The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-22
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT
A Bill Relating to Water Main As
sessments Sent to Congress.
The Commissioners Point Out the
Need of LegisIafion-The Tax Pay
ment Measure Also Submitted
Legal Opinion on n Request for
Permit TO String Telephone Wires.

On December Ii the Commissioners sent
to the House Committee on the District
of Columbia the draft of bill relating
to the assessment and reassessment of
water main taxes in the District of Co.
lumbia." The object OF the bill, as stated
by the Commissioners to the committee,
was to reduce the cost TO the property
owners of publishing notices of the levy
ing of water main assessments, which, un-
der the present law in many cases, large
iy exceed the amount OF the assessment.
The Commissioners stated TO the com
mittee at the time of sending the bill
that IL proposed to leduce the number of
insertions of such notices, but retained
the provision that published notice should
be given in all cases. The Commissioners
have now come to the conclusion thas the
published notice should be omitted en-
tirely in all cases where personal service
can be made upon the owners, agents, or
tenants of the property affected, and they
have decided that published notice should
be required only where such service shall
be found impracticable.
They have therefore, sent the draft Of
a new bill to the committee, and in their
letter transmitting it TO the Commission
ers point out the fact that the personal
service can be done by inspectors whose
salaries are paid from the general appro-
priation. Che cost of such service, they
say, under the new hill, would not be
made a direct charge upon the property
owner, while the present law requires
that the cost Il the published notice shall
be assessed, tbgether with the tax itself
against the property.
THE great majority Of the owners of
property" say the Commissioners, in
the District are prompt in paying their
assessments when notified that they are
due and IL is believed that public spirit
in this respect should be recognized by
keeping these charges at the minimum.
AS personal service is the least expensive
and the readiest way in which those as
they should not be put to the extra ex-
pense of paying for published notice,
and that this notice should be required
only where the property owner is not ac-
cessible to the inspectors"
The Commissioners call the attention Of
the committee to the fact that the new
bill provides that the water main assess
ments shall be paid in three instead of
four installments, and that the rate of in
terest on the deferred payments shall be
c per cent instead OF 10 per cent. In re-
marking upon the proposed reduction in
the number of installments. they say 1t is
in conformity with the method generally
in vogue in regard to other special aFsess-
ments. while the reduced rate of interest
is believed to be as high as the munich
pality is justified in demanding, without
being low enough to encourage voluntary
delinquency on the part of the taxpayer.
W. l.. Read recently wrote to the Com
missioners complaining OF the new pave
ment being laid in front of sub-lot 2S6,
square 1855, without notice to him. In
connection with the laying OF the pave
ment, ne informed the Commissioners
that the parking next to the house had
been injured and he wished to be inform
ed who would be called upon TO repair
the damage.
The complaint was referred to C. B.
Hunt, the Computing Engineer. who has
reported to the Commissioners, recon-
mending that the writer be informed that
for three years past the policy OF the En-
gineer Department has been to consult
to the fullest extent possible the wishes