Evening star., 1895-01-24
WATER ASSESSMENTS
The Commissioners Have Not the Authority
They Supposed.
The Aasessnents Believed to Be H.
legal and COngress VIII Be Asked
9." to Remedy the Defect.


for remedial legislation.
For long time back the assessments
for work done under the old board of pub
lie works and for work done under the
compulsory permit system have been the
subject of assault on technical grounds,
and many of them have been overthrown
by the courts for minor Irregularities.
But it was thought that the water main
assessments were unassailable. Today,
however, the point was raised that all the
water main assessments since the death of
Water Registrar Cox have been defective
for the reason that the assessments have
been made by the Commissioners instead of
the water register, as the law Of 1873 re-
quireS.
When Water Registrar Cox died the Com
missioners had clause inserted in the
District appropriation bill providing that
thereafter the operations Of the water de-
partment should be under the control of
the engineer department of the District,
subject to the approval OF the Commission
ers. This was construed by the Commits
s1oners to be an abolition Of the off1co OF
water registrar, and assessments for water
mains have slice been made upon that as
sumption.
But nov 1t is claimed that the office Of
registrar was never abolished, as this law
did not effect that object, and the Comms-
sioners did not exercise the power they
had under their general authority to abol-
registrar to some other official.
The Remedy in Congress-.
Hundr of thousands of dollars are in
vclved. but the Commissioners hope to
check the matter by getting clause insert
ed in the District appropriation bill giving
them authority to levy assessments.
The question was raised by citizen who
refused to pay a water main tax Of s., 400,
and the case was sent to the court and will
be heard next Saturday.
The Commissioners are much exercised
over the matter and refused to talk. They
realize the Importance of the situation.
and have done everything in their power
to help matters.
They had a long conference this morning
with the attorney for the District and
Chief Clerk Bell of the water department
on the subject. at which time the whole
situation was carefully gone over and the
Commissioners action mapped out.
But the fact continually stares them in
the face that hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of assessments have been
levied apparently without authority, and
the chances are that the District will be
a great sufferer therefrom.
The Old Law.
The act Of the legislative assembly OF
June q. 1873. under which the point was
raised, distinctly provides in section 6,
THAT hereafter in order to defray ex-
erection of fire plugs. there be, and is
hereby. levied a special tax Of one and a
quarter cents per square foot on every
lot and part Of lot, which binds
In or touches on any avenue,
street or alley in which a main water pipe
may hereafter be laid and fire plugs erect
ed, which tax shall be assessed by the
water registrar within thirty days after
such mains and fire plugs shall have been
laid and erected, of which assessments the
m
the owner or agent Of the property charge
able Herewith"
F'ILIBUSTERlNG IN COMMITTEE.
The Hawaiian Resolutions Pigeon
hOled Through the Chnirman's Efforts
1t is the purpose of Mr.. Wilson of West
Virginia to call up bill to repeal the one
tenth of a cent discriminating sugar tax
as soon as the sundry civil bill is disposed
Of by the House. The members of the
committee who have been looking the field
over say that there Is no doubt that the
bill will pass.
There will be q lively debate when this
matter comes up and it will be on the Ha-
wailan question: not the tariff chiefly. The
republicans of the House are cut off from
the discussion of the Hawaiian affair on
the resolution relating TO that subject by
the peculiar method Of filibustering con-
Quoted in the committee OF foreign affairs
by MIR. McCreary the chairman.
When they had at the meeting this
morning majority ready to report the
resolution Mr.. McCreary filibustered until
he could drum up enough support of the
administration to help him pigeon hole it..
The resolution being held back in this way
those who want to discuss the question in
tend to avail themselves of the opportu-
nifty offered by the sugar bill.