making
statement of this character is, that it was their
business TO look after the interests Of the District
and not by their report 10 depreciate its paper.
Now, nobody believes the present Commissioners
capable of dishonesty. They have probably been
m,sled by members of the old Ring" who, to save
themselves from as much disgrace as possible, were
anxious to have the financial condition of the Dis