Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-16
The Local Tax Question.

The news columns OF me star lOudy COLI
tain another series of extracts from the
Department of Labor bulletin on municipal
statistics. showing the comparative per cap
tia rate of assessment and of expenditures
and the totals of receipts and expenditures
on various accounts in the seventeen cities
of Washingtons class chosen for this pur-
pose From one Of these tables 1t appears
that Washington's per capita valuation of
property. real and personal, is higher than
that Of Cleveland. Cincinnati. New Orleans.
Milwaukee. Newark Jersey City, Louis
willie. Minneapolis. Kansas City and st.
Paul Its per capita expenditure for main
teuance is higher than that of Cleveland,
Buffalo. San Francisco. New Orleans, De-
troit, Milwaukee. Jersey City, Louisville,
Indanap polls. Kansas City and St. Paul.
The table showing the totals of receipts
and expenditures is also Interesting and
valuable in connection with the pending
local problems. 1t is evident that with few
exceptions it costs more to maintain the
capital city than the average other Ameri-
can municipality. owing to the demand here
for the best to be had in every department
of community life. Washington is intended
By it's governors and its residents to stand
as a model for the country to copy. Its
streets. schools. protective departments,
parks, sewers, water service and all such
must be the best obtainable. And this
standard is to be maintained despite the
fact that the capital is now and probably
will always remain to a marked degree
residential rather than industrial city.
city of homes instead Of mills. the gov
ergfTnent departments furnishing the chief
source of income to the people.
The tables shown the other day disclosed
the high total assessment of the local prop
erty subject to taxation. and the first of
those given today repeats this demonstra-
ton in per capita terms indicating the
weight Of the burden which is placed upon
the relatively few taxpayers of the Dis
trjct in comparison with such other cities
as Cleveland. Cincinnati and the others of
the list already given all Of which are CEN
tiers of industry. with great establishments
subject 10 taxation TO tighten the burden
upon the individual contributors to the
city's funds. As stated the other day. the
Districts taxpayers form only about 13 per
cent of the total population, a proportion
which is known to be very small compared
with that which prevails in other cities of
approximately the same size.
1t is now proposed to add heavily to the
burden which the cost of maintaining the
=
Washington desires to hold up its end in
the partnership. 1t expects and asks to be
allowed to contribute generously toward
the maintenance of the various municipal
departments and the installation of new
works of municipal necessity and embel-
Eshment. 1t fully expects to go into it's
pocket for the funds required for these
works. present and future. All it asks, in
the provision of the local half of the cap
Ital maintenance fund. is that the manner
of collection be made as little burdensome
possible upon the classes least able to
sustain it. and that it be equalized to the
fullest extent of the Judgment and pres
cifrCe Of Legislators and officials. The city
believes. as far as public opinion has been
voiced, that the proposition to raise a mil
lion dollars from the taxation of personal
property Is out of proportion to the capac-
lily Of the people. Well 10 the total
sum to be secured by various methods. If
the government had not violated it's own
agreement of 1878 by forcing the District
to pay all Of certain sums which should
properly have been divided equally be-
tween the partners. the present emergency
would not have arisen and the ordinary
revenues Of the capital, through the nat
ural growth of business and population,
would have been ample for the current and
some of the extraordinary demands, with
out calling for unusual methods of taxa
tion.
The Russian minister of the interior was
killed By a student" The world is more
or less overburdened by students who do
not study.
Count Bonl Castellane has a son. If he