Evening star., 1915-11-05
NEWMAN DEFENDS
ASSESSORS OFFICE
Enters Denial at HaIf-and-
Half Inquiry to Charges of
Herbert J. Browne.
D. C. WITHOUT CONTROL
OVER MANY MATTERS
Says Some of Instances Attacked Are
Clearly Up to Congress
and the Law.

and the Law.
fat denial of every one of the more
serious charges by Herbert J. Browne
against the District government, and
especially against assessments of 1915,
made by William P Richards, assessor.
and the assessors office, was made to-
day by Commissioner Newman before
he took up with the joint select COM
mittee his discussion of his theories
regarding the government of the Dis
trict of Columbia and his views on the
fiscal relation with the United States
Commissioner Newman told the joint
select committee. in at least one in
stance, that Mr.. Browne had not been
candid, as matters of which he bitterly
complained and used as objects of his
assault were matters over which the
District government had no control
whatsoever, as the Congress of the
United States had fixed laws covering
the cases. one of these was the COM
plant that the assessor refused to give
up the practice Of making out tax hills,
and that he wanted to keep the blils IN
his own office ito cover up the errors
of the Office Commissioner Newman
today made it plain that the assessor S
Office makes out the bills because OF an
act of Congress requiring 1t to do So
and that the Commissioners had tried
and We're still trying to have the Ia"
changed.
Commissioner Newman picked out of
the Browne statement nearly every
case wherein an attack had been maze
and answered them with facts, hgures
and dates He called the turn on as
sessments, condemnations, areas: and
pricked many of the bubbles of sensa-
tion left after Mr. Browne had stirred
up the waters few days ago on ms
appearance before the committee. He
spent an even hour in outlining to the
joint select committee the figures on
the assessment in the business area of
the city, showing that the present
board of Commissioners, with the as
SCISSOR and the board of assistant as
SCISSORS, has raised the assessment in
the thirtyeight squares comprising the
cent: and that s4.76S,0 600 of the s15,-
100000 raised in the business district
is to be found on the seven squares on
both sides of 18th street. where there
is an increase of nearly 100000
square.
First Subject Taken Up.
LET me call attention" began Com
missioner Newman, ito the fact that
this present District government ad
ministration began in July, 1913, while
the George report. on which Mr.. Browne
bases much of his attack on assess
ments here, was completed in 1912; the
criticisms are against an assessment
made before the present administration
went into Office, and a new assessment
has been made since then. When
Commissioner Siddons and 1 went into
office we were cognizant of criticism
against assessment in the District of
Columbia, and each of us knew spe-
cific cases where the assessment had
been assailed as too low. The very
first subject taken up by our board
was that of assessments.
We determined to make proper as
sessments for the 1915 triennial as
sessment. The law provides a board
of three assistant assessors, and re-
quires all three to view personally
each parcel of land assessed. Most of
Mr.. Brownies criticism has been direct
ed against the assessor, but the assess
ing is done by the board of assistant
assessors. and the assessor is an ad-
ministrative head of the office; so the
assessment is in reality the work of
four men. The assessor also has the
responsibility of being the head of the
board of equalization and review, COM
posed of the three real estate assistant
assessors and the two assistant asses
sors who cover the personal property
field
New Board of Assessors.
Mr.. Newman explained that the House
the assessors office at the time he took
Office, and the upshot of the entire
matter was a new board of assessors,
composed of one of the old members
and two new members, appointed by
the new Commissioners. These new
members. he explained. are Z. w. Oy
Ster and W. L. Beale.
We called in the new board and
gave il specific instructions" contin-
ued tire Commissioner, " to begin anew
on the 1915 assessment, to wipe the
slate clean. to be Influenced by moth
ing that had gone on previously, be 1t
assessment or George report or any
thing else; but to make a thorough in
vestlgation and produce an assess
ment that was accurate and right. We
told them to devote their first atten-
tIOn to the high-class business prop
erty: then the high-class residence
property; then the suburban or specu-
lative property, and in the case of the
smaller home areas we had to tell the
board to simply give 1t a lick and a
promise mere once over.
The Commissioners therefore assume
full responsibility for the 1915 assess
ment.''
An attack on f. W. Oyster. made by
Mr.. Browne, will be answered by Mr..
Oyster himself, If the committee per-
mits II. Mr. Newman explained.
Explains Reduced Assessment.
Now as to the charge by Mr.
Browne" said Commissioner Newman,
that the assessor and the four as
sistant assessors reduced the assess
ment on a piece Of property owned
Jointly by them all. This property
was at goth and Belmont streets. The
1903 assessment was sle,5o0 and the
next assessment. 1912. was s17,500. 1
studied this matter. gave II deep
thought and then dismissed it from
my mind because the reduction Of
taxes effected amounted to s29.08 and
the assessors share of the reduction
was only 1852. The board raised as
sessments on other property held by
the assessor and his net tax bill was
over $40 higher than the year previ-
Gus. / do not think that a lowering
OF sT.52 in d tax bill justifies a con-
clusion of dishonesty.
Mr.. Browne criticises the value
placed by the assessor on Potomac
Park and compares it with the valua-
tiou on Analostan Island. The island
is across the channel from the city
and is not utilized 1t is practically
Virginia property and would be in
Virginia We're il not for the peculiar
boundary situation we have.