Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-04-28
District Government. Affairs.

The two new truck houses for and com
pan les have been completely furnished by }. W.
Mcknight & Co.. at q cost OF 81. 80. These truck
houses are thought TO compare favorably WITH
any similar houses In the country.
A resident property owner has written 10 the
Commissioners to ask il the order forbiddiag
boys playing ball on the streets applies to street
parks, as we'll as carriageways. The CommlS-
s.oLers reply that 1t does and they have in'
The worK of repairing the truck house o,,
Massachusetts, avenue. between Atm ana OF. oSn
streets. has nearly been completeo, Will 'te
exception OF the surface drainage. Owtns
the peculiar grade given to this avenue Oy Tue
beard OF public works, and the raising OF the
engine house to the level OF the street, ne"
system will have to be adopted.
AN IMPORTANT OPINION.
Tn answer to a communication from the Dis
trict Commissioners Mr.. Riddle, attorney for
The District, has rendered an important optn-
ion, that there is no law authorizing interest on
q special assessment for which no certificate
was Issued lie says: 1.-The third section Of the
act OF August 10, 81, Is explicit. 1t author
lied interest only on the certificates. 1t is true
that section three makes itimperative that Ger
tificates shall issue on all assessments which
remain unpaid 80 days after notice; and as l
before advised, the law will presume that Ger.
tifcateS were issued. But when 1t is conceded
or proved that none did issue, the presumption
falls and no interest can accrue, for interest is
an incident of the certificate alone, and not of
the assessment The fifth section Of the sewer
tax OF June 26, 1873. is similar to the one re-.
lerIed 10 ABOVE and governed by the same rule.
H. l.,
to interest. Nor do the acts of June 80, 1914,
and June 10, 1878, impose interest on special as
sessments, nor could they, unless as penalties,
1or compartment. Section ISL, Revised Statutes,
simply authorizes the enforcement of taxes and
assessments pursuant to the laws under which
they are assessed. 1t does not attach interest
TO assessments, on which there is none by the
law under which they are levied. l do not
think, In the absence of an express law to that
effect that interest can be charged on an assess
ment or tax. In the case proposed, there
having been no certificates issued on the assess
ment. no interest can be collected on them. :"
This opinion will doubtless meet the views of the
entire lax paying community, and will, IL car
Ted out as the future basis of settlement of this
class OF taxes, induce the payment OF very many
unpaid assessments where the interest aggre-
gates as much or nearly as much as the original
assessment.
BUILDING PERMITS
issued by Inspector EntwiSle:~E. COttrell, re-
pair frame, 1909 18th street NV; $120. Mrs. G..
". French, construct a two-story brick dwell
ing, corner 18th and T streets NV; s., 800. r.
o. DoWd, repair brick, 21O6 G street NV; S75
John Riley, repair frame, sos 18th street NV :;
$40. c. Il. Burgess q Co., construct a two-story
F. Miller, construct frame shed, 1926 street
NV; S25. Lemuel Gaddis, build brick addition
to $50 E street Sc; 800. John sherman a. Co.,
construct cons three,story brick dwelling corner
Company, build area in front OF premies on 26th
street, between and II streets; 500: Villa n
johnson, repair frame, corner Stn ana L. SCT06yS,
$500. JEFFERSON Building Association, repair
premises No. 425 9Th street s.w.; $3.50. Riggs &
Evans, repair brick, 1440 CorcOran street NV;
$500. X; King, repair frame 2l1 5th street Sc;
$50. Chas. Bailey, construct twO-story brick
dwelling, alley between and o and 4th and
5th streets NV; $500. Talbot Langston, con-
struct two-story brick dwelling. Congress,
between Bridge and Gay streets, Georgetown;
$3.50. Mary Moore, construct three two story
brick dwellings, I'd. between D and E streets
NV; 5000. Mrs. Riley, repair frame, $50 B
street s.w.: $780, JAS. A. Smith, repair brick,
Fl, between 10th and goth streets NV; s., 900.
e. w. Clark, construct brick dwelling, Bla-
densburg pike; $1,000. T. j. Coffey, construct
and 18th stress NV; 81, 900. John O'Neill, con-
struct brick, 521 New jersey avenue NV; $50.
julius Cohen, repair frame, 1104 eth street NV;
Sin -