The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-06

Some OF the people OF the District re
| Gently had a practical illustration Of tn,
lack of proper facilities for the promp
transaction OF business in the Office of th'
Collector of Taxes. Hundreds of propert!
bolders and owners of dogs went to tn,
District Building during the closing day
Of July and the LIST day OF August to pa.
water rents and secure license tags TO
their pets. They stood in line for hour
in the sweltering heat of midsummer
waiting their turns at the window Of tn,
cashier. while he took their money slow
ly and an attendant secured the signing
of the receipts.
Frail women were sandwiched between
stout men and burly negroes, and grew
! faint and sick in the sitting atmosphere
| befouled by the breath and perspiration Of
people in the crowded corridors. The ven.
tilation of the building, never perfect, was
totally inadequate to carry away the con-
taminated air. Men emerged from the
ordeal vita headache and parched lips, and
women pale and weary walked feebly
down the steps to the cars, saying that
the experience of paying water rent or dog
license under such conditions is disgrace
TO the District.
These discomforts of taxpayers repeated
in May. July, and November each year are
in measure due to their own carelessness
and neglect. They wait until the last days
OF the prescribed period for making pay
ment. and then come in such crowds that
it is impossible to promptly wait upon
them. There is time enough, of course,
between the assessment of taxes and the
date when penalty begins for every per-
son indebted TO the District 10 pay his bill
and have it receipted, without delay or
jostling by his neighbors. Many taxpay-
ers, in order to avoid the crowd, take
advantage of an early day to meet their
obligations. But as the Collector Of Taxes
recently remarked to q reporter of The
Times, there seems to be trait in human
nature to procrsstinate. and the bulk of the
taxes are paid. so 10 say, at the eleventh
hour. He declared that the public has
itself TO thank for its discomfort, and he
thought that there was not much call sor
sympathy TO be- expended upon people who
waited until the last day of July to pay a
water tax, upon which penalty is charged
on August l.
Inside the Screen.
But only a glance is needed behind the
steel wire screen which separates the COL
lector's office from the outside world to
show that the clerical force is misei ably
inadequate. While the crowd last week
was sweating outside the busy men inside
were working with might and main 10 las
ten the signing. stamping, and return of
receipts. During those fsver.sh 10 RS E. G..
Davis, the Collector OF Taxes, was himself
sitting at his desk performing the clerical
work of signing the water rents.
There was no man, not even the Dsput 2
Collector, who could be detailed 10 that
task. rs he expressed it. II Mr.. Dayis
could lave been spared from the labor at
his desI he could have been directing the
clerks inside aud managing the crowd out
side TO the advantage and comfort of all
concerned. To meet the crush which liter
ally paTalyzes the working force OF the
Collectors office four times year, there
are ten men. These are the Collector, the
Deputy Collector, the cashier. bookkeeper,
four clerks, one working in the double ca
pacity of clerk and messenger, and a mes
senger. In the arrangement OF the Office
the cashier receives ali taxes, and the pay
ment OF licenses also pass through his
hands, except that on the closing days OF
July, for example. one OF the clerks is de-
tailed to receive the payments for dog tags,
TO the Gripping Of the receiping and ac-
counting.
In explaining the situation TO the re-
porter Mr.. Davis said that what was needed
was more room and sufficient office force TO
have one or two clerks detailed 5 cashiers
for the receiving of taxes on the busy days
He stated that such additional force could
be utilized at all times in attending to the
accounts, correspondence, requests for in
formation, and other details of the office.
One of the taxpayers waiting in the line
The other day expressed the view that the
congestion in the receipt OF taxes at the
Nnll Ff.rfc nsFn mic Thf hn hrr
little better management inside. For ex-
ample. he said, the Office is not opened in
the morning until s O'Clock, and is closed
at 3. This man admitted that all bands
might have to work hard, but that it las ed
not more than four days. He thought that
such emergencies arose In every business.
The merchants liz We them, he explained, en-
Saturday evening and on holidays Trans
portation lines ha1 e them, as wall as hotels
and other enterprises. and this man thought
It was not strange that the public service
should have brief periods of unusual work
las 1t is now continued the taxpayer. "a
crowd gathers before the Office Is opened in
the morning. Il continues through the day,
and when O'Clock comes many are turned
disappointed away. after standing In line
perhaps for an hour or more.
Now, what would do would be to open
the Office at o'clock. or 1880 if necessary
for the early birds, and at o'clock /
would give instructions. If the line was
long, that no more should be admitted from
the outside. but those in the line should
be accommodated II 1t took until o'clock
in the evening. This woulti not only re-
lieve the situation by giving more hours
for the receipt of taxes, but would keep
the public In better temper. 1t would not
hurt the clerks to work overtime for say
four days"
The Amounts Collected.
Mr. Davis stated to the reporter that
few people have any conception of what
is required in his Office. The taxes on
real estate alone, he said, are about SO, 00O,-
900 each year. and this requires no less
that 81. 600 entries in the books But that
is not all" the Collector continued; I'VE
are called upon to receive not only taxes
for the current year, but various amounts
of back taxes for some years. Here you
Will see in my last annual report that the
Office received delinquent taxes back TO