The evening times., 1895-11-15
TIME TO Be EXTENDED
Assistant Assessors Unable to
Finish Their Work.
CONGRESS MUST AUTHORIZE
The Commissioners VIII, However,
Only Ask to He Given Until March
oCompletetheC eCounty-The Basis
Is Sixty Per Cent. of the Estimated
Selling Price.

The Commissioners will be obliged to ask
| Congress To extend the time for the report
| of the board of assistant assessors. They
| have had the matter under consideration
| for several days. and last Saturday held a
special conference with Assessor Trinible
| and Messrs. Bates. Morsell, and Johnson
| constituting the board, at which il was
| practically determined that this action
would be taken. No announcement OF their
conclusion has been made. however.
| The assistant assessors have been at work
| since last January, under an act OF August
| 4. 1894. Their business is to go together
| to each piece of real estate in the District
| and personally view IL, then to agree
! upon q valuation for taxation. They
usually go into the premises, but not into
the building. especially If a dwelling. In
| case of rows or blocks OF houses, they 90
into the rear Of the premises TO see whether
the hoEses are Of the same depth and to
make proper allowance where one is much
deeper than another. OF course, this
method leaves unubserved the wide differ
ences of cost OF interior finish. but never
theless 1T Involves an amount OF work hard
10 appreciate upon casual thought.
So tedious and timc-consufning is this
process that the three assistant assessors
nave been at work steadily ten months
and half and have completed their work
only for the western haH of the city and
part of the southeast quarter.
NORTHEAST UNTOUCHED.
They have not touched the northeast. II
will clearly be hard work for them TO fin
ish the city even with the sections already
gone over by January 1 next, the time set
by the act providing for their work, and
simply impossible with any uniformity
to complete the work for the county by that
time.
The Commissioners, upon cOnsitie rl [ ion
OF the problem last week, found that while
they are given certain powers to ma Ike
rs,l. for fla.aN
to postpone the date for the report to be
made.
They will therefore be obliged to ask
Congress TO do this. II las been agreed to
finish as best possible the assessment for
the city, and ask only ior an extension of
time ior the county, ana that only till
March /. This is 10 be managed in such
a way as 10 allow the final determination OF
assessments and collection OF taxes for
city and county to be accomplished as one
work. II is considered certain that Congress
viii give the desired legislation.
Assessor Trimble saIu this morning that
the result of this assessment, IL is hoped,
viii give uniformity OF valuation hitherto
much desired. The figures will be made
to represent about sixty per cent. of
estimated selling price. THIS, he thinks,
VIII prove lower than the present assess
ments.
The last assessor, who made a canvass
similar to that OF his assistants, worked at
a time when values Were on boom, and
as result many pieces OF real estate are
taxed at figures very near the prices at
which they could be sold with most careful
handling: 4 few even above the best selling
and johnson have done their work so far
very admirably, and he anticipates results
very satisfactory to property-owncrs.
STREET EXTENSION PROTESTS.
Nearly dozen residents in the county
west OF Rock Creek were at the District
building this morning, to see about the
hearing OF protests against the prelimi-
nary plans for street extension in that sec
ton. They wanted the hearing postponed
for thirty days, and additional advertising
in the papers for those who Consider them
selves injured to file papers and get ready
for hearing at the expira ton OF that time.
The Commissioners sent for their attor
ney, Mr.. L. T. Thomas, and held a private
noon, and lasting an hour.
Capt. Fiebeger was in attendance upon the
conference. It is understood that in the
course of their talk, which involved the
wholesale market question ALSO, they
agreed to the postponement desired by the
county property holders.
Mr.. Thomas f. Jones, of the county sent
to the commissioners this morning to ask if
anything had been done in answer to the
request of delegation made ten days ago
for an increase Of pay to laborers in the
county. The matter had not yet been CON
sidered sufficiently to give a decisive
answer. The delegation asked that the
Mr.. H. Rozier Dulaney, of No. 32O T
street northwest, was this morning noti-
fled to remove dirt, gravel and other rub
bish from the sidewalk at lots 8 and 8, in
Presbrey & Goddard's subdivision in the
county. Similar notices were sent Eugene
B. Clark, No. 90S street north west, for
lot 6: L. B. Staunton. No. 2119 Canal
avenue. for lots and 10; N. P. Seaman,
No. 1425 Eleventh street northwest. for
lot IL: E. W. Clark, No. 1904 @ street
north west, for lot 16: A. H. Nixon, and W.
N. Burnett, Sixth Auditors Office Treas
ury, lot l 9. all in the same subdivision.
Principal Lane and Maj. Burton Ross
of the High School, called on Commissioner
Ross this morning. Their business was
private.
E-x,. vv.so