The evening times., 1899-11-20

The annual report of the Assessor was
submitted to the District Commissioners
| today. At the beginning of his report As
SCISSOR Trimbie sets forth an extended ta-
BILE of the taxable personal property and
real estate in the District. and says that
the total taxes amounted to S2.S65. .S7S, 20.
The assessments were S6,5SS,S less than
last year.
During the past fiscal year 5,7S9 certifi-
Gates Of taxes have been issued" the report
says, ''an increase of 764 over the previous
year. The work connected with this
branch of the Office requires the services of
three clerks. one in locating the pieces of
property. typewriting and letter-press
copying. and two in making the examina-
tions and in verifying.
The current work has been kept up to
date, though it has taxed to the utmost
capacity even zone connected with the Of
fee The work increases every year by
reason of the large number OF transfers,
increase Of taxpayers. subdivisions, tax
certificates, licenses, correspondence, COM
munications for reports, etc.
During the past year transfers of real
estate have increased about 20 per cent
,ver the previous year, involving an in
creased amount of labor and requiring ex-
pert Knowledge TO avoid confusion on the
records. More accuracy in this matter is
obtained by the present method OF tran
scribing deeds by detail of a clerk from
this Office, ard a carefully prepared index
of the transfers affords increased facilities
for ascertaining the ownership up TO date.
With regard TO licenses the Assessor
states:
ttn Jad IttDa
1854 licenses were Issued, including 51s
barrooms, 125 wholesale liquor. and twen-
ty-one engineers licenses. There have
been certified to the Collector OF
Taxes 1.204 certificates for miscellane-
GUS receipts, and 1872 for insurance
percentage taxes. The total receipts
from licenses amounted 10 S322, ,6i4.49.
The decrease in revenue from this
source of nearly Sl9 600 last year has been
followed by a still further. decrease of
nearly S12 0G0. Twentythree barroom and
five wholesale liquor licenses were rejected
by the Excise Board. besides several appli-
cations for transfer. both of ownership and
location. 4
-Four hundred and eighty nine vehicles
were licensed the past year. divided as
follows: Numbered hacks, omibuses, and
two horse vehicles. %: numbered cabs,
coupes. carriages. and one-horse vehicles,
3g7.
"As stated in several of the previous re-
ports of this office, new legislation by Con-
grsss is desirable 10 inset the changed con-
ditions resulting from modern methods OF
rapid transit. The irtroipction OF auto
mobiles. horseless carriages, various kinds
OF motors and traction engines on the
streets ard roads of the District of Column
hia, will soon cease TO possess the merit OF
novelty.
Each year for many years, have called
attention TO the failure of the various street
railways Interested. to pay their arrears Of
taxes or street cars drawn by horses. The
thorough reconstruction Of the Belt Line
and AnaCostia railways $50 called. now
rapidly nearing completion, will mark the
last Of The old system of street cars drawn
by horsfs, and with il the obligation of
license tax under the old law.
Two hundred and severty-fve insur-
ance companies. or their agents, have been
licensed. as follows: Local companies, %;
foreign companies. 259.
In compliance with the instructions OF
the Commissioners this Office, since my
last report. has prepared for submission |
to Congress entirely new license laws, |
which were introduced February IL, 1899. |
and ordered printed; but owing to the late |
ness OF the session, were not considered |
by that body"
Reference is made to the REMEMBERING |
of houses and the licensing of exhibitions |
of paintings. The report concludes with |
several recommendations for increases in |
the salaries of the employees Of the As /
Office. The clerks are greatly |
overworked, the report states. and clerks |
do not receive sufficient compensation for |
their IahOrS