Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-30

Commissioner Webb In defending the method
adopted BY himself and colleagues Of purchas-
ing the sites for public buildings through
agents, In the manner described in Wednes-
days STAR, says: ''The Commissioners have
no authority to pay an agent for making pur-
chase, and cannot use a dollar of the money
appropriated for school sites for that purpose
Whatever compensation such agent receives
must be paid by the seller, and what that is
and how 1t Is paid the Commissioners have no
way Of knowing" Apparently ii does not occur
to the Commissioners that il Is matter Of in
terest to them how much and by whom agents
employed by them without authority of law
are paid. The theory Of the Commissioners is
that the seller, not the District, pays the agent
employed by the District. The seller is not
aware that he is paying this District employee
in addition to his own real estate agent who
makes the sale. and the District fxes for him
the amount which he unconsciously paws. as
the agent'sfee under the Commissioner theory
II the difference between the price of the prop
erty which the owner receives and the price
paid by the District. If the seller in truth is
made to pay without his knowledge to the
Districts agent, who has rendered him no SER
vice, s32S.A in one case, s722 in another,
and q, 100 in another, he has a right to feel
aserisved and TO apply a harsh title to the
Transaction which has relieved his pocketbook
In the sums specified. But inasmuch as these
sums represent the difference between the
market price Of the property, which the own
ers were willing to take, and the price paid by
the District, it would seem that the latter, and
not the seller, really pays these expensive
agents, and every taxpayer acquires an in
terest in the transaction. 1t is to be noted that
the compensation Of these agents Is very much
greater than the ordinary selling commission
on the property, and that the District agents
shared, when they could, in that commission
also. The gain which it is thought the Dis
trict enjoys by purchasing through agents
and making the sellers pay them big commits
sions "an unbeknownst to themselves is dis
covered in the belief that the property il
thereby secured at its market price, and that
1t could not be otherwise secured. This pre-
sumed gain would, of course, be lost if one or
two persons, recognized as such by real estate
men, were habitually employed as agents,
since the desired secrecy would not be OBJ
tanned 1t would also be lost in cases
like that Of the purchase Of the police
station site, where the property is bull
lstined to be sold at fixed prices to all corners.
And in the few cases where the price Of de-
sirable sites might be raised if the purposes for
which they were desired were known, the pur-
chase could doubtless be effected by some one
for the District who would not be recognized
by the seller as its agent, and who would not
charge many times the ordinary agents COM
mission for his services. The latter economy
should be practised whether in truth the money
for the agent comes from the District taxpay-
ers. without authority Of law, or is extorted
without his knowledge from the seller.