Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-06-16
Continued from Erst page. ]

GutnIeO streets, mus imposing neaVY burdens
uTOn property Of little comparative value and
The extent Of improvements made mp to No
vensber I, 1873, IL summarized by the engineer
In cfief In his last annual report. This gives
TIE character and extent Of pavement laid. and
the amount Of grading done under the dIrec-
lsOn O. TIE board. up 70 that date, and is as
follows: Here follows the summary heretofore
printed IN The STAR
O'ter ratters of less importance than those
We have Considered might well be remarked
uTon hsd we time and space 70 do so, but the
END Of the session Is 20 near that we must neces.
ssrily abbIs yiafe this report And for the same
many Cmpiairts of hardship resulting to par
ticu'ar individuals from changes OF gra les in
appropriation OF old materials, inequality In
valEsi OBS snd ess essments, and 20 simply refer
- he L timOry bearing on these matters.
DEBT OF THE DISTRICT.
1hedebt OF the District OF Columbia, and of
the late corporations Of Washington and
Georgetown, ard Of the county outside of those
already shown, except q 20 the bonded debt,
which Is as follows. a. shown b. the report Of
the eoEI trolier. This repo.t, which is quoted
heretofore pT, nted in TIE STAR.l
There Is not any bonded debt OF the county OF
Washington outside Of the cities Aforesaid, out
there is JeJ uBfunded floating debt OF only
Sitao 90.
The District of Columbia proper have I'M
funded liabilities as follows Here follows the
auditors statement in Governors answer, page
4C2 4f3, footing mp Sig1 ,s1O32l
To which should he sdGCI for current ex-
y6uses TO JuIe 80, 1S1t
Estimated liability for salaries Of
OtfceTs, employees, support OF
schools, police, fire department,
Payment of interest ard sinking
Innd on bonds and contingent eS-
IeIsss for the year ending Jupe
To meet these habiiities there are unsolicited
taxes sggregsting az follows:
Taxes uncOllected for the current
and past years, as per statement
of these unsolicited taxes il il estImatsd that
about $500, 0C0 can be made available soon after
July /
About $500, 600 are for Delinquent taxes for
years preceding the present fiscal year, and the
following state ent shows amOunl received on
taxes levied for the current year, up to Feb
rusry 1, 1874 This statement foOts up the
unpaid taxes on the assessment OF real estate
Tor the year ending June 50, 1874, to February
], 1874, -, l3l ,1IS24.l
Since which time about 100000 have been
pain.
All these taxes were due ard PAYABLE july 1st
1873. The delinquency in paying taxes accounts
in u large degree for the present embarrassment
Ct the District government proper.
The following Is an aPprOximate statement Of
the debt Of rhe BOeTd Of Public Works unfund-
ed. and for which they are liable. This state
mept Of the floating indebtedness or the BOARD
of Public Works up to aud including May 9,
1874, fOOts up - Sf6,19S.2I.l
From this total there should be deducted an
estimate OF the assets of the Board OF Public
Works, not now available, the sum o.
III
CITY HALL APPROPRIATION.
on the - OF March, lo13, Congress made an
Appropriation OF $500 for the purchase OF the |
interest OF the District in the city hall build
ing, and provided in the act, (Which will be
found on page =! %, Il statutes at large,) 1.-THE
same 20 be applied by said District only for the
erection Of 3 suitable building aOE the District
Offices" The amount ct this apprOpria,. on was
Drawn from The Treasury; but the board, being
IN reed Of money for other purposes, used sew
entY thOusapd dollars of the amount thereof,
nnfvIrhsrpV dir y tnP EnpQ.Irlc IL Hhfah
tire aEPTopIiat on was made, and supplied the
place Of the me by dePosIting sSO,O00 OF their
sewer bonds
In anticipation of the assembling of Congress,
and with view 20 getting relief By means of
appropriations, the board make ny an account
against the United States. which will be found
in the port CT November /, 1873, p. 2. 1t l.
there stated As follows:
The indebtedness of the Genera Government
TO the District OF Columbia on account Of iIn-
prOyements, g. shown in the statement hereto
appended, is ss follows:
For work in and around government
reservations and public buildings. SJI3,171 IS
For Work OF avenues Oj6 .5i4 50
For rain leverage. G,6S1 3
4,I7O,4 "a
The first item IS for work done since the last
appropriations were made As they were ''pro-
or contracting further liabilities on behalf o
the nited States in the Improvement of streets
avenues, and e.eTyatiOns beyond the amount
CT appropriations previously me- lie by Congress,
and from entering into any contract touching
such in prOyements on behalf of the UDitsd
States except IN pursuance of appropriation
made By Congress, IL Is apparent that thi |
Il sn expenditure which creates no valid
claim against the United States. The items |
making up this aggregate OF 1913 ,17i.T5 sill |
be found on page 20 OF that report. Part o: |
At il for work done ON streets where the |
government has 10 property, bat the grades |
OF which had TO be changed. Another par |
OF this item embraces paving tor street railroads
between the Interior and Post Office depart-
ments, ard on 18th street east OF the same. |
The work embraced in this item having been |
done, (althOugh Without warrant OF Law, y il Is |
proper thai the United States should paw for |
what would have been properly chargeable TO |
the government if the board had been author
lied to do the work, rather than that 1t should |
be paid by the people OF this District, who are |
in no wise responsible fOI, and had no control !
over, the acts Of this board. Butthe committee |
has rot been able TO ascertain what amount |
Should actually be paid, owing TO the manner |
in which the work has been done and the |
measurements made.
The next item IN this account is 81 0J6 ,574 &c. 1
Tor work on avenues, and tabulated st.tement |
OF il vii be found on page 81 OF the report. |
IL i here inserted
The table is undoubtedly widely wrong; and, |
whether there Il anything that appears in il |
that can he with any Pfopriety charged to the |
United States is exceedingly doubtful, exceDt-
ing il may be the last column, amounting to |
S2iS, 240.12 and the accuracy of that can only |
be aseertained By measurement
The next item is a charge against the govern |
DsDt OF =, 5i0 ISLES for main sewers.
The main sewerage OF the city when completed !
Will cost =, 45, SO 3; that this charge against
the government for main sewerage Is S3O4 s26 90 |
more than the whole cost. Besides this, not |
more than 81 ,405 ,6i363 has yet been expended; |
i or, 2il.sO being yet required to complete !
them.
This charge against The government was ar
rived al in this way: The legislative assembly |
passed the sewer act by which the cities were |
divided into sewer districts, aud Fxed rate of |
assessment was established per square foot for |
sewerage purposes. Then the bOlrd entered !
into calculation and ascertained that the gov
eminent II the owner OF a certain number of |
square feet OF ground in the form OF reserva-
tons; that there are so many square feet in the
avenues ard streets, and aggreg ating these to- |
getber they make calculation that If the res
eIyatiOus streets, and avenues are taxed at the |
same rate per foot that private property Is as
feSseC under this sewer law, it will amount to |!
$40 ISL 3, and say, therefore, that the /
United States owes the District that amount for !
main sewerage. THIS account was put forward |
cOntessedly for the purpose Of procuring an ap- /
preparation from Congress for the aggregate |
amount OF ~ $40 ,4g7 "a.
The mapLer in which il was proposed 10 pro-
cure appropriations az this SESSION are thus |
specifically referred to, rot only TO show how 1
this board has been conducting these affairs. |
but for the purpose also of showing that, for the
protection Of the government, it IL essential /
that some fixed unVarying rule should be estab- /