Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-22
LOCAL MATTERS CONSIDERED
BILL PASSED REGULATING ASSESS
MENT OF WATER MAIN TAXES.
of Metropolitan Line and
ence Reports In the House.

A1ter Inc star s report or the Rouse ot
Representatives closed yesterday afternoon
the bill Oh. r. S49S) to amend the act au-
thorizing the reassessment of water main
taxes was taken up. 1t provides as follows:
That the act entitled AN act to authorize
the reassesSment of water main taxes in
the District of Columbia. and for other pur-
poses" approved July s. 1885, be amended
by striking out the following words at the
end of section >: That water main tax or
assessment or reaSsesSment shall be due.
payable and colectible on each lot or parcel
OF land or premises and after the date
on which the connection is made from the
water main to the lot or parcel of land or
premises. and inserting in lieu thereof the
following: That hereafter whenever a wa
ter main or mains shall be laid in the Dis
trtct of Columbia, the Waterman assess
ment or tax authorized by law shall be as
Sessed within thirty days after such water
main or mains shall have been laid. and the
owner or owners affected by this assess
ment or tax shall be notified that the same
has been assessed by notice inserted daily.
Sundays excepted. for two weeks in two
newspapers published in the District of Co
lumbia, and such assessment or tax shall
be payable in four equal installments, the
first of which shall be payable without in
terest within thirty days of the date of the
last publication of the notice. the second
within one year, the third within two years.
and the fourth within three years from
the date of the last publication of the
notice. and interest at the rate of 10 per
cent per annum shall be charged on all
amounts which shall remain unpaid at the
expiration Of thirty days from the date of
the last publication of the notice: Provided.
That II the assessment or tax IS paid in full
at any time within thirty days after the
last publication of the notice. an abatement
of per cent shall be allowed on the entire
amount of assessment. The cost of publica-
ton of the notice herein provided for shall
hn al no
collected in the same manner that assess
ment is collected
That in all cases where a water main has
heretofore been or may hereafter be laid
IN public street or way, and in order to
secure the laying of such main the cost or a
part thereof has been paid to the District
of Columbia prior to the laying of the main
by any person or corporation, there shall be
repaid from time to time to such person or
corporation, out of the collections from the
assessment for such main. all of the
amounts so paid over and above the assess
ment chargeable against the land owned or
controlled by such person or corporation.
The bill was passed
Sixteenth street Extension.
Mr.. Babcock then called up the bill Oh R.
$685. for the extension of the Metropolitan
railway on 18th street. The bill provides
that the Metropolitan Railroad Company
be authorized and required to extend by
double tracks the lines of It's underground
electric railroad from its present terminus
al the intersection of 18th street and Co.
lLmbia road easterly along Columbia road
to the present 10th street northwest thence
north along 18th street to Park street: Pro-
vided That no cars shall be switched in the
streets after the expiration of two years
from the passage of this act
Before such exte IN shall be constructed
Columbia road and the present 10th street
shall be widened to the width of 100 feet
along the lines of the railway as extended
by the Commissioners of the District of
Columbia. and the Commissioners shall in
stitute proceedings for the condemnation
of so much land as may be required for
the widening. which proceedings shall be
instituted in the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia under and in accordance
with the provisions of sections 257 to 2G7
both inclusive of the Revised Statutes of
the United States relating to the District
of Columbia: Provided. That the Commits
sloners are authorized and empowered to
locate the lines of the railroad of the COM
pany within the area so to be acquired.
And provided further. That the operation
of the cars of the Metropolitan railroad
within the Capitol grounds shall be under
the control of the architect of the Capitol.
The extensions herein provided for shall
be completed and put in operation within
one year from the date of the widening of
the highways as herein provided.
The bill was passed.
The Reform School.
which passed the House yesterday amended
the act establishing the reform school by
fixing seventeen years as the limit of the
age Of admission of inmates and providing
that boys may be discharged or appren-
ticed before they reach the age of twenty
one years.
After the disposal of the District of CO.
lumbia business a bill was passed in the
House yesterday to admit the publications
Of state agricultural departments to the
mails as Second-claSs matter.
Conference Reports in the House.
The conference report on the agricultural
appropriation bill was presented and
adopted
The conference report on the army ap-
preparation bill was presented. An item to
appropriate $500 for a library in Manila,
to which the House conferees agreed,
caused the rejection Of the report and the
bill was sent back to conference.
The conference report on the fortifca-
tons appropriation bill was adopted.