The Washington times., 1901-11-28
A DEFICIT IN THE
DISTRICT FINANCES.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AUDITOR
The Shortage Due to Causcs Not
Easily ControIIed-FiEure and
Facts-Arrcars of Taxes and
Carc of Public Property.

An apparent deficit in the revenues OF
the District of SIG, 1898 and an actual
| shortage of S22O. .1S2.57. are the chief items
of interest in the annual report of J. T
Petty, the District Auditor. which was
submitted to the Commissioners yes
terday. MIR. Petty states that the prin-
cipal cause contributing to this result
| is the use of large sums from the tax
revenue in the settlement of indebted
ness incurred for increasing the water
. supply. This Indebtedness, he says, is
known as the tunnel debt.
The Revenues of the District.
Another cause of the deficit is the de-
! parture from the organic act in appro-
priating wholly from District revenues
for expenditures which, in the contem-
plation of that act, might fairly be con-
sidered as payable Jointly by the Uni
ted States and the District
Mr.. Petty shows that under the opera
tions for refunding the tunnel debt there
was paid into the United States Treasury
during the fiscal year s531, 1922 from the
Water Department revenues and $685.
s21.3S from the general fund of the Dis
trict
| Under the operation of the second cause
mentioned the District paid last year
/ 1868 1880, and the Auditor says that the
settlement of additional allowances made
/ and those which must be made in the near
I future will greatly augment the total of
these expenditures
Mr.. Petty closes this section of his re-
port with the obsei yation that the
finances of the District are in a condition
/ to awaken grave concern.
The report shows the aggregate rev.
! enues of the District 10 be $4541, ,4O4.41.
, and the expenses s9,437. .S2s.13. These fig
ures do not indicate the true state of the
! District finances, as the United States
! pays one-half OF all ordinary expendi-
! lures.
! Reference is made in the report TO a
list of delinquent taxes furnished to the
Auditor by the Assessor, covering the
period from 1881 to 1900. The list is the
outcome Of the new card system inau-
/ gurated in the Office of the Assessor, and
the Auditor deems it correct 1t was com
/ piled for the use of the Auditor of State
and other Departments at the United
/ States Treasury. No effort was made to
/ record the delinquent taxes prior TO 1881.
/ because of a judicial decision to the eff
/ feet that the collection OF taxes in ar
rears for period of twenty years is
( barred by the statute of limitations.
/ such a consideration" says the Audi
I tor, lacking every element of equity,
( should not be allowed to go unchalleng-
ed In the interest of delinquent property
owners If it were possible to internose
: legislative or other preventive. / confess
my inability to solve the problem, ULIess,
as suggested recently by a brother Of
( fetal the solution be found in rigid en-
forcement OF the law regulating tax col
/ lections and tax sales, which provides a
remedy which may be drastic but is un-
questionably just. Objections are often
urged against special assessments, which
/ have at least the semblance of iustifica-
/ tion, but I can imagine no good reason
why any property not legally exempt
should fail to bear its just proportion of
| general taxes, which are levied for the
support OF the Government.
The Municipal Black List.
"The evil of delinquency is progressive
in its character, each year adding its
quota of non-paying property owners to
this municipal 'blacI. list and some meas
ure should be devised to stay its en-
croachment, but pending this action it
might be well to offer to those whose
titles are thus clouded a full acquittance
upon payment of the actual tax without
costs, interest or other penalty"
Mr.. Petty is decidedly of the opinion
that il would conduce to the public in
terest to provide better system for dis
tributing and caring for the property Of
the Government than has obtained here
tofore, and which still prevails, but the
necessity for a more complete registry
and accountability becomes increasingly
apparent as the operations Of the Dis
trict grow in ma gnitude and Importance.
AS means to this he suggests that all
: officers having in their care or under
! their control District property OF any de-
/ scription be required to account therefor
/ at regular intervals either to the Su-
/ perintendant Of Property or the Property
/ Clerk.
The Auditor regrets that he is unable
! to report the settlement of all claims
/ growing out Of the contracts made under
! the Board Of Public Works prior to 1874
/ but he says the Court Of Claims has found
| it impracticable to enter up judgments
in these cases.
The Police Pensioners.
Attention is called to the efforts made
| for several years past to obtain legisla-
ton in behalf Of the widows orphans
/ I'd retired members OF the Metropolitan
/ Police force who are in receipt of pen
/ sions under the act OF February %, 1855,
| and whose claims prior to May, 1896, were
! reduced 40 per cent in amount In conse-
/ quence of the exhaustion of the fund. but
SO far without receiving Congressional
! sanction.
! In closing the report Mr.. Petty says:
! "The business of the office continues to
| grow in volume and Importance, as shown
| by the transactions which form the sub
| ject of this report, 12,774 claims. payable
! from appropriations made by Congress.
| and l ,I85 accounts rendered in connec-
| tion with deposits made by citizens for
| whole and half cost permit work, having
| been audited and allowed during the
| wear"