Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-14
ON LOCAL MATTERS
District Bills Considered in the
House.
MEASURES PASSED WITHOUT DEBATE
Proposed Regulation of Street
Railway Taxes.
CONSIDERABLE WORK DONE

This was District day in the House, and
business was commenced as soon the
journal was read. The following bills were
passed without debate:
House 1865. To extend the charter of
the Franklin Insurance Co.
Senate 81. To authorize the public
printer to use government telegraph poles
on North Capitol street.
House $3.50 To amend the law relating
to carrying and selling deadly or dangerous
weapons. Commissioners biil)
House bill sO64 was then called up. 1t is
tc amend the criminal laws of the District
of Columbia.
The bill was passed. 1t is as follows:
That persons charged in the Police Court
of the District of Columbia in cases in
which the only penalty upon conviction for
the offense is fine not to exceed $50 may
give security for their appearance for trial
or for further hearing, either by giving
bond to the satisfaction of the court or by
depositing money as collateral security in
such amount as the court may direct.
Sec. =. That in all cases in the District
of Columbia where a defendant is sent to
Jail or to the WorkhouSe in default OF the
payment of a fine he shall be released upon
the payment of the balance of the fine due
by him. after crediting thereon as paid an
amount equal 10 tne proportion the Tune
thus served by him in Jail or workhouse
bears to the whole time he was to serTe
under the sentence
Railway Legislation.
Mr. Babcock then called up the bill
blouse J149) to authorize the Capital Rail-
road Company to use the double overhead
trolley system on the Navy Yard bridge.
The bill was passed without debate.
Senate bill 924 was then called up. 1t au-
thorizes the Washington and Glen Echo
Railroad Company to extend its tracks 600
feet within the District lines. The follow
ing provision of the Dill is of interest
That the company shall furnish and
maintain passenger houses, with suitable
conveniences for the public. as required by
the Commissioners of the District of Co
lumbia, and shall use first-class cars on the
railway, with all modern improvements for
the convenience, comfort and safety of pas
sengers, and shall run cars as often as the
public convenience may require in accord
ance with d time table approved by the
Commissioners of the District. Every fail
ure to comply with the conditions of this
section shall render the company liable to
fine of $50, to be recovered in any court
of competent jurisdiction at the suit Of the
Commissioners of said District.
The bill was passed as it came from the
Senate.
Mr.. Babcock calls6 up Senate bill 276l.
for the relief of the heirs of Pom K. Son
This bill provides that the title to the
properly VI deceased snail be granted
and conveyed to Everett Frazar, the consul
general of Corea at New York and his
heirs, in trust for the heirs of Pom Kwang
Sob, subject to the dover of the widow of
the said Pom kwang Sob; provided that
this shall have the effect only of quit
claim of all the right. title and interest of
the United States and of the District of
Columbia therein, not to affect any valid
adverse right or title to said land nor Gre
ate any liability on the part of the United
States.
The bill was passed without debate
The next measure considered was Senate
bill 10S1, to vest the title of certain real
estate in the District in its owners the
heirs of Jane Hail.
The bill was passed.
House bill S6O2, relieving Charlotte j.
Gottwals from the operations of the act re-
latfng to the alien ownership of land in the
District of Columbia.
The bill was passed without amendment.
Taxes of Street Railways.
Then Mr.. Babcock called up House bill
Si2l, to regulate taxes upon street railways
in the District.
The bill is as follows:
That every street railroad company op-
Grated within the District of Columbia
shall annually pay franchise tax to the
tax collector of the District of fve-eighths
of one percentUm of the entire gross earn
ings of such company. There shall be lev
led and collected, in addition to such fran
elise tax, upon all of the real estate of
said companies, tax in the same manner
and to the same extent as upon all other
real estate in the District OF Columbia. The
following named companies. to wit, the
Capital Traction Company, the Metropol-
itan Railroad Company and the Columbia
Railway Company. shall each pay, in ad-
diticn TO the franchise tax, an annual tax
of per centum on their entire gross earn
lnYS. All OInSr OF such cOmDanlPS within
the District shall pay an annual tax of .
per centum upon their gross earnings in
addition to said franchise lax.
All laws now in force in the District with
reference to the collection of taxes, the
creation OF liens therefor. and the time and
mode of making assessments and coiiec-
tiCns, are hereby made applicable to the
subjects of this act, except in SO far the
provisions herein may be incompatible
Herewith; and all laws, parts of laws or
provisions in any charter of any of said
companies to the contrary or inconsistent
with the provisions OF this act are hereby
repealed. This law shall take effect from
anG after the 1st day of July, 1898.
Mr.. Babcock explained the inequaiit:c-
now existing in the law relating to the
taxation of street railways in the District.
and said the bill proposed to correct these
and put all the roads upon an equal foot,
ing as regards taxation. The bill would
yield. he est n ted, about $4,000 annually
in excess of Ike amount now received from
street railrC ad taxes.
sent fair method of taxation. He sail
the Capita. Traction Co. is capitalized at
100000. The stock is valued in the mar
ket at SJ,OO0.O00. This value stands for ST.
Go0,Uo in property and 100000 for the
franchise. Under this bill the franchise
will pay taxes to the amount of $500. If
the franchise paid taxes at the rate of the
other property 1t would yield $4,000. He
said the system of taxation proposed BY the
bill was therefore inadequate.
Mr. Odell of New York defended the bill.
He said there was no city in the country
wEers the street railroad tax system was
faulty as in Washington.
Tie 5iil was passed
The Belt Line.
The next bill was House SSH prints OF
March III, defining the rights of the pur-
chasers of the Belt railway. This bill was
published in fun in The Star last week.
Mr.. Grosyenor offered an amendment to
the Belt Line bill providing that all indebt-
edness Of the company shall he paid before
he nd aap no III nd, tod II