Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-09

There has been reasonable CROWN IN
Washingtons assessed valuations ana IN
per capita tax valuations and In per
capita tax levy in the three years from
1905 to 1907 inclusive. The ngureS also
show by the census methods of computa-
ton a steady reduction of the total and
per capita debt.
Washington's increase in assessed valu-
alton is the more notable In that there
has been constant decrease in It's as
sessed and taxed area. While other Amer
lean cities are steadily enlarglng thelr
boundaries and by direct annexation IN
crea sing from year to year by mllilohs
their assessed valuation, in the case OF
the District of Columbia there is a steady
reduction in the absolute amount or TAX
able real estate from year to year, cor
responding to the COMBINATIONS mace
by the national government in the red
eraI district and the nations city Tor pup
lie purposes. For instance. in creating
Rock Creek Park and the Zoologicai Park
the government took nearly 2OOu acres oi
land from the Districts tax lst ana put
them in the exempted column slmilar
effect was produced, for further example
when valuable blocks of land were con-
denlned as the sites for the Congressional
Library building and the so-called city
post office So in the recent condemna-
ton of land south of pennsylvania ave
nue resulting in the withdrawal or nVe
CITY squares from the Districts tax reve-
nue. producing property, in which case the
District taxpayers were required 10 pay
one-half the cost of proceedings when
decreased by several million dollars tne
assessed real estate which bears the bulk
of Washington's tax burden. Clearly
where an increasing aggregate valuation
is placed upon a decreasing property hst
the burden of assessment upon tnat prop
erty grows heavier and heavier with alb
normal rapldlty.
The increase in Washingtons assessed
valuation is also notable, because it lacks
the great f. c:ors % increase In mann1ac-
,ur-ng plants aud commercial idlstrles
which n,e:e up the bulk OF grown oi
assessment in the ordinary American Guy.
The great plants ana industries .! va" a..
inpton are governmental and while they
have expanded normally they are exempt
from taxation. and this growth GOES not
figure in the tax assessment
therefore in comparing the growth OF
assessment Valuations In " as,ihs.on ~al,i
turing cities like Cleveland. Baltimore.
Cincinnati Milwaukee,. New orleans ana
Detroit, for instance, 1t must never De
forgotten that Washington largely lacks
the millions of taxable property which
are found in the American business CITY
! in the twenty-story skyscrapers, IN the
| solid blocks of business ESTABLISHMENTS,
and in the warehouses and factories
| wa sbinpton's greatest and almost only
| conspicuous and notable factories are
/ the government workshops, such as the
Bureau of Engraving ana Prlntlng ana
| the Government Printing Office. Wash
| ineton's greatest business establishments
are the government departments. with
their thousands Of employees These fac
tories and these business establishments
cut no figure in Washington's assessed
valuation for they are within the ex-
| empted fraction of the capital, which
! belongs to the nation.
How ridiculously low would be the as
sessed valuation of any of these COM
mercial and manufacturing cities if its
list of taxable property We're similarly
/ treated and there were stricken there
| from it's principal factories and business
establishments. How quickly would the
people of any of these cities perceive
| and complain that their assessment
valuation was excessive if after such
| examinations their citys tax valuation
was greater than that of some equally
populous neighbor whose tax list had
mot been thus curtailed. Washington 5
! population is less than that of any OF
! the cities above enumerated. Its assessed
| fraction lacks the indicated important
| factors of business city's valuation
| which cut so large a figure In the assess
ment of these other cities, vet the valua-
! ton of the assessed fraction of Wash
ington was in 1907 on the basis of the
actual valuations 144 per cent OF that