Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-09
Property Owners Paying Taxes for
the Entire Year.
CHANGE FROM SEMl-ANNUAI PLAN
Heavy Rush of Business Expected
Latter Part of Month.
REGARDING DELINQUENCIEs

Property owners OF the District Of Co.
! lumbia who have called at the District
| building since the LIST instant for the pur-
| pose Of paying their taxes for the wear
ending June 80 have found a new system
! In operation I'm the office Of the collector ~
| taxes. The new system of receiving mon-
! eys and giving receipted bills has been
adopted by the District Commissioners
after the plan of that employed in the
office of the treasurer and city tax collcc.
tor Of Providence r. L., and was deter
mined upon after a special committee an
pointed by the Commissioners had visited
several of the larger cities OF the east TO
examine into the various bookkeeping ar
engagements in vogue, in order 10 bring
about an Improvement in the policy hereto
fore followed In the District. When this
committee had reported in favor Of the
adoption of the Providence system a COM
mittee went to that city and personally
studied the arrangements. Under the d.
rection of the Commissioners Mr.. Davis in
stalled the system here and IL is now being
tried for the first time.
"A thorough test has not yet been given
the system and Mr.. Davis is Withholding
ms opinion In regard to 1t until the heavy
rush Of taxpaying which Will come the
latter part of the month has been encotlu-
tered. So far the system has been found
to be quite satisfactory, il is stated all
needed for its perfection. There are many
peculiarities connected with taxpaying in
the District of Columbia not generally IN
countered in other cities. and Il is more
than likely that to overcome these diffi-
Culties some change in any system an
ployed in other cities would be necessary
to meet conditions prevailing here.
The Providence Plan.
Under the Providence plan, which is now
being employed, every tax bill due the
District is made out in the office of the
District assessor In advance OF the time
when taxes become due and payable. This
was the case this year. and for some
weeks prior to May l the force of clerks
under Assessor Darneille was busIly en-
ployed on the work. The bills thus made
out We're carefully indexed and placed IN
compartments In a large fiat and
transferred to the office of the collector u
taxes.
Heretofore it has been the custom Of
taxpayers to stop at the assessors office
and call for their bill, which would then
be made out. They could thus examine
the bill at leisure either paying II at once
al the collectors office waiting a few
days as the case might be. Under the
present system taxpayers go Immediately
to the office OF the collector and ask at
either of two windows for their bills. The
clerks proceed to the case where all the
bills are on file and there search out the
requested. This bill Is not given out
until paid. Two cashiers are in adjoin-
ing compartments to receive money for
the bills taken from the file cases.
How the System Works.
The system has worked very satisfacto.
rfly except, It is stated. in cases where 8
the bill is made out for two pieces of
property, for instance, when the taxpayer
desires to pay on but one parcel. II is
often the case that q recent sale of prop
erty requires A split bill. In such instances
a.
aside and the matter be again taken up
in the assessors office. These who desire
bills in advance of paying them are also
accommodated at the assessors office
where slips termed memorandum bills are
given upon application. At present, the
property owners being accustomed To hav-
ing their bills several days ahead for
animation, there is a large demand for
memorandum bills and the assessors force
is busily employed.
Four clerks from the assessors office
have been transferred temporarily 10 ther
office Of the collector of taxes to help I'm
the operation Of the new scheme, bringing
the force of clerks in that office up to
twelve, minus one assigned to duty as Sec
ond cashier. Collector Davis asked for q
second cashier from the last Congress. The
Senate put the item in the District bill,
but IL was dropped out in conference So,
in order to expedite matters under the new
system. Mr.. Davis assigned clerk to act
as second cashier, personally assuming re-.
sponsibllity.
The true test of the new system will
come during the last ten days OF the pres
ent month. when the heaviest bills are ex-
pected to be paid and the greatest amount
Of business transacted. Taxes will be de-
lnquent after June l. and the District au-
thorties have so advertised. One payment
Is now being made to cover the taxes of
the year. For number Of years past the
District taxes have been paid in semi-an-
nual installments ,