The morning times., 1895-09-29

the natural course of events the collect
ors with fifty thousand or mroe houses
TO look after do not discover the delin-
auency for several months. Meanwhile
the occupant moves to some other locality,
and unless by some rare good fortune the
debtor can be traced, the District is out OF
pocket.
TRACING THE TENANT
1t should be stated that the water depart
ment does not deal with individuals by
name, but with houses by number. Hence
the difficulty experienced in tracing the
tenant who has failed TO pay.
The occupant OF a dwelling is notified
at the proper date that the water tax Is
due, and later that it is overdue Pay
ment is demanded, and the inspector is
informed that the bill has been settled
The receipt is not exhibited for the reason
that it has been mislaid, but search viii be
made and if the officer VIII call again
it will be forthcoming. This neceSsitates
q second, or probably a third, visit, when
the householder admits the mistake and
paws up. This is not an iDfrequent oc-
currence.
1t is very often, too, that sickness and
even death, added to lack of employment
and CONSEQUENT, lack of means, render II
Impossible for a breadwinner to meet the
demand. This is the pathetic phase, and In
every case due consideration is given. An
inspector will pass by on the other side
when he knows there is good cause for
delay, and it is related to the credit OF Capt.
Derby, late assistant TO the Engineer
Commissioner, that on many occasions he
met the demands OF the regulations by
advancing from his own pocket the amounts
due in worthy cases rather than TO execute
the law by causing the supply to be with
drawn He took all the risk OF after-pay-
meut, but tits netknewn that his generosity
was ever taken advantage of.
Many tenants whose landlords attend to
the payments are neglectful. The bills
must, under the law, be rendered TO the
premises by number. The owner has other
cares, and lacking the reminder that the
statement of account is intended to be, he
gives the matter no attention, while his
tenant carelessly omits to transfer the bill.
THERE is a SCENE.
1t is brought to his attention later on,
when he is notified that the water will be
cut off within forty-eight hours upon de
fault of payment within that period. In
nearly every case there is q scene, and in
great ma iority of cases the office gets
the blame. The tenant claims never to
have received the bill and knows nothing
about it.
An occupant Of property who pays at the
beginning of the year and afterw ards re-
moves TO another housc finds that there
has been no water tax collected for the
new premises 1t is Incumbent upon him
to pay for the remainder of the year, but
he makes all appeal upon the score of the
previous payment.
To the officials the case presents an
aspect of unfairness, but the law is in
exorable and admits of no modification of
the rule The tenant must pay or subsist
without the aid of the Potomac fluid.
The man with a coupon came in the other
day and upon prssenting it to Collector
Davis he was Informed that the bin must be
produced Passing into the water office
he demanded to know whatit allmeant all
the vile"
"Where is the other part of this bill?' he
was asked
81 put it away, of course; it's at home
we're it gets locked oop.'
The careful man had torn off the col
lector's coupon and put his unsigned
receipt among his private archives for
safe keeping.
Better get hustle on yourself and bring
the bin here,' was the advice, and he
proceeded to act upon it.
Now, where can 1 get a warrant?''
was the startling query propounded to a
clerk In the water department not long
ago.
There are several places where war
rants are issued" was the reply, but this
is not one of them
The querist was in search of justice
shop and tackled the first official seen
In the first office that came in his way.
Ali sorts of strange propositions and
request for information upon a wide
variety of topics come into the District
Building by the water department route.
If house be occupied on the first day
of July, the consumption of water is as
sumed and the premises are taxed for the
whole year, but il not then occupied the
water rent Is payable only from the
date on which the water is turned on.
SAVE THEIR WATER.
Under this rule many householders who
leave the city for the summer are ex-
empted until their return in the fall, their
GNtA tuC Sdlt Vi tnC
servants, being classified with the closed
houses, none of which is required to pay
water tax.
The water meter will soon be a factor
in the system to q much greater extent
than formerly. Strange to say, In contra
distinction to the apparent opposition to
1t, the meter Is regarded as money saver
to many taxpayers. 1t is only the larger
business establishments that are included
in the order recently Issued by the Com
missloners, and under the regulations as
heretofore enforced these are taxed ac-
cording to fixtures, while residences are
rated according to the frontage.
In some businesses, 1t is said, the tax
will be very materially reduced by the
Introduction of the meter, one case being
cited where q fifty dollar assessment was
reduced TO ten dollars annually.
There are but six inspectors for the
outside work. These have their time fully
occupied for month at the beginning of the
fiscal year in the delivery of bills, then
for several months in the delivery of re-
minders and otherwise bringing up the
stragglera