Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-27
D TRICT AT FAIRS
The Assessors Views on the Proposition
to Tax Land Alone.
He Refers to the Former Discussion of
This Idea, and Hopes the Bill
VIII Not Pass.

1ect the exemption from taxes of improve
ments upon real estate, is before the Com
missioners Tor report. As the bill related to
a subject directly under the assessor that
ofhcer was recently called upon for his
views upon the bill Today he submitted
his report, in which he says: II have the
nohor 10 say that said bill provides that
from and after the 30th day of June 1892
improvements to real estate In this Dis
trict shall be exempt from taxation, and
Ihe dencit In the revenue caused thereby
shall be met by a higher rate OF taxation
on land. which shall be assessed ar IT'S fuii
potential market value
IT is observed that IL this bill should pass
IN its present state our real estate taxes
which now become due and payable in No
vember and May next, must necessarily he
lndennitely postponed and our District left
without any available revenues until such
tlme as Congress may provide the neces-
sary machinery for a new assessment OF
the land at its full potential market value
About one year and half ago this same
subject was officially before the Commits
sioners, and at that time public notice was
gwen IN the daily newspapers that a hear
Ing would be granted all those who might
appear and discuss the subject This hear
ing was largely attended. and the argu-
ments In favor of the proposition were
clearly and deliberately presented by tie
Hon. Tom l.. johnson and others, showing
mat the measure had a strong theoretical
claim to the earnest attention Of all con-
ScAhcu IHueT existing law taxes are
assessed against the land and also on the
improvements which may lie thereon In
other words. the taxpayer pays taxes on
the assessed value of the property he ac-
.uaLy owns and no more. and the citizen
IN moderate circumstances with a comfort
apie put inexpensive home adjoining the
palauaI residence, pays only in Proportion
but unless L seriously misapprehend the
ehect OF the proposed law, the owner Of the
inexpensive home would he compeI,ed 10
pay tax equal to his wealthy neighbor,
aithough the actual market value of the
1 . properties was largely j,sproportionatc
Inc modest and unpretentious home has
cost SZOW; the palace Of the millionuire has
cost SlooOo; and yet the assessment ulaced
only on the land, and being adjoining lots
, ,lie Po,enual value OF each is equal The
logical result is that the owner of the
modest home is called upon 70 pay an an
nuaI tax equal to his wealthy neighbor
Whatever may be said in favor OF This
plan, 1t must be admitted that ii is a radi-
cal change, and fundamentally hostile to
the prevalent national system OF taxation
OF fixed property in houses and lands
Il am well satisfied that our present sys-
tenn Is far superior, and the burdens Of
taxation more equally and equitably dis
tributed among the rich and poor; and al
though the principle Involved in the pending
bill has been extensively discussed as an
important problem in political economy
and deliberately debated by many of our
leading publicists, Il still remains an un-
tried theory, and unsolvei problem and
so questionable and doubtful in its bene-
1cial results that no state or munisina lItv
has as yet been induced TO even try the en-
pertinent 1t would not he fair to The bust
ness interests of this District TO experiment
with SO radical measure until II can at
least be supported by a demonstration OF
beneficial results derived from a practical
administration Of the principle In one or
more or our representative cities
i trust the bill will not be approved"
Estimates for Street Cleaning.
Superintendent Davis of the street ana
alley cleaning department today submitted
to the Commissioners an explanation of
his estimates for the support Of his de-
partment during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1856 These estimates have already
peen printed In The Star. The street and
alley cleaning department is now sweep
ing, he says, at the rate Of $4,000 square
yards per annum at a cost OF $4,000 1t is
proposed that go streets now being cleaned
but once a week be swept twice a week
The area of surface OF these streets is
SiSA4 square yards: 50 sweep.ngs. he
says, would give ~, SIS. 326 square yards at
cost OF s29.557Sl, which, added to the
$4,000 above noted. makes an item OF 800 :
goo asked for sweeping. This item he says
further. includes the cost of removing snow
and ice, which reached the sum of 81 as ss
last winter. 1t also includes the cost OF
morse hire for the inspectors IN the street
sweeping branch of the service
me item OF sl5,eoo for improved alleys Is
based chiefly on the fact that the CON
tract price for 1894 is So 1-2 cents per 900
square yards, as against 80 cents for the
hscal year ended June 90 1893 The aver
age area swept per day at present he saws
Is about 5000 square yards At the no re-
improved alley service is increasing by re,-
son OF new alleys being paved this amount
square yards per day by July i. Ise4 MAJ
Ing $4,000 a conservative estimate for the
next nsca! year. which amount includes
IN tne nite OF horses for the alley inspectors
branch n ha
Inc increase In the estimate for SCREAMING
pennsylvania avenue, he points out Is due
TO proposed additional service which wifi
require an increase OF the force OF WORK
men. He has added to the service scr,naa
by hand LIST street from and includtng CO..
held Circle to Pennsylvania avenue. Execu-
i've avenue around the Treasury Depart
ment. New York avenue from 18th TO I5,h
streets west and Pennsylvania avenue from
Washington Circle to Rock creek hridea
Inc Item of $4,000 for labor upon unim-
Is conservative, he says. The service q.
constantly increasing and the dnrn,nS
srounds decreasing. making more horses
and carts necessary.
|, House-to-House Iuspect,on.
Health Officer Hammett today sent 70
the Commissioners the weekly renort of
the operations Of the house-to-house in
spection for last week. showing:
Number or squares inspected, 80: number
VI houses anu premises inspected POPS.
number of families occupying houses 2Gss,
number Of persons residing in houses $40.
number Of rooms. 1920: number OF water
closets. 2.le5; number of box priytes s77.
number Of lawful garbage receptacles I9s.
number of unlawful garbage receptacles'
l.25S; number OF nuisancss found. 5ea.
number Of premises severed l55o: number
Of premises without sewers 7e
Total inspections i'm this service TO date
are as follows: Number Of SQUARES in
spected, In: houses and premises. AZ o2a.
families. 47.112; persons. pa 534: rooms. s,1
SIS: water closets. 52.l0a: box privies IL. ~.
lawful garbage receptacies. 1884; uniawfui
garbage receptacles. PATS: nuisances. IL s4s:
premises severed, 1853; premises without
sewers, 12.0Sf
The report for the week shows an in
crease Of 125 houses inspected over that Of
last week, and a decrease of q nuisances
discovered. The inspection Of the flats bor-
dering on the Potomac river between Gies-
boro', Shepherds and the District line has
been made and IL is CLEANED from the re-
ports that Al houses. including market gar
deners. pleasure resorts. fertilizing factory
and quarters of the agent OF the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company. were found in
the low grounds. No mishap occurring. the
coming weeks report will show that the
last house In the District has been in
spected to be followed later with a de-
tailed report Of the operations of the house
r. D,,r f,,ev