Evening star., 1915-11-10

inrehepsIon as to the result of his as
sessment work. He said he believed
that perfect assessments would result
and that the tax burden would be low
cred rs per cent
"Is there a feeling here that the
George report has pushed up the as
sessment" asked Senator Works.
yes" Mr.. Bradley replied. "and there
has also been the fear that some future
Congress not SO fully informed as the
past Congress- might act on the partial
/ information of some such investigation
as the George hearings"
How does the half-and-half plan pro-
tect you?" asked Senator Works.
| that we will not be taxed moro than
/ our share"
But that has not been realized. for
now you claim that the assessment has
reached an unbearable figure
| Senator Works said he Is satisfied
that the half-and-half plan does not
enter into the assessments. estimates.
appropriations or anything else, and
declared he could not see how the half
and-half plan afforded any benent to
the taxpayers of the city.
Assessors Given Discretion.
| In reply to questions by Represents
tive Cooper, Mr.. Bradley told the COM
fmittee that considerable discretion was
left to the assessors in cities through
out the country in the matter OF as
lsessing up to the values provided for
assessment by law.
For some reason said Senator
Works, assessors will not assess up to
the full valuation. That seems to be
pretty true throughout the country.
| Mr.. Bradley pointed out also that 1T
was practically impossible to get a full
valuation assessment that would be fair.
since real estate values are not fixed. but
| constantly changing. He said that after
years of work an assessment had been
made in Baltimore that averaged up
about S5 per cent of the full valuation.
the law being for full valuation as
sessment. In Washington. he said, the
assessment averages up about 7S per per
cent of the full valuation. although the
law calls for assessment on a two
| thirds value only.
Representative Cooper asked Mr..
Bradley how it would be to have the
rate 81 a hundred, instead Of $3.50 a
hundred on two-thirds valuation.
| "If the rate was made per cent here
we would be accused Of lodging taxes. ;.
replied Mr.. Bradley. He defended the
present plan of taxation here.
| But some people complain now that
you are underassessed,' said Senator
Works.
| bradley SAID IhaL OF course IHS
law might be changed so as to provide
| for a tax rate of per cent, with the
valuation at SO per cent, but he thought
on the whole the present law was good.
| He said that he did not believe there
would be real ground for criticism
against Washington If the law were
| left as it now Is, in view of the wide
discussion that has been had on taxa
| tion here.
Favors Rigid Tax Rate.
| Mr.. Bradley. in reply to questions.
said that he favored a rigid tax rate
in Washington, If the fixed proportion
Of the expenditures of the District was
to be paid in the future by the fed
eral government. He also said that
he believed the assessors Office should
have more help, but added that he
thought it would be unwise to have a
| different set of men act as a board
of review to settle appeals. He said
| the men who had made the original as
sessments were in better position to
pass on such appeals.
Mr.. Bradley then turned again to the
brief filed by Mr.. Browne. He read
! from page II of the Browne brief, un-
der the subhead. street extension
damages and assessments for taxa
| ton" Mr.. Browne gave figures alleged
to be the assessment on pieces Of prop
/ .
| Bradley pointed out that Mr.. Browne,
instead Of quoting the actual assess
ments for taxation. had quoted the as
sessments for benefits against these
where Mr.. Browne has stated in his
| brief that the assessment for taxation
| was only 1858 on these various pieces
| OF property. the actual assessment for
taxation was $17,072 These properties
| lay on 10th street extended.
"Mr. Browne undertook in his brief
to compare the assessments of these
properties to the awards made" said
| Mr.. Bradley. Il read from his brief
as follows:
| Ratio of assessments to awards 1
to II or per cent. Yet the George re-
port was severely criticised for con-
servatively stating after a careful in
vestigation that the ratio of assess
ments to land values in the suburban
| sections was l to g.
| The figures for assessment used by
Mr. Browne In his brief, as I have said,
continued Mr. Bradley were not the
| actual assessments at all, but merely
| the assessments for benefits"
| This criticism of the Browne brief
seemed to stir the committee more
than any Of the previous testimony by
said: MI Sf@o'e'' Representative cooper
Distortion of Truth, He Thinks.
ct is evident that there has been
somewhere an utter distortion of the
truth to make out a case and bolster
lup a contention. The George report
was based on alleged facts, sworn to
by witnesses appearing before the COM
mittee. 1t appears now that these facts
are not facts at all, but perversion of
the facts 1t seems that in this way,
the District. the country and Congress
| have been misled. This is even a
more astounding distortion of facts
| This committee must find out what
| the real facts are. I have said on the
floor of the House that the questions
of facts ought to be easy to determine
and should be determined in this con-
| troversy, and I was assured that there
was no question of facts.
| Here you see an absolute denial of
| alleged facts testified to under oath be-
fore a congressional committee. This
| is getting to be a very serious thing
| 1--WE ought to have testimony under
OATH" said Senator Works. ''It is nee
essary that these questions be settled
and the truth known. and IL it appears
that parties have appeared before a
congressional committee and have
| given testimony under oath which was
not correct. another department Of the
government ought to give the matter
| consideration"
| Representative Cooper then read from
the hearing of the George committee,
showing that Mr.. George had stated