Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-08
CORCORAN ESTATE
ENTERS INTO QUIZ
Continued from First Page.l


not built. property will fall in value
around there.
Have any of the Corcoran interests
ever appealed from your assessments!
asked Chairman johnson.
NO
WAS there ever an appeal from the
Corcoran building at 18th and F??''
II think So He said he thought
Corcoran Thorn made it,
please let us know who made the
appeal and what became of it?"
Mr.. Johnson asked what Mr. kalbfus
thought the Corcoran building, at 10Th
and F streets, was worth
THE land is worth about 500 a 1901
and the building is worth nothing.
At this point the testimony began to
be reminiscent of the long days of
quarreling over how much the Shore
ham Hotel and the Southern building
are worth.
Mr.. Kalbfus said the Corcoran build
ing property is assessed at $4,000.
The land. at Mr.. Kalbfus' offhand valu-
alton of SD square foot, would come
to- s1.066.000. The building is assessed
at $4,000. Mr.. kalbfus said his figures
were entirely "offhand"
How did the assessors come to as
sess the land at SIS when its market
value is s50?" he was asked
There has been wonderful rise in
values there recently.
Mr.. kalbfus said the Corcoran nome
at H street and Connecticut avenue, Is
worth, with the building off. S15
foot; possibly little more.
The ground is assessed. according to
Mr.. Kalbfus, who examined the rec
ords, at S5.25 a foot.
Puts Price on Property.
Mr. Kalbfus said he believes one-fourth
of the Arlington Hotel property is worth
So foot, about one-eighth worth $2o a
and that the whole would be worth about
81, 100000, which is $780, less than what
was paid for it. this estimate being de-
pendent on the erection Of the hotel
which probably will have boosting eff
feet on realty values in the neighborhood
Mr.. George asked Mr.. Kalbfus about
his record with the District of Columbia
government. and the witness began to
read from the outlawed statement winch
caused the tempest of yesterday.
He read:
In July, 1886, l entered the service Of
the District of Columbia government.
being employed as clerk in the office OF
the assessor. During the subsequent pc
riod of twenty-Seven years l have been
continuously in the service of the DIS
trict and during all of that time l have
been connected with the assessors office.
From 1886 until 1891 my salary was
$1,000 per year: in March, 1891, i was
temporarily promoted to S1,6W per an
num- and at the expiration of that tenn
porary promotion / was rated at 81, 400;
this was not a demOtiOn, my salary OF
$1,000 being temporary during the as
signment of 81 eco employe Of the as
SCISSORS office to other duties. July L,
1902, I was designated as an assistant
assessor in the Office of the assessor OF
the District, and my salary was IN
creased from S1,GOO to $1,000 per year.
1nl1 7 member
ship on the permanent board of assessors
at a salary of $1,000 per year. and since
that date have been member of the
board of real estate assessors, the board
Of personal and real estate tax appeals
and, until July 1 of the present year, of
the excise board
Mr.. George asked him for ''the story of
his bank account.
Il have asked the banks for it, but it is
too hard work + think, il you want it,
you ought to get it yourself
To Mr.. Johnson Mr.. George said:
Il don't know whether the witness is
hiding behind something here. This is
little Indefinite
Says Bank "Put Him OFF,"
Mr.. kalbfus endeavored to explain that
his bank had put him off after he had
requested that the information is neces-
sary.
Mr.. Johnson asked.
"You have heard it charged that ap-
plicants for saloon licenses cannot get
a license unless NJ. j. keane represents
the applicant?
Mr.. Kalbfus said he had heard all kinds
of charges.
The application of NJ. P. Keane for a
saloon and that of a man named O'Con-
nor was referred to. Mr. Johnson
asked If he had heard OConnor had
finally to employ NJ. ]. Keane; he asked
the same thing about other saloon ap-
plicants.
Mr. Kalbfus said he knew nothing
about these charges, which are echoes
of the HorStmann charges.
Mr.. Johnson made more than one ref
erence to the failure of Hamilton, Col
bert and Yerkes to get license for a
man named Quin." The inference was
that it required NJ. j. keane's influence
with the excise board to get a saloon
license
Mr.. Kalbfus said he did have a recol-
lection that Sam ]. Steinberger did not
get a license at one time until NJ j.
keane appeared for him.
Mr.. kalbfuS said June 30, 1911, would
have been the latest date for changing
the assessment on the Arlington Hotel
property.
Mr.. Johnson asked him to furnish a
list of assessments on a long string of
business and prominent properties. Mr..
kalbfus told Judge Prouty he would
take $2J,cGo for all he owned. He said,
in reply to questions, that he has three
sons, one at Cornell, one at 4 prepara-
tory school and another ten years Old
DR.. G.. J. OWENS MAY RUN.