The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-11-18
Mr.. KING CONTINUES
FIGHT ON WATER RENTS
Takes Issue With Report of
Engineer Commissioner.
SAYS RATES ARE ARBITRARY
Insists That Sche ddle Could Be Simpli-
fed, EquaIized, and Made Generally
More Satisfactory.

George w. kisiE. of 1925 Thirty-second
Street northwest, who for the past six
months has been so vigorously fighting
against the excessive water rents in the
District. has forwarded the following let
ter to the Hon. Commissioners of the
District of Columbia:
II again call your attention to the sub
ject of water rents. Vita all due re
spect, / think the Comm, ssioners make
a great mistake when they fail to give
due consideration to the great number
OF complaints ussde by the taxpayers,
and TO the n,HnGrous strong and con-
vincing reasons, why the present method
Of assessing water rents should be so
changed as to comply with the law. 1t
would be well for the Board TO reflect
that arbitrary and unlawful action. IN
the face of these protests. will lose, in
some measure. public esteem. which
servants of the people should possess.
Besides, gross injustice to the taxpayer
is peroetrated.
Misleading Assertion.
This matter of the adjustment OF
water rents could. with the exercise of
a little more Judgment be more equal
lied, and largely tend toward compliance
with the law. In the dailies OF Novem-
Der 10. 19O3 the report of the Engineer
Department, by Major Biddle, states:
The assessments of water rents are
made on the basis of width and height
This IS a misleading and erroneous as
sertion, and evidently Major Biddle was
led into making It by some of his in
competent subardinates.
ITO illustrate: A house "a feet high, 1G
feet front. containing six rooms. pays
$3.50 in annual water rent, providing the
said house Is but two s+ories high
Again a house "a feet high, u feet
front, containing 4 rooms and / basement
room, and stories, pays A67 per year,
proving that Major Biddle's assertion
that rents are levied according to
width and height. is not correct Again
he states that the complaints which
have been made are to the effect that
the rates are not uniform. ana that the
large balance to the credit of the water
fund, annually, is an evidence of the ex-
cessive rates. This Is a self-evident
fact. as your own figures prove. OF this
the District OF Columbia has decreased
this surplus, $4,000, during the last
year, in the laying OF new water mains.
Action Illegal
This only becomes an acknowledge
ment on his part that he has acted CON
trary to law. as seen in section l9s. Re
vised Statutes Of United States. which
section specially provides that this fund
shall be used exclusively for the main
tenance. management and repair of the
system of water distribution. He speaks
of water regulations, which formerly
provided for a charge Of 80 cents per
year per room, In case of rented ROOMS
This seems 10 have been the only feat
ure originated by the so-caIled thor
ough investigation" This schedule IS
spoken of as having been so carefully
revised to 10 into effect July l, 1902
This change amounted TO nothing, prac-
tically, requiring a certain number of
property owners to pay this SO cents.
which some did under protest. Others
never paid. When this charge was
abandoned the money was not refunded
TO those who paid
He speaks of schedule rates. which.
on the back OF the water rent bills, state
that when a story is used for domestic
purposes II shall be noted as a story.
yet at the same time three-story house
Of which the entire first story is used
for store or Office purposes and in no
manner for domestic purposes and not
connected with the second or third sto-
ries, is charged as a story and also as
a store.
Contrary to Law.
In fact. If your honorable body will
take the trouble to inspect this state
ment on the back of the water rent bill,
under the head CT Domestic Rates. you
viii find that not only have you made "A
complicated. arbitrary and misleading
set of rules, but at the same time the
entire clause Is contrary 20 law, as
shown by sections 1856 and 1877, Revised
Statutes of United States
You gentlemen have obligated your
selves to enforce the law not to arbi-
tIarily misconstrue 4. This water SEIZED
ule could be simplihed, ca lied and
made generally more sati4-Lctory
would suggest that the word stories be
stricken from the schedule Let assess
ments be levied on the basis OF width.
regardless OF stories and height, but IL
it is deemed essential that height should
be considered. then let height be calcu-
lated on a basis of feet.