Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-06

avenue. Massachusetts avenue: ma
tional Park. Harvard street, Columbia
road and 18th street northwest. prop.
srty sold at sa.ssSs7,. I. tie q s7 PASS 1s7 OF
The section bounded by II street
ida avenue. 14th street and Vermont
avenue northwest. showed sales ag-
Of assessment was S11,s1s.s7a.
In 1911 real estate which sold at Vs.
$50 ia assessed on a basis OF $S,-
322.sS1.
In 1912 real estate which sold at 81
543.365 is assessed on a basis Of $10.-
In 1913 real estate which sold at ST.
0S6.025 is assessed on basis of $7,710.-
519.
Real estate which sold in 1914 at S.
549,032 is assessed on a basis OF $9.-
245,643.
Real estate which sold in 1915 at ST.
105.S74 is assessed on a basis Of $1,251,
295.
q. s. Property in District.
The value of United States property
in the District is estimated at $227.-
57s.56o. made up of s1ss,6o2.51o in land
value and $s3,976,05o in improvement
value This property is exempt from
taxation, as is that of the District of
Columbia and certain religious and
other associations. The total of this
exempt property is given as $264.367,-
265 assessed value. or S396,550.89S.
The returns from miscellaneous IL
censes show decrease of $1,279.5S
over 1914. The receipts for the fiscal
4o7.52. and those for the preceding year
$11S,6S7.10.
Included in the report are the esti-
mates of the assessors office for the
fiscal year 1917. In the estimates an
increase of from $47.940 to s52.79o Is
asked 1t is recommended that one of
two messengers in the office receiving
salary of $500 each be increased to
$3.50. William Moten, the messenger
named. the recommendation states. has
become valuable because of his eight
cen years connection with the office
and his ability to act partly as clerk,
and it is believed this small increase is
more than deserved
Additional Record Jerk Needed.
One additional record clerk. intended
as aid to the board of assistant asses
sors, is requested at $4,000 per annum.
The assessor says: Il believe that
much aid and necessary help would be
given to the board If this office had
better and complete system for listing
the prices of the most recent sales or
transfers OF real estate. Inc oeSl
suits would be obtained by employing
f. parties who are conversant with
real estate conditions in the District of
Columbia and whose duty would be to
obtain in a confidential manner prices
of sales of realty, and who would keep
strictly up-to-date a card index, show
ing such prices and containing the
numbers of the square and lot ana
house. During the last few years
some effort has been made toward in
stituting such a system. but most of
the valuations shown on these cards
have been taken from sales in judicial
proceedings and from such prices as
could be obtained from various deeds"
Other Recommendations.
Two additional clerks at $1,000 each
and a messenger at $500 also are asked
for. 1t is stated these clerks and mes
sengers are needed as an aid to the
board of assistant assessors because of
the increased work arising from the
fact that subdivisions and parcels of
ground and buildings have increased
from year to year, SO that the number
of accounts on the books is far above
what 1t was several years ago, and 1t
is difncult for the present force to
keep up with the current work of the
office.
1t is recommended that the salaries
Of w. H. De Shields and H. W. Hamil-
ton. two of seven clerks at $1,000. be
increased to $500 each. 1t Is stated
these two clerks have been engaged
for over twenty years en- work in the
attention and a thorough knowl-
edge Of technical nature. and have
never had an increase in salary.