Evening star., 1894-01-12
1888. 80 acres.
Value of Exempt Property.

o,Ooo.JV acres.
Value of Exempt Property.
The District of Columbia property and
the churches and charitable institutions
should be appraised on the same principle,
the valuation of property in their vicinity.
There is no official valuation of recent date
and we are obliged to form an approx
mate judgment from situation of land and
value of improvements. The District prop
critics. including engine houses, property
yards, school houses and their sites, are
worth six millions. The two hundred
churches and their sites certainly average
S2O,OO each, equal to four millions, and the
land and improvements of charitable insti-
tutions may fairly be valued at five mil
lions. The following estimate of exempted
property is approximately fair: United
states land and improvements, $19S 800, ,OUO
District of Columbia land and improve
ments, 100000 ;other property exempted
by statute, s9OOO.OOO: total, 135OO' 900:
deduct total assessed value QS93) of taxed
property. s191 Az ,SO4; excess of exempted
property, S22,OS2, 1876.
The excess of property not taxed is more
than twenty-five millions. No result widely
differing from this can be reached by any
one who will adopt the most recent valua-
tons or private property as rule for ap-
praising public property.
Decreasing Tax Lists.
Within a very few years the following
hAC ohOhS transferred from
the taxed to the exempted class: The Maltby
House, the Butler House, the city post office,
the Winder building, the Department of
Justice, the new observatory, the Geological
Park and Rock Creek Park. Expensive
buildings have been erected on the exempted
property. the cost of the marble building
alone at the Soldiers Home being more than
million. The following squares have Deen
at dinerent times condemned to the uses of
the United States and made non-ta xable:
Nos. 169. 221, 430. 505 j06 54S, $40. 6S1, 6sS.
72o. 80, I3l, $50, SS4 and $50; and also two
lots in square GIG
Under the existing law the injury to the
District caused by the removal of property
from the tax lists is double the loss of the
taxes and the loss of an equal amount ap-
propriated. Five hundred dollars lost in
taxes Is q loss of one thousand to the rev.
enues. As with the growth of the opera
tionS of the government it's necessities for
more land are ever increasing, il is easy to
foresee the time when, If the present policy
is pursued. the taxable real estate in the
District will be very small in proportion to
the non-taxable. and unable to contribute
more than a small part of the revenue nee
essary TO meet the expenditures. This result
is unavoidable. 1t cannot be prevented by
raising valuations or rates. The problem
now pressing for solution is how TO raise
from less than half the real estate i'm the
District and from special taxes on occupa-
tions enough revenue to meet half the ex-
penQltureS OF q city which is more extensive
than any one of the same population in the
world. 1t is a problem that would task the
ingenuity of the most eXacting Chinese tax
gatherer. -|-
Consequences of Repeal. s. b.
The enactment of MrDe Almonds biIICNo.
4J62) would result in an immediate winding
up of District affairs. The receipts of the
District of Columbia from all sources in
1892 We're s., s26, Sol, and in 1893 s2,9is Ss2.
They may, in 1894. possibly reach 81, 100000
though the hard times may make them
much less.
The expenditures for 1894 will not be less
than for 1888, in which year they were
So.59O12- Deduct possible receipts, $1,000
900: deficit, s2.594.O12. This deficit can be
reduced only by closing the schools. dis
missing the police. stopping street repairs
and improvements or suspending payment
or the interest on the funded debt 1t must
not be forgotten, too, that in the last
twenty years the officials of the United
states have incurred large debt, in the
name of this District. and that the funded
part OF il amounted on the first day of July
1Ss3. to $lS.JIj,IOO. on which the annual in
terest is Sf1u,4lI.40. The only connection
We. as real estate owners, have with this
debt, which was contracted without our
vote or consent, is that We can be forced TO
pay it,
We have entire confidence in the justice,