Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-12
The Proposition to Postpone the No
vember Taxes.
NO ACTION YET TAKEN ON IT
Why the Assessor Proposed the
10 Per Cent Discount.
A GARBAGE SUGGESTION


without penalties, the payment Of the half
Of their taxes due in November until May.
and to allow reduction of 10 per cent on
all taxes paid in November. will be consid-
cred by the Commissioners at the next full
meeting of the board.
Tax Assessor Trimble is at present in
Chicago, but he is expected to return to
Washington in time to discuss the matter
with the Commissioners
MIR. Griffin, the first assistant in the as
SCISSORS Office. and one of the board of as
SCISSORS. in conversation with Star re-
porter today said: while j was to a GER
tain extent Instrumental in bringing about
the proposition which was presented TO the
Commissioners by Mr.. Trimble. 1 cannot
say that am fully In accord with the en-
tire movement as IL now stands. For in
stance, 1t appears to me that the much bet
ter plan would be to allow an abatement Of
5 per cent from each half Of the assess
ment.
That is, If taxpayers saw fit to pay
half of their taxes in November and half
in May, as is customary, why they could
be allowed per cent discount on each
payment. and II they preferred to pay the
whole amount in lump in either May or
November they should be allowed the re-
duction just the same. / agree with the
editorial which appeared In The Star some
days since In reference to thiS subject as
l can't exactly see where this arrangeme
would prove of so much advantage as
means Of assisting the financial stringency.
Those who have money in bank aratia-
BILE would, in order to take advantage or
the 10 per cent discount proposed, draw it
out and pay their taxes and the amount
thus taken from the banks would be great
er than would be ordinarily taken out.
That would, to a certain extent. cause
more striugency among the banking in
situations and the very 'bject sought
would thus be defeated. The assessment
on property In the District has been de-
creased 30 per cent. 1t is still too high.
and / strongly in favor of reducing
it at least % per cent more. This can he
done only by special act of congress and
would involve such a great amount OF
work as would make it practically impos-
sibe this year Mr. Trimble realized this
when he made his proposition to The Com
misSoners, and the abatement clause was
intended as a substitute for this plan.
THE most feasible plan, in my estimation,
and l have studied them all, is for Con-
gress to extend the time for payment OF
taxes until May /, and then. II the financial
situation has not improved to a very great
extent, they can be asked to grant an abate-
ment of 10 per cent.
THE revenues derived from taxation
have not to any very great extent IN
creased in the past few years. for the rea-
son that the amount of exempted property
is largely on the increase. The government
is continually acquiring property in the
District, and church property grows more
and more extensive each year.
One of the principal troubles in the way
of allowing the November taxes to go over
until May arises in the Treasury DEPART
ment. From about the 1st of July until the
LIST Of November the District government
has no money on deposit with the treas
urer. but it is allowed by the controller TO
overdraw its account and the amount is
refunded out of the revenues derived from
the payment of November taxes. The con-
troller, it is claimed. would hardly be WILL
ing to take the responsibility of making ad-
vances for a period of six months longer,
without authorization from Congress. 1t is
thought. however. that the Commissioners
will take such a decided stand when the
bill is presented to Congress that some
legislation will be enacted to obviate these
difficulties.
The clerical force in the assessors Office
1t is claimed is much too small. The clerks
have been forced to work night and day for
several months. The force has not been
increased since $780, while the work of the
Office has since that time increased at least
40 per cent.
4 Perm bu1atfng Garbage Furnace.
The Commissioners are In receipt of a let
ter from Mr. f. G. Siggers of 3os F street
northwest who is on a visit to the worlds
fair. He calls their attention to the system
of disposing Of garbage now in vogue in
Chicago, and suggests that the plan be
adopted In Washington. The plan while
simple in detail seems to Mr.. Siggers to be
very effective as a means of disposing of the
refuse 1t is nothing more nor less than
perambulating garbage crematory The
machine, according to description, outward
ly resembles boiler eight feet long and
four and half feet In diameter placed on a
wagon. 1t is divided into three compart-
ments. the garbage being consumed by fire
In the middle one, after having been dried
to combustion point in the upper chamber.
The furnace is fed with kerosene The
capacity of the furnace, he claims, is some
thing enormous. 1t devours the vilest and
most dangerous kind of garbage as fast as
1t is thrown in. No odor whatever is emit
ted from the machine. The cost of a ma
chine is said not to exceed $3.50.
Not an Insurance Company.
The request received by the Commission
ers September from the Union Loan and
Investment Company of Washington, d. c.
asking permission to do business in the
District, and which was referred to Attor
ney for the District S. T. Thomas, was re-
turned to the Commissioners today with the
endorsement theron that it is not an in
surance company within the meaning Of the
statute regulating insurance I'm the Dis
trict. The company was chartered under
the laws of West Virginia. July a. 1888.
At st. Elixabeth's.
The Commissioners have received from
the physician in charge of the government
HOSPITAL for the insane the following renor,
OF the changes during the month of August
among the inmates of that institution: Ad-
A''ieN~" Shieh D. w IiSof Rita A Arnold,
George b. Edmonds Thomas NJ Redd
Joseph Hill, George Platter, Fannie Sheetz.
Roberta f.. Shacklett, Daniel Butler Fr,u-
ces Givens, Andrew Rodier Curtis s Price
Catharine Doian, Thomas H. Nash Albert
Fischer, Virginia E. HALEY. Margaret
HUTCHINSON and Daniel s. Constable Dis
charged-John Sibley Improved: Eliza beth
f. Canter, on visit; James Riley eloped:
James Patrick, died; Maris Riggs died:
Helen Fantroy. died; Frederick w. Burke.
died: George Platter. died; Christian Matti
on visit: George Fenby, died; Thomas Dab
ney, died; Annie Dunn on visit: Eliza
Green. died; William Brooks. died. Thomas
NJ. Redd died.
To Lower the Electric Lights.
An order was issued from Engineer Com
missioner Poweils Office today for twenty
three brackets to be made at the II street
pumping station, to be used in lowering the
electric lights on 14th street northwest from
Thomas Circle. The electric lights as thew
are now arranged on poles ranging In
height from fifteen to eighteen feet The
branches Of the trees in that locality being
much lower than the lights under the pres
ent system, the streets are naturally very
much darkened. The brackets ordered are
TO be five feet In length, and will be placed
on the poles at a uniform height of twelve
rect, thus obviating the difficulty and
throwing the light on the street.
Building Permits.
Building permits We're granted bv the
inspector of buildings TODAY as follows