Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-09

the proceedings for acquiring square CD
a site for an Office building for the
awarded as damages was In almost every
case four or five times as great as vafua-
ton put upon the lands for taxes
Where is the Awarct
Right here l would like to digress
effort was made TO find the report and
award of the jury in proceedings relating
to this square the task proved too much
1t was not among the records OF the ease,
where it should have been. 1t had not
been recorded either in the Interior De-
partment In the Office of the register
of deeds of the District. The Secretary or
the Interior had approved it and then 1t
had been turned over to a lawyer. and
with the exception of that lawyer there
was apparently no living man in possess
sion of the legal evidence necessary to
verify the title of the United States to the
lands included in square 60 of this city.
And this seems to have been the case May.
1904. Suppose all those lots were sold by
the former owners to innocent purchasers
without notice-there being no proper le-
who would be- to blame? And what would
be the result?
But though it was imposs: BILE to find
the report and award of the jury in any
place where 1t ought to be filed and re-
corded. it was possible to find petition
for payment of the amount due THOMAS
f. Mallan under the award, the following
facts which may be taken. N the absence
of the jury's complete report and award.
as forming average case:
Malian owned subdivision No III, In
square 699. This parcel of land was as
sessed for taxation at $6.04S and the i'm
total valuation of S13.S4S. The jury award
ed damages S31.496.O7. and the property
was probably worth that .um. All this
shows not that the government has paid
tao Nrrnh for hi Low unit nj
and in the section around the great cen
trail park which has been created beyond
the city limits. but that it has apparently
been grossly undervalued in the assess
ment of taxes.
Better Condition Downtown.
In the business section of the city the
discrepancies are not so great. the prop
erty there being taxed upon about half its
real value Stoneleigh Court is assessed at
So;J.99t. the lot being rated at sl0J,4.9 and
the building at $tt:i0Uc0. The New Willard
Hotel is assessed at Si,0t26;,5, the ground
at $4i2.G335 ard the building t So 100.
The Colorado building is assessed at So g.
)! =. the land at S136, So and the building at
$4,000.
Much complaint has been made in Wash
ington, not only against the discrimination
in assessments. but also against the under
valuation of land with reference to the
improvements thereon
The fiat buildings of the District seemed
to be taxed according to location. rather
than actual value. these in the business
section, Ike Stoneieigh Court, Being taxed
on 4 80 per cent basis, and those in the sub
urbs and outlying sections on 10 and 20
per cent basis. This is apparent from the
assessors report of 1905. in which it is
found that those bu;l--nss located In diff
fcrent sections of the city are assessed as
follows:
''Northwest-109 fat buildings assessed at
$3.50 BOG for all
Southwest building at $1,000
''Northeast-145 buildings at S351, $50 for
all.
Southeast, buildings at se5.sO0 for ALL
Total-2>5 buildings at $9l5.COo for all.
A Ridiculous Average.
From this it would appear that the aver
age value of fiat building in this city is.
according to the assessor. only s3.210. De-
Quoting the assessed value of StoneIeigh
Court, we have $f!J,0G0 as the total value
of 2S4 fiat buildings in the city, making the
average value of such building only
81, 105. Many of these fiat buildings are
immense structures. costing hundreds of
thousands of dollars and it eGoears that
this class of property is eYidently under
valued almost as greatly as the lands
around Rock Creek Park.
THE business interests of Washington are
apparently Disseminated against. In addi-
ton TO the cases cited from tie report OF
the jury in the 9th street extension pro-
ceednss. l might name numerous otAers
which have come TO light. For instance.
just take the following items:
'One square north of Holmead Manor
from 18th street extended to Brightwood
avenue, which was assessed at 500 an acre,
or ~ to 2h cents a foot. Yet this land
sold from 30 to ID cents foot.
Five acres in the Jones tract on 10th
street extended just beyond Brightwood
was assessed at $500 an acre, yet sold at
$3.50 an acre.
Nine acres opposite the Cleveland cot
tage sold at 5000 an acre and was as
sessed at $50 acre.
March -. 1893, four acres Joining the
Catholic University grounds sold for $4,J00
an acre; assessed at 500 an acre.
November, 1894, Dumblane farm of 100
acres sold for S150,0OO; assessed at $lo0 an
acre.
Fifty acres between Brookland and
Metropolis View sold to a syndicate of
Washington and Richmond men for $l0I,-
600; assessed at $25,S32
Mr. Morrell mentioned a number of other
instances in support of his theory, and
added
From all these citations. it is evident
that the land of the District is not taxed as
under the law it should be. and shows that
were the national government to assume
the entire cost of the District of Column
bia. as some people would have it do. that
no one would be benefited except the land
owners.
hot Reconcilable With Law.
1T is uncomfortable how the method of
assessment which now obtains in the Dis
trict can be reconciled with the law gov
erning the assessment of taxes which pro-
vides that all real estate in the District of
Columbia subject to taxation. including i'm
provements thereon. shall be assessed at
not less than two-thrds of the true value
thereof
This alw appears to be habitualiy vlo-
lated in the District assessors Office The
facts | have stated prove, indeed, that it
is entirely disregarded.
There is no proper machinery fer cor
rectng these existing abuses, for when
ever a taxpayer appeals from an assess
ment on his property the appeal lies from
the man who made il in one capacity to
the same man in another capacity. The
board of equalization should be an entirely
different board from the board of assessors.
And just consider the enormous outlay.
The regular force in the assessors office
consists of thirty men-one at $4,000, two
at 81 900 each, three at 81 400 each, seven
at 81 200 each, three at $1,000 each. one at
1850. eight at 81 600, two at 5000 each and
two at 5000 each. In addition to this. the
appropriation bills for 1905-'OO carried 81 50)
for temporary relief. The salary roll was
S43 0eO. The total expenditure for the as
SCISSORS office in 1905 was S64. 397.
"The salary account In the assessors
office of Buffalo for the same period to-
tailed S2,.6G9 The Washington Office is
n