The Washington herald., 1912-05-30
HOUSE PROBER
PRIZES OFF LID
In TAX OFFICE
Continued from Page One.

1
erty to furnish, at . fair rate OF taxa
tIon, all the revenue required for the
District government"
@DO You mean that the AdmInIstra-
tion of the District could be conducted
without calling upon Congress to bear
One-haIf the burdenf7 asked Mr..
| George.
"Yes," re1'ied Mr.. Browne.
Georges Views similar.
yesterday was not for the information OF
Chairman George. He and Mr.. George
have worked together, and the latter
knew the result OF the formers investi-
cations The fact that Mr.. George wish
ed It placed in the record. and the leeway
allowed the witness in drawing his own
conclusions, coupled with the fact that
Mr.. George knew in advance exactly
what Mr.. Browne was going TO say, in
dicates clearly that the conclusions OF
the investigator and those OF the chair
man OF the committee are identical.
In view OF this fact, Il may be reasoned
| that Mr.. George in his report will assume
responsibility for the statement made
by his investigator yesterday. that a fair
adjustment Of assessments will make un-
necessary participation by the Federal
government in the expenses Of the admin
istration Of the District.
As Mr.. George will frame IeEIsIatIOn
which he concludes the investigation
shows the necessity for, q may be eK-
peeted that his tax bill will wipe out
the half-and-haIf system which now
] obtains under what IL known ~ the
| "orEanie law" of the District.
Tells Condemnation Results.
Mr.. Browne started out yesterday with
the land occupied by the House and
Senate once Buildings. He showed that
in the case OF the House Building the
square was assessed at S4O6. 342, while the
price allowed by the condemnation COM
mission was $40, ,342. In the case OF the
square occupied by the Senate once
Building the price allowed by the COM
mission was S746.Os4. although the prop
erty was assessed at only $4Ol.57l. The
assessment figures in these instances
represent the full valuation Of the as
SCISSOR. The assessed valuation. by law.
is only two-thirds Of what the assessor
believes to be the true market value.
The witness said, in pointing out these
discrepancies. that the condemnation
prices were not above the market valua-
ton. Mr.. Browne referred pointedly to
the striking similarity in the differences
between the assessors valuation and the
condemnation prices in these two in
stances
Assessor Has Information.
The relation between these two
prices" asserted Mr.. Browne, strongly
bears out the assertion that the assessors
have no dlficulty In determining the
true value. It forbIds the theory that
they lacked information or were pro-
ceeding blindly, as, II such an explana-
ton were the true one, there would have
been a greater lack Of uniformity in the
differences"
Mr.. Browne pointed to the fact that
the assessed valuation on the sites to be
occupied by the new buildings for the
Commerce and Labor, State, and Justice
departments was strikingly close to the
price allowed in the condemnation pro-
ceedings. He made the direct charge that
In this instance the assessors had ralsed
the assessment valuation IN anticipation
Of the condemnation proceedings. Re
ferring to the singular fidelity' between
the two figures. he said:
'0WIth this Rs q spur, they (the as
seasOrs) produced figures so close to
the prices paid for the property as to
amount to practically the same result.
There was . discrepancy of only 4 per
cent.
Proof of Assertion.
NO more absolute proof. in my opIn-
ion. could be furnished Of my assertion
that the assessor, with adequate once
machinery, can arrive at accurate re-
suits as readily as a board Of con-
demnation acting under court instruc-
tons"
To Illustrate his contention that land
Is grossly underassessed and improve
menls correspondingly overassessed, Mr..
Brown quoted figures from twelve
squares in the heart Of the busi-
ness district-between Pennsylvania Ave-
nue. and H Street and Ninth Street
and Fourteenth Street-showing the
enhancement in values in the last
twenty-five years. According to these
figures, the land Included in the twelve
squares he selected has increased $1l,-
2l5. s4S. or "a per cent. in the last twen-
ty-tWo years. improvements on these
squares have enhanced $3.2os. 100. or l25
per cent Land values have increased in
value for these squares 7f per cent
Sore than improvements.
Quotes Residential Values.
Taking twelve residential squares. Mr..
Browne showed that the land values
had increased only = per cent. while
the value OF improvements had increased
q per cent in the last twenty-five years
1T Is evident from these figures said
the witness, that this area (the resi-