The Washington times., 1894-08-10
REGULATING WATER TAXES
Commissioners Oppose the Bill Now
in the Presidents Hands.
PRESENT SYSTEM MORE JUST
Recommendations to Congress Regarding tho
Collection and Distribution Of Garbage
Urgent Need for Plant Which the Con-
tractors Cannot Now Furnish.

| House bill 6.S95, to regulate water main as
scsSments in the District, was returned to the
President yesterday by the Commissioners
| with the statement that the majority of the
! Commissioners do not recommend favorable
action thereon. They say: "The bill would
give no power to assess. The present power
TO assess comes from an act approved juno
%. 1873. The bill is to regulate assessments
levied for water mains only. The present
law fixes a certain tax for water mains and
| fire plugs. Therefore, If the new act OBJ
| tained. there would be no assessment for fire
| hydrants, which by law the water department
must erect and maintain. The water depart
ment is operated wholly by revenues from
| water main and fire hydrant assessments
and water rents. A question is thus raised
whether the Commissioners would have the
| power to assess for cost OF fire plugs and
whether the power to erect these appliances,
requisite for the public protection from fire,
would not by necessary implication be re-
yoked."
The letter then states that 'the present law
levies tax for water mains and fire plugs of
l 4 cents per square foot of lot which abuts
on an avenue, street, or alley in which water
pipe may be laid and fire plugs erected. A
regulation in conformity with the act of June
10. 1879. applies such rate OF tax for a depth
of 100 feet on agricultural land or other tracts
not subdivided into building lots When
subdiyided or main be laid in another road
through or alongside the tract an additional
assessment applies for the ground not in
cluded in the former assessment. So it results
under the present law that every square foot
of private ground first or last pays an equal
tax for the main and the hydrant. This Sc
cures uniformity Of tax and is believed to be
the only practicable way of doing so. The
act of June requires that water main taxes
and water rents shall be uniform.
AREA MORE JUST THAN FRONTAGE BASIS.
The principle OF the area basis for the tax,
rather than the frontage basis, is believed TO
be more just and equitable.
The whole water service is proportioned
as a rule upon the size of the lot Under the
established schedule of water rents no charge
is made for hose washers where Potomac
water is used in the house; no charge is made
for n bath tub. neither for faucet nor
water closet, nor for any single use of water
at dwellings. except for fountains. The
larger the lot the more the hose washer will
be used; the deeper the lot, the larger the
house. and the more occupants 1t will con-
tain and the more water will be used. The
larger the house the greater the service from
the fire hydrants. The number of rooms
does not enter into the schedule of water
rates, except for hotels and boarding and
tenement houses.
ut is considered inadvisable to change the
schedule and charge by volume OF water used
for domestic purposes. II the bill obtains an
owner OF a lot deeper than 100 feet will have
his Waterman tax reduced, whereas the
larger number of small owners throughout
the city and partly in the county whose lots
are generally less than 100 feet in depth. fire.
quently only fifty feet and sometimes less.
would have their taxes largely increased and
often doubled. The larger lots which this
bill, if approved. would almost exclusively
benefit, are located in suburban subdivisions.
and in consequence of their comparative re-
moteness and higher elevation can only be
reached by the municipal water supply from
the Potomac at an extra expense for pumping
and delivery.
''In fine. it is believed that the present law
of assess Inents for water mains and hreplugs
is more equitable and just than the proposed
law, and that any necessary reduction of as
sessment should be secured by reducing the
present rate rather than by a change Of prin-
ciple of assessment"
Commissioner Truesdell, who is in the mi
nority, says that he does not believe the sys-
tenn to lie as just as the one proposed in the
bill. Nor does he think that the arguments
used meet the issues in the case.
PUTTING THE GARBAGE BILL N SHAPE.
Health Officer Woodward and General
Manager Bailey were closeted yesterday after
noon with the Commissioners for some time
discussing the main features of the garbage
bill that the Commissioners have prepared
and will send to Congress to-day. Some yer
bal changes were made to make the reading
of the bill more clear. The health officer
pointed out the immediate need of a crema-
tory within the city limits and a thorough
of the garbage.
Manager Bailey spoke of the immediate ne
csssity of securing facilities for getting rid of
the refuse matter which he said. could only
be done by destroying it in the District. The |
letter prepared by the Commissioners is as |
follows: |
The Commissioners OF the District Of Co. |
lumbia herewith transmit and recommend the |
early enactment OF a draft OF bill to provide |
for the collection and disposal and incinera-
ton OF garbage and dead animals in the Dis |
trict of Columbia. The necessity for an i'm |
mediate appropriation, as proposed in the |
bill, is imperative. Heretofore the garbage |
has been removed from the District BY trans |
portation down the river, except for a brief |
period when it was disposed of by reduction |
by means OF superheated steam, the works |
for which were destroyed by fire shortly after |
they were put in operation. The disposal Of |
he garbage by means of transportation down |
the river has become a nuisance to the resi- |
dents of the shores it passes as to raise an |
opposition which has practically prohibited |
hat means of removing the material. The |
authorities are therefore Obliged TO resort to
'ome means of destroying or treating the
garbage within the limits of the District.
TOO EXPENSIVE FOR THE CONTRACTOR.
'This would involve greatly increased ex-
,ense, which thoy cannot reasonably expect
he garbage contractor to bear under the
ates provided under the existing contract.
1.-THE quantity of garbage and dead animals
collected daily is about 100 tons. and mas
much as it is no longer possible to dispose of
he material by transporting it beyond the
limits OF the District the Commissioners re-
pectfully recommend and urge that pro-
iision be made at once for its destruction
within the District in order to prevent the
.reation OF nuisance that will seriously en-
LANCER the public health. The Commission
RS are informed that the State authorities of
instantly carried away on the sole of the boot
If a passer-by.
After long. hopeless stare the little one