Evening star., 1915-11-09

Bank, $4,000; Metropolitan Bank,
100000: New Willard Hotel, $4,000
American National Bank, $4,000; Mum
sey building, s15O.000; Washington Mar
ket Company storehouse plant. $4,000 +;
washington Terminal Company, $4,000.
and Dresden apartment, 100000.
The Increase in Petworth.
| "1n Petworth, one of the sections where
Door people live. including myself" said
Mr.. oyster, 1--WE also made raises. For
instance. on seventeen detached houses
| we made an increase in the total assess
ment of $6.sOo."
He gave in detail the increased assess
ments on the Willard Hotel, taking each
assessment since 1906. showing a gradu-
ally enlarging figure. and made the state
uent that the George report had abSo-
| lutely no influence on the board Of as
sistant assessors in doing their work.
| Did you have any instructions regard
! ing the necessity for a good showing?"
asked Senator Works.
| I'VE had no instructions at ALL.
/ Then the showing indicates one Of two
things-either the assessment the last
time was greatly too low Or the assess
it shows BOTH
"I think it shows under-assessmen at
the last assessment. There Is, Of course,
at present business slump. however"
rs that real estate repression caused
by this investigation" asked Represent
ative Cooper.
| 1T is true to some extent"
"Is there a report in this city," con-
tinued Representative Cooper, Ito the eff
| feet that there is a scheme to be in effect
| to place all the burden of taxation of the
District on the local taxpayers?"
| "Oh, yes answered Mr.. Oyster. That
report has been in circulation for some
| time"
Ruinous to Small Properties.
| Mr.. Oyster discussed the proposal,
made in the House in 1914. to increase
the assessments here to the full value
of the property. retaining the same tax
| rate. He said that the first Henry
George bill for reforming the admins
| tration of the assessors office in the
District had been introduced December
| 13. 1913; that in February, 1914. a
second bill was introduced by Mr..
George: that this bill was reported to
| with the so-called Prouty amendment.
! increasing the assessment to full val
uation and retaining the same tax
rate. March 1s, 1914
| Oyster. that 1t would not affect the
| owner of small properties, the small
home owner, to increase the assess
| ment of real estate to the full value.
since these small homes were already
assessed up to their full value. He
called me in one night and asked me
a bout the matter. ! told him that If
this provision was made into law 1t
would mean an increase of so per cent
in the taxes on these small homes. that
the values of their homes would de-
preciate and in many cases where
people were paying for their homes
would be wiped out.
"Mr. George had me make the same
statement to the House District com
mittee, and 1t was then that the COM
against the Prouty amendment When
the bill came up in the House, in COM
mittee of the whole. the Prouty amend
| ment was agreed to. But the next day.
1876. I think it was. against the Prouty
amendment and against the whole bill
Then Mr.. George reported his bill
merely for the reform of the adminis-
tration of the assessors office without
the Prouty amendment but it was
never taken up.
Defends Assessors Work.
"Mr. George also introduced reso-
luton in the House providing for an
investigation into the fiscal relations
between the United States and the Dis
trict Of Columbia by a special commit
tee. similar to the investigation now
being made. may. say that Mr.. George
was opposed to the abolition of the
half-and-half plan until thorough in
vestigation could be made"
Mr.. Oyster called attention to an ap-
pendix to the George committee hear
ings which showed that there remain
Cd ~ to~
.. erty in the city Of Washington. He
said that as a matter of fact the tax
able area in the city of Washington
was about 1900 acres.
Mr.. Oyster defended the assessment
made by the assessors office of the
government-ownedp property in the Dis
trict. He said, also, that wherever it
was considered necessary in determin-
ing assessments of buildings the
measurements had been made, although
it had been said by Herbert J. Browne
that no such measurements had been
made, or II any were made, they were
SO few as to be negligible.
"a bitter attack has been made upon
Assessor Richards during these hear
ings." said Mr.. Oyster. II have served
in three Of the government departments
and have lived here for some time. and
I think I know a faithful. efficient and
ards Is such. and he is as good an as
SCISSOR as you could find in the Dis
trict."
Mr.. Oyster concluded his testimony
with the following recommendations:
That there should be annual assess
ments; that a law compelling the state
ment of the true consideration paid for
property in deeds of transfer be enact
ed, and that property be assessed at it's
full value instead of two-thirds. II
was understood that If the last was
adopted there would be change in the
tax rate, however.
J. H. Hewlett, who told the commit
tee that he had built the Sun building.
on street. for $35o.Ooo on land which
cost $65.000. said that number Of
years ago this property was assessed
at $125.000.
II met the assessor one day and
asked him." said Mr.. Hewlett, WHY he
assessed the Sun building at only Si25.o
900. when 1t had cost $35O.0O0 to build
1t. He said to me: Well. we can't
drive the rich men out of Washin rton.
we need them here Yet my own pron.
erty was assessed at its full value.'