The Washington herald., 1915-12-12

4 where near such -preposterous
| figures. He had assessed the
land values of the business
| district below. <.-......-...... $30OO.0t
A full value of......-............. $45, ,OOt
Assessor Richards in 1872 assess
ed the immensely valuable
lands of the entire business
district. (section No. of the
| George Report map). of prac-
tically the same area as these
five Government pieces at...., $40. .2n ,5I9
indicating full value Off,. so. .H5. .3ss
over s75,0Oo.0OO below Mr.. Dsr- s
| neille's figures for the five
Government areas. though
nearly s2s.000.0O0 above Mr..
Darneille's full value assess
ment for the lands of the
business area.
Including Mr.. Darneille's estimate of
Bot'ncal Gdns. 517.s5o it. at 500 $2.5ss.2JO
/ Plus So. 1,294 Us
Full value $50 s3.sss.s
Potomac Park. 7S9 acres $.Al.21
| Plus 50I 3.220 .9l3
Full value ss.ss2, ,74o
and the seven contiguous parcels
| amount to- -Sl62 b6p.O
| Or four-fifths of his total figures
| for the Government land. ex-
| elusive of streets. avenues and
alleys. His full valuation as
sessment of the taxable land
values of the whole District
in 1904 was..-.-.--.... .$lIS, ,S02, 37
Assessor Richards' Balloon Of 1918.
Assessor Richards would find in the
! business area in the 19l4-15 assessment
less than Ss0,000.000 on both land and
improvements tAnnual Report, p. ~. The
separate figures are not available, but
the improvement increases could not
have been much more than 100000 in
that area in three years abeve the So
80, 93S of 1912 Placing the Improvement
assessment at Sse,ooo.0oo, remainder for
the assessed land values of the business
area in 19l4-15 is disclosed of not
over $4,000 900
or raised 50 per cent to full
value ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. SSi, 600 900
yet he places the sites Of IL
principal Federal Buildings at SAC. 6.U1 "a
or raised 80 per cent to full
value ST., ,Ios, ,eIl
Assessor Richards 1915 total fig
ures on the Government areas
are, full value. ue................. 500. al 561
Assessor Darneille's total. S217, ,594, 81
Allowing for certain areas added to
Government holdings since 1904 there
would be less than 10 per cent difference
in their estimates.
In his annual Report for 1914 page III.
Assessor Richards places the Federal
areas. exclusive of streets. alleys and
small areas. at $3.50 acres. District Sur
vcyor Hazen places all the Government
areas. including streets, avenues. alleys
and the Anacostia Flats. at 5.2s4 acres.
Even Surveyor Hazen's accurate esti-
mate includes the areas used for reser-
yoir sites, of which the District Is the
principal beneficiary. and both include
Rock Creek Park, Geological Park.
Meridian Hill Park and numerous other
late acquisitions in which the District is
one-half owner by actual appropriation
and purchase.
PuncturinE Assessor Richards'
Balloon.
But accepting these areas for purposes
of comparison. the privately owned and
taxed area is approximately 1000 acres,
or four times the land area owned by the
Government.
Rock Creek Park and the adjoining
Geological Park lie in the deep valley OF
Rock Creek and would be as private
property far below the value of the ad-
jacent privately owned unsubdivided acre
age properties, which are held at from
10 S-o.Vuu oNAii hot
exceeding 80 per cent of the prices at
which the adjacent subdivided properties
are held.
The Naval Observatory Circle may be
compared with adjacent acreage proper
ties.
The narrow park areas lying in the ra-
vines near Rock Creek and Massachu-
sets Avenue, recently donated to the
Federal Government to enhance the
80 h. holdinug in their
vicinity, would be far below the value
of such adjacent holdings.
The Government reservoir property near
Conduit Road would be comparable with
adjacent acreage property.
Soldiers Home Park privately owned
would be comparable in value with ada
cent acreage property.
The grounds of the Government Hospi-
tai for the Insane privately owned would
property.
The Reform School, Jail. and Aims
house, though practically local institu-
.tions, are charged up to the United
States, and may be compared with ad-
jaeent properties.
Potomac Park is far below the value
of the nearest comparable privately own
ed properties.
Capitol Park, Botanical Gardens, The
Mail anu " n1te LOt WOulu uS
below Immediately adjacent properties.
The same may be said of the smaller city
parks and actual sites of Federal Build
ings.
Then, no injustice is perpetrated on As
SCISSOR Richards judgment If it be as
sumed that a ratio exists between his
valuation of public areas and the proper
assessment of private areas at their full
valuation. In which case We would have:
$500 acres Federal land. ....... $500 Al 56s
% 900 acres privately owned. .ss0l ,Ss6, go
These figures. as to the private areas
are discoverable in speculative real e.
tate advertisements. such as the Evening
Star sells space to. but are considerably
above true market values.
Assessor Richards estimates the taxable
ground values of the District to be-
lsll-le Observation-Disclosures. .S1es S4S. sSl
Full value ......................S .S254, a., ~
19l4-l5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. sos 0s5, ,31S
Full value OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. .$3l2, 1:7, 81
II the 1000 acres privately
owned are worth only. $s12. .1N, ,s77
The areas owned by the Federal
Government could not on the
most liberal basis he worth
over one-fourth as much. or. SIS, ,03l. .9e4
Or on the fair basis of 20 per
cent comparable value for
equal areas .$54. 81. 1856
Were the ground values Of Federall
assessable in an economic sense,
which deny, comparisons with adjacent
u