The Washington herald., 1912-11-10

sAaAo ASSesssS A6utSS WSxC Ju&
pstins posaibls future increases IN
These 30 sales represent Q total Of
more than 0S.ooo.eoa The assessment
ftguSes on these prupseties total much
less than 10 pr cent undar that flgure
or something moro than 5 Per can't Of
the market value Of thsss properties a.
indicated In salea. These sales include
transactions In every block In this area
ana In some squares total moro than
two-thirds Of the entire area Of the
square They include an sales available.
whether the price was unusually high or
the opposite. Assessor Richards ssti-
mates that - per cent OF the entire
property In this business area 10 In
voived IN these Transactions.
The PineAot Case.
In substantiation Of the charge that
homes Of the wealthy in washington are
greatly underassessed. the George report
laid much stress on the case Of the Pin
chot house At Rhode Island Ayenue ana
scott Circle. This restdence, according
70 q special valuation by q local real
estate man. was underassessed about
ASsooo. an assessment Of about 50 per
cent OF conservative valuation upon the
worth OF the property.
In order to prove that this II an iso-
lated instance, Mr.. Richards has made q
table OF all sales within . radius Of
LOO feet OF the Pinchot house. including
nearly twenty sales made In the last fve
years and involving about 10 Der cent
OF all the properties in that radius. With
hve exceptions. all the sales noted IN
volved handsome residences, aseessed st
between Q0,ooo and 100000. The total m
volved In these twenty transactions was
Sss@]e0 The total assessed valuation Of
these properties entered In tslo Vas
$4s1,SA or $H,356 above what thess PROD
critics had sold for. Mr.. Richards u
preparing like tables dealing with hand
some residence properties around Dupont
Circle and other ultra-fashionshle To-
calities.
Another instance pointed to by Her
oeft J. Browne A. an instance Of dis
elimination In favor Of ths wealthy and
emphasized In the Gsorgs report 10 that
OF Friendshtp." the magnificent subur-
ban property Of John r. Mclean, the
local hnancier. Mr.. Browne testined that
the Mclean estate. while assessed on Q
basis OF $500 an acre, could not be
bought for $4,000. inferring that because
Mr. Mclean can afford to support and
keep above market price his estate IL
should be assessed at q valuation based
upon the highest offer he would refuse
for the property. Moreover. Mr.. Browne
testified. property on the other side of
Wisconsin Avenue from the Mclean
property ID assessed at only % per cent
of its real value, that L. at between
1850 and &b.250 per acre. although the
property he refers to Ii subdivded and
assessed by the square foot. He claims
that this property is held at between
u5,oO and $4,000 an acre.
Part Of the Report.
Here ID what Mr.. Richards has to ssy
about property around 'Friendship:"
The ground Just north Of FRIEND
ship sold q few years ago In Z large
piece at the rate Of 5000 an acre. It
ID assessed at 5,1oo an acre. Another
piece just east Of the Mclean property
sold at 5000 an acre and 10 assessed
at that figure. A large site adjoining
1t on the west sold for 5000 an acre IN
1910. Still another site on the east side
Of Wisconsin Avenue. opposite Friend.
ship. 10 being offered now for 5000
IN acre. with no takefx This property
ID assessed At 1880 an acre"
In refutatfon Of the charge that the
smaller and middle class homes are
underassessed, Mr. Rich
ards has tabulated recent sales In sI
number OF squares in Bloominsdale, oc-
cupied by small homes. In one square,
bounded by First and Second Streets,
Place and Florida Avenue. he
has found that the selling values In the
last three or four years have run about
900 per house higher than the assessed
valuation placed upon the property,
Another section Of the findings which
make up part Of the report, shows a
marked unfairness to the Assessor. In
support Of the contention that this dis
elimination is systematic and deliberate,
The report says:
AN examination Of the fIeld books In
the assessor's ONCE uncovsrs pare after
page Of systematic and uniform ers-
lures and substitution Of figures, reduc- |
ng assessments already Determined and |
At IN advance IN the specula five
areas. and raising assessmeuts sIreadv
aetermined and entered on sman homes' !"
In explaining this, Mr.. Richards points /
nut that when the field or assistant A.
'essors start out through the city they
AIRY Held assessment books, in which
he last triennial assessment II marked |
lown In pencil opposite the Description
4 each piece Of property. In cases where /
he assessors decided to increase or 1
over the assessment for the next trien-
liai roll the old assessment figure ,is
rased and the new substituted. When
No ueio UOOA1 8r0 Teturne0 10 the OflCa L
he figures are transferred to permsuent
'nSce records and written In ink, whether I
he old assessment has been changed or L
~ been undisturbed. II an appeal is l
aksn from the judgment Of the neld as
sssor and v granted BY the hoard OIL
eyfsw, the neld assessors figure IN the
6lce record stands. and opposite ,it n 4
oaumn reserved for changes on appesls 4
} plsced the appeal Assessment. Ii this L
onnection the George report Offers some
cures TO substantiate the claim. In |,
ended to Indicate that the Old 6.urcs |,
vere changed to increase the aseesSment
a improvements and decrease thsm cnl
and values.
This ONCE has no knowiedge Of ths
ource Of that Information" /" nayu MI
tchard2 II WIN stats nat-fo0tsd that
here never were any such figures onl
be fie3d books. Il
Oder CasssS Cftsa. /
The 0sorss nepoet citss. t1o caa,sI
Thsrs several govsrnmsnt squares wers Ii
endemnsd for guvse1ment ne ara Il
fhere changes wers uInde, II n $780,
ient rolls IN or1@ to tgings IT, ass,asski
lent within feaGuaahIe d1eEnhce~ erls
- eoadem1ak3ou AUard. 0np seoHo l
Dl1eula - =