The Washington times., 1915-11-03
GAS TRAGEDY COMES
IN FOR CRITICISM
Attack Made at Fiscal Inquiry
Upon District Health Depart
ment.
Continued from First Pase.)

CONTINUED from First Page)
the regulations prohibited the use Of
this disinfectant by an individual as
well as a commercial concern. without
permit.
DR.. Fowler forgot" said Commits
sioner Brownlow. that these regula-
tions applied to an individual or he
could have prevented the fumigation
complained of In the Wilson letter.
I'm the case OF the Cordova we found
out that the man was disinfecting as a
commercial proposition and had not
obeyed the regulations because he was
mt registered and did not have a per-
init. We have recently notified every
dealer In cyanide that they must see
that every person using 1t is registered.
OF course. we cannot forbid the sale of
cyanide"
No Deaths Reported.
No casualties resulted in the case
covered by the Wilson letter so far AZ
the evidence before the committee went
today. Commissioner Brownlow said
the attention of .he District govern
ment was first called to this matter last
spring when a child died under circum-
dova accident. but no proof was forth
coming that a cyanide disinfeCtant
caused the childs death.
In his accusations against the Health
WI. tiidi 6tu thut
health officers were careless in treating
contagious diseases and that one of
them had visited a contagious disease
patient and had worn into the sick room
have spread germs outside. He also
alleged that The hospital ambulant es
are ditry. that the milk furnished WASH
ingtonians Is getting worse every day.
and that there was IN increase of more
than 5000 In contagious diseases within
four years.
In genera! discussion of the milk
question. Mr.. Trundle charged that
whether you know It or not. there is a
great movement on In this country to
control the milk business through pas
teurization and condensed milk sup
plies"
For Land Taxes.
MIR. Davis advocated a higher tax on
land values and a lower tax on i'm
Works asked the Commissioners to fur
nish a table showing what the rate Of
taxation on land values will have to be
II other forms Of taxation arc abolished
here.
Would you assess land on the rental
value or the sale value?" asked Senator
Works.
Il would assess on the sale value"
replied Mr.. Davis, who said that his
experience was that suburban prop
ertty particularly has a higher sale
price than the assessment.
Il think ! paid about three times
as much for my lot az the assessed
value" he added.
Mr.. Davis said that taxation on sale
values would gradually squeeze out
the water.
Ny suSgestion is," he continued.
"to increase the burden on the
vacant-land owner and decrease II on
the home owner. This will gradually
result in the building of more homes
and tho general good"
Congressman Cooper asked what
Mr.. aDvis thought OF the per capita
taxation ngures as criterion.
TT is very loose method, re-
piled the single lax advocate.
~" max" 1t at all fair You would
have to compare per capita with
property"
Would Be "Jar."
Mr.. Davis suggested that a sudden
change to a single tax system would
be Jar" to the District and it ought
to be put into effect gradually.
III 1t is a tair." said Senator Works" "
Is 1t not also right?"
tion." said Mr.. Davis. who added that
the change could be made within Ave
years. Mr. Davis said he had no griev-
ances against the District Government
which to live. He recommended that
residents here might be benefited by
suffrage II only to the extent Of having
a delegate In Congress.
Secretary Swanton, Of the Tax Re-
form Association, exhibited a number
Of charts In support Of the brief filed
by hiss organization. He said these
charts had been shown to nearly twen-
ty-fye citizens associations. Many in
eoualities in assessments he told the
committee have been corrected under
the new Board OF Commissioners and
| new Board of Tax Assessors. This
statement was made In conjunction
with the exhibit noof a chart based on
| the Georget tax report.
Soon after the hearing reopened to-
| day. Herbert J. Browne suggested that
the committee could shorten it's inquiry
by requiring the filing Of briefs regard