Evening star., 1900-12-03

| Total tax on real ana personal
property. rty..................... $Z,oIZ,9&5.I6
Rate of General Tax.
The rate of general tax for the year was
fixed at 81 so on each 500 of all taxable
personal property and Of all real property,
except that used solely for agricultural
purposes the rate Of which was 81 per 500
| Of assessed valuation.
Population.
i The population of the District of Colum-
bia, according to the census of 1900, is
27S,718
A Municipal Building.
Among the many pressing needs Of the
District government there is not one which
constitutes more Of an emergency than the
want of flreproof municipal building. For
nearly thirty years the local government
has been compelled to rely upon such rent
ed buildings as could from time to time be
found most available.
When it is considered that all plats and
records of underground construction, as
well as all records relating to assessments
and taxes, are stored in a building which
may be destroyed by fire, and that such
destruction would involve an injury to
United States and District interests which
would be irreparable and wholly beyond
computation in money values. the invest
ment of amount necessary to construct
an appropriate fireproof District bui ing,
which would avoid such catastrophe.
would seem to be required by common
sense and by the ordinary precautions which
a business man would take for the protec-
ton of his own interests.
The Assessor.
In the office of the assessor the card index
system has been instituted with regard to
arrears Of taxes. the numerical index, and
all outstanding tax sales since 1873 The
ina uguration Of his system will greatly ex-
pedlte the transaction of the public busi-
ness, and will cOnduce to the convenience
or all who have business with that office.
Recently the office of the clerk in charge Of
special assessments, and that of the clerk
having charge of assessments for water
| mains. have been consolidated with the
SCISSORS office. 1t is believed that thereby
the convenience of taxpayers will be SUBJ
served and a better system of facilitating
the issuance of tax bills and certificates of
taxes will ensue.
The Collector of Taxes.
The Commissioners invite special atten-
| ton to the estimate for an increase Of the
| force in the collectors office, the business
| of which has grown far beyond the ability
| of the present employees to properly perform
| 1t. The numerous subdivisions of land
which have been made in recent years have
| by increasing the number of separate par
| GELS Of land correspondingly added to the
number Of tax accounts with which the
| collectors office has to deal While this in
| crease in the number of accounts Is burden
some In every branch Of the office, II makes
| particularly onerouS the work Of preparing
| the statements and certificates in connec-
| tion with the sales for delinquent taxes
| which have to be completed within very
limited period. Over five thousand of such
certi ilcates have been prepared and iss,ed
during each of the last two years and the
| number will probably be as large or larger
| In the future. This work has made 1t ne
| eessary to provide assistance for the COL
lector during its progress by detailing clerks
| from other offices, to the prejudice Of the
work in the offices to which they belong.
AS the most Of those so detailed are un-
famlllar with the tax records. frequent and
| serious errors occur, which might be avoid
| ed by clerks accustomed to the records by
| reason of their regular employment From
| time to time new duties with respect to
| various forms OF special assessments and
| permits have been imposed, and contribute
| to augment an amount Of work already
| largely disproportionate to the force aIlot
| ted to It's performance. and render the rec
| commended increases necessary for the ada
quate accommodation Of the public, and the
keeping of proper system of accounts.
! Street Cleaning.
| The hand system OF cleaning the streets
! of Washington, which was adopted July
| 1897. has been continued with UNQUALIFIED
| success; and the area cleaned by hand Is
being increased as rapidly as the appro-
priations therefor will allow. The daily
| area cleaned during the first year was
394, l2S square yards, at contract price
| Of 80 cents per 1000 square yards. The
| second year the daily hand cleaning sched-
ule was increased to 702 $40 square Yards.
| Of which 30S,512 were cleaned directly by
| the District. the average cost Of which was
| Is cents per 1,0OO square yards, as COM
| pared with 30 cents per 1000 square Yards
paid the contractor for the same work,
| The excellent showing made by the super-
| intendent Of street cleaning in demonstrat-
| ing that the work for which a Contractor
| was paid 80 cents per 1000 square yards
could be done under his supervision without
! contract for IL cents per 1000, caused the
| insertion of a provision in the appropria-
| ton act for the fiscal year ended June 30
| 1900. which limited the rate to be paid un-
der contract to % cents per LOCO square
| yards, thereby enabling the Commission
! ers to secure contract at the rate of 21A
cents per LOCO square yards. BY this re-
duction in the rate they were enabled to in
| crease the daily schedule to 12O778 SQUARE
yards. In the current appropriation act
| Congress further reduced the limit to be
| paid under contract to 20 cents per / 900
| square yards, and in the event Of failure
| to secure a contract at 20 cents or less.
authorized the Commissioners to do the
| work without contract. AS no bids were
| received. the work Is being done by day
| labor without contract, the cost Of which
| will not be more than Is cents per LOCO
] square yards. In which Is included the ex-