Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-30
Work of the TrienniaI Assess
ment Is Rapidly Being
Concluded.
BUSINESS SECTION GIVES
LARGE PART OF INCREASE
Rapid Suburban Development Re-
sponsible for Adding Many
Millions to the Total.

A forty -mllion-dollar increase in prop
erty values in the District of Columbia
will be shown by the triennial assess
ment. which is now being rapidly brought
to close.
The total real estate valuation will be
approximately s3SO.O0o. 900, according to
Assessor William p. Richards. Under the
law the assessment must be completed
on or before the first Monday in Janu-
ary, 1914. The work will be finished by
that date and thereafter will be subject
to inspection and review up to and in
cluding the first Monday in June. 1911.
Principal increases in property values
have been recorded in the business sec
tions. il is understood, while extensive
suburban developments have led to rapid
changes in values in those parts of the
District
The assessment work was delayed this
year because of an investigation of the
assessors office conducted by the House
District committee. The resignation of
Matthew Trimble. a member of the board
and the removal from Office by the Com
missioners of Samuel T. Kalbfus. another
member. were also factors that con-
tributed 10 the delay.
Busy Since Last August.
When William l.. Beale and L. w
Oyster. successors, respectively. to Trim
BILE and Kalbfus, entered upon their
duties in the later part of August only
small portion of the northwest section
of Washington had been assessed.
The new officials, with Alexander Mae
kenzie. assistant assessor, and Assessor
richards. got down to work on the as
sessment i'll earnest that month and have
kept constantly at it since in order to
complete IL on time.
During the remainder of the week
they will dispose of a number of odds
and ends" connected with the task
which were purposely left to the last.
Today they inspected property located
near the site of the old Arlington
Hotel on Vermont avenue between II
and l streets. Because of the insight
ly excavation at this point, due to the
delay in the plans for building a new
hotel, property values in this neighbor-
hood have not recorded the values that
We're anticipated.
In refsfring to the new assessment.-N -Nx--
Richards said today that the work of
the board probably has been more care
vious years and that, as consequence,
many changes have been made in both
land and Improvement values.
all Sections Affected.
.'All sections of the suburbs have been
affected" he said, "as there have been
rapid changes during three years in SUBJ
urban development and I'm land values.
I'm the city. changes have been chiefly
in the business section. particularly be-
tween Ith and 18th streets. and running
from b street north to II street. Here
valuations have been increased III vary
ing proportions throughout the section,
and will amount to an addition of sew
eral million dollars.
Through the residential portions OF
the city very small changes nave been
made. although there are yet many
changes. that will come about during the
period of appeal when the board will
coniine itself strictly to investigation of
old structures.
1.-The board has been handicapped
throughout the assessment period by a
lack of field help and thorough in
vestigation of building values in par
ticular cannot be made until more field
help is supplied through action of
Congress.
While the amount of increase has
not been totaled. it probably will eX-
ceed forty million dollars, which is
subject. however either to decrease or
increase during the period of review.
Increases in the county have not been
confined to any particular section, but
have followed in about the same pro-
portions through all the sections-that
is, northwest, northeast and southeast"