The evening times., 1900-10-16

The Committee on Taxation of the Bust
ness Mems Association appeared before
the Commissioners today TO present their
views on the subject of delinquent taxes.
Thomas G. Hensey, chairman of the com
mittee, was the first speaker and he dis
cussed the general subject OF delinquent
taxes dwelling particularly upon the ex-
cessive penalty attached to the collection
of taxes overdue, amounting to 12 per
cent year He said there were two
views OF the subject, that of the property
holder and that of the official of the Gov
ernment charged with the duty of collect
ing the money due the District from the
various sources of taxation. He said
that he appreciated the difficulties that
attended the collection of this money, but
he doubted very much whether it was in
the least facilitated by the addition to the
burden of an interest charge twice that of
the legal rate of interest and three times
that of the lowest rate at which money
could be secured on gilt-edged security
Mr. Hensey said that the States of the
Union had undertaken to regulate the
rate of interest and that in the District
OF Columbia 1t was not legal TO charge
more than per cent, or more than 10
per cent on special contract. and yet he
said at one time the District imposed "a
per cent on delinquent taxes and now i'm
poses IL per cent. Mr.. Hensey designated
This charge as usury, as a needless bur
den on the poorer property holders and
he declared that he did not believe that
it fastened the payment of taxes. He
stated it fact that in the reduction
of the penalty from q per cent to u per
cent there had been q visible increase in
the number of taxpayers who paid
r.Ytx 81 .
be the aim of the Commissioners to m
iict the least hardship possible upon the
taxpayers, but instead of that the pen
atty was like adding the burden OF exces-
siye interest to the burden of the tax.
L. NJ. Saunders followed and made a
strong point by calling the attention of
the Commissioners TO the matter OF the ,
sewer and the water taxes in which the J
law prescTibes that the tax may be paid in
instaliments and yet after the first a PEN |
ally of per cent is laid in the case of /
sewer assessments and 10 per cent in the |
water bills. Mr.. Saunders pointed cut that |
there was here no violation of law and |
virtually no delinquency end yet the pen /
al:y is laid
". J. FriZell spoke on the subject OF ad |
vertising, showing that the present charg !
es Of $1.20 was 100 high. Equity demand |
ed that the charge for advertising should |
be the actual cost with nothing added |
thereto He advocated the striking out of |
the items for clerical WORK. paper, pens, |
etc. which now go TO make up the S1.20.
Donald Mcpherson spoke of the penal
ties attached to the collection of taxes as
coercion. as a brutal law and as too Sc
we're for an enlightened community.
c. H. Syne showed to the Commission
ers that taxes had priority over other
debt There was no risk. After two
years the land could be sold. and the land
was always coed for the taxes. II could
be sold without cost to the District or |
other legal process than simple adver-
tisement Mr.. Syme took~the ground that |
the District does not need the penElty |
to protect itself, and as it works a hard |
ship upon the property holder, il should !
be abandoned.
The committee then asked the Commits
siCnerS TO ask Congress for the passage |
OF law reducing the penalties fer col
lection of taxes to per cent per annun.
Charles CAN'T Harris, Inspector of the
Electric Department. has recommended that
the Western Union Telegraph Company be
requested to remove three poles on F
Street northwest, between Ninth and
Eleventh Streets. Mr.. Harris says per
mission has been obtained from the Ches-
apeake and Potomac Telephone Company
to afhX q -en-Din arm Gu two of their |
poles and permission has also been o o ain
ed from the property owners On IL north
west corner of Tenth and S.rcc.s TO
t'ach the District of Columbia signal wire
which will be removed from pole 39i to the
ROOF of their building. This arraI cement
will accommodate the wires now on the
poles TO be removed This change, be
sides clearing Street of these unsightIy
poles. which are rotten and dangerous, will
remove the last yestige of lateral pole
and wire construction on this important
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany has requested permission of the I
TO erect new telegraph | ,
poles and TO string wires on these and
other poles in connection with the inter ,
locking at Metropolitan Junction " at
Second and l Streets and Delaware Ave !
1ue northeast F. p. PateuaI, signal en- :
gineer OF the company, who made the re- :
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