The Washington times., 1907-08-12
GAS COMP PANIES
HINT At FIGHT
OVER TAXES
Inconsistency in Assess
ing Properties Appears.
Corporations Silent.

Although officials of the two gas
companies would have nothing 10 say
this morning regarding the increased
assessments on their property made by
the board of ASSISTANT assessors, the
latter were led 10 believe, when they
Informed the official Of the proposed
Increases, that both companies would
contest the additional assessment and
bring the matter before the board of
equalization and review at its next ses-
sion.
None Of the officers Of the George
town company were at the offices Of
the company when a reporter called this
morning. William B. Orme. secretary
of the Washington Gas Light Company,
when asked whether his company would
make a contest, replied that he did not
know. Asked whether he had official
knowledge Of the additional assessment
OF Sl,O00.O0O against the company, he re-
piled that he could say nothing what
ever about the matter in the absence
OF the president.
Inconsistency in Assessing Property.
A peculiar inconsistency in the meth
cd of assessing the property of the two
gas companies has obtained for a num-
of years. The ledsers of the District
assessors containing the real estate as
sessments read Real estate. mains,
meters. pipes. etc" This wording has
now been changed TO Real estate,
mains. service pipes. and meters Al
though the books distinctly have inclUd-
ed pipes and meters. the returns Of the
companies have been on mains alone,
and are so expressed in the companies
statements.
When Commissioner West recently
called the attention of the assistant as
SCISSORS to the Information submitted IN
the hearing OF the Georgetown COM
pany before Auditor Payne, they dis
covered that service pipes and meters
were set down with large valuations
Thereupon they proceeded to assess the
value Of these two items for both CON-
panies. with the result that they added
s. 10000 TO the books for the Washing
ton company and $S9,cS5 for the George
town company
II seems that although the books cal
Tied the two items, there have really
been no taxes paid on them. The as
SCISSORS explain this in a measure by
saying that the companies claimed that
they did not own them. No one else
owned them, so they have escaped tax
alton entirely The evidence of values
submitted by the Georgetown company
before Auditor Payne, however, set
them forth clearly IS the company 5
property.
Although he Is diSincllned 10 ADMIT II.
Commissioner West Is in a large measure
10 be credited with these additions to
The tax basis Of the District he advised
the board OF assistant assessors, whose
duty II is 10 discover where property
has escaped taxation, 10 take official
cognizance Of the evidence submitted by
the GEORGETOWN Company In It's peution
to double its capitalization. Later, also.
wher, these officials informed him Of
their findings and stated that the gas
companies would in all probability carry
the matter TO the board OF equalization
and review. he said 20 them that under
the law II was their clear duty TO make
the additional assessments and that the
CommissiOners would back them up in
their action.
Corporation Counsel Thomas, who has
been representing the District In the
hearing Of the Georgetown Company.
said this morning that he would have
nothing to say now about the increase
in the taxes Of the gas. companies. II
had not come to his official attention, he
said