The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-08
REPORT OF DISTRICT Commissioners
TAXATION OF SCHOOLS.

L
sioners have in course OF preparation, and
WIN submit, a draft of a bill designed to
remedy these defects.
TAXATION OF SCHOOLS.
The laws of June IL, 1878 and June
~, 1870, eNemp,lng school houses from
taxation, are, as construed by the court,
I susceptible OF serious abuse. The first
named act prescribeS that from and after
us 'iaSSage All churches and school houses,
and all buildings, grounds, and property
| appurtenant thereto, and used In connection
| herewith in the District of Columbia, shall
be exempt from any and all taxes or as
SesSlnents, national, municipal or coun-
t.. The last named act defines the term
| School houses as so used to be sin
tended to embrace all collegiate establish
ments actually used for educational rur-
poses, and not Tor private, gain, but that
| IN terms excepted Is used to secure q rent
orlnceme, or for any business purpose, such
| portion of the same a sum equal in value
| TO such portion shall be taxed
| In the case of building occupied as a
! private school the court held the property
| involved to be exempt from taxation while
used exclusivel y for educational purposes"
| although 10 seems clear Lnat one of the
objects of such use of the property was
| private gam" Whatever may be the
| special merits of that case. the Commits
sloners cannot but express their appre-
tension mat great embarrassment would
| result from general application of the
| principles upon which tnaU rniIng is based.
| BATHING BEACH.
with the object of giving effect to the
| appropriation made under the current Dis
| tTict law toward adapting the inner basin
| OF the Potomac Flats for a bathing beach
| poor, with the approval of the Secretary of
| War, the Commissioners have submitted to
| Ihe secretary OF War plans prepared by the
| superintendent of the bathing beach which
| seem well designed to secure the object of
| mat appropriation. The utility of the
! ment.
The patronage and popularity - this
mea ms OF recreation Increase with each new
bathing season.
| The SCOT of bitumi nous coal smoke emitted
| from the chimneys of stationary boiler
furnaces is the cause OF fiTdiscomfort
would be disgrace to the municipality.
The nuisance is the more discreditable for
| The reason that it is to a large extent
obvlated by careful stocking and the Use OF
| properly constructed furnaces. 1t has
| grown TO such an extent and is increas-
| ing at such rate that Immediate action
| Tor ITS suppression is generally demanded
| IT the city is to sustain it's exceptional
reputation for cleanliness and comfort.
POLICE COURT REVENUES
In consequence OF the defective system
| OF accounts connected with the collection
| ana deposit OF fines, penalties, etc. in the
| Police court OF the District, the official
| represent that officer as collector Oh the
| District side Of that court. failed to de-
post or account for, $11 ,507 SO of such
| fines, etc, collected by him from July g.
1892, to August 20, 1896.
| Under that Systemneitherthe Commission
| ers nor the auditor have any authority
TO supervise or AUDIT those accounts, and
therefore have no responsibility for the
| defalCation.
They have IN course of preparation a
| draft OF bill which they VIII submit at
| the present session, designed to amend ex-
| lSllng law on the subject so as to provide
Tor the appointment Of an adequately bond-
| ed receiving officer for all OF this class IF
| revenues.
a great deal of space is given to a dis
cussion Of the health department affairs.
| In thus connection the Commissioners
| say:
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
1t Is cause of much regret that the
gratifying decrease in the death rate re-
| ported last vear-thc lowest for twenty
years-has not been maintained, although
Stlll below that OF any year prior To 1885.
zane wa9s NUMBER nf of deaths rs fr2@ all
| that of the previous year. and an increase.
| IN the death rate on the whole population
from 2O-57 to 21.44. The increase in the
death rate for the white population. est
mated at 1877 500, was from 1897 to
| II 81. and for the cOlored, estimated at
| 81 300, was from 2S.1S to 29.4S.
OF this increased number of deaths ell,
or about 60 per cent, were from zymotic
diseases. the whole number of deaths from
es @eTe OF wte snd MnGn
crease in the death rate from this class OF
| diseases of 0.53 for the whites and 1.0T
mortality in this class the health officer
reports that 80 per cent occurred among
children under five years of age, and that
three-fourthS of these were IN their first
year.
After quoting the figures submitted by
the health officer as to the mortuary rate,
| the white race being compared with the
| COlored, the report says:
THE DEATH RATE.
1t serves to show that If il is rCssible
TO reduce the death rate of the colored to
that of the white population, more than
1000 lives can be saved annually in the
District. But whether this be deemed pos
sible or not, there can be no doubt that
the present death rate among our colored
people unnecessarily and alarmingly high
and that its material reduction, as well
as further reduction in that OF the white
population, depends wholly upon provision
by Congress for adequate system of
sewers and water supply, together with the
enactment and enforcement OF proper SAM
tary laws.
This has not only been established by
The report ofthe health officer and elaborate
reports TO Congress by the medical society
Of the District, but 1t was also conclusively
proven in the last annual report OF the
Commissioners by showing what had been
accomplished i'll reducing the death rate
by the Introduction OF sewers and pure
water supply in large European cities,
where much less favorable natural Condi-
tons existed than are found in the city
of Washington
The 81 per cent CHER death rate among
our colored than among our white popuIa=.
lion is largely, if not wholly. due to the
lack of proper sanitary conditions in the
localities where, by reason of their pow
erty, they are forced to reside. This is an
unnecessary and wicked sacrifice Of several
hundred lives annually-a heavy penalty to
enact from a helpless race FOR the a b.
Scncc of pure air, water and sc werS, which
it is within the power OF Congress to sup
ply. But they are not the only sufferers
The seeds OF death and contagion which
find their origin in these plague spots are
scattered broadcast by servan ts and through
the street cars and public schools thus con
shutting continual menace to the public
health. The health officer in his last
report says:
NEED OF SEWERS.
1T is well to clearly recognize the ex-
istence of an indefinite mum Der Of priyies,
constantly polluting the atmosphere, and
lnmany instances, the soil and wen water
How large this number is may be partly
inferred from the fact that out OF the
10, IL nuisances reported during the year,
12,005 were for privies, full, leaky, filthy
lshed Dy the substitution OF proper water
closets, under the drainage act, approved
May 10, 1886, as rapidly as the appropria-
ton for supplying necessary sewers and
the laying Of water pipes will permit.
There Is urgent need for sewers in the
rapidly growing suburbs as well as in the
city, but many OF these cannot be .upplied
until trunk sewers are completed and
system Of interceptlng sewers and sewage
disposal and protection against Hoods be
constructed in accordance with the plans
engineers in their report to Congress upon
the sewerage of the District OF tolunfUia
July, 1890 This important work ought
not to be longer della yed, and it is earnestly
urged that provision be made for it's com
mencement by the present Congress.
serious embarrassment is reported by
the attorney, the ma lor and superintendent
OF police and the health officer in their
efforts to enforce import ant health crdi-
nances and police regulations by the re-