Evening star., 1915-11-08
Newman regarding assessments. with


especial reference to the Eastern High
School condemnation. He also touched
upon the plaza awards, showing the
| joint select committee that the orlgi-
nal Capitol plaza commission AWARDS
| on property thus far reviewed were si,-
427,s07, and that the awards of the new
| commission are $1,3S1,415, saving OF
only s46,4s2 gross. Expenses OF the
commission, including three commits
sioners at $50 day each, have reduced
the net savings. Mr.. Weller said that
| the former commission AWARDS nave
virtually been upheld by the later COM
mission.
Referring to the Eastern High School
condemnation, which the Commission,
ers refused to accept, Mr.. Weller SAID
he was well acquainted with the SIT
uation. as he represented large por-
tion of the property owners.
He declared that Commissioner New
man was in error in stating that
three witnesses appeared as experts tor
the owners, as there were seven:
'Mr. Newman states that the highest
figure placed upon the property by wit
nesses for the property owners was
is again in error, for the highest figure
placed upon the four squares by the
owners witness who testified as to the
value of the four square, exclusive of
should be added s37,7S4, which. accord
ing to the testimony of the expert
builder, was the value of the improve
ment, to say nothing of the proof of
the value of the clay and gravel on the
squares. This would make the highest
testimony of the witness. with the elm
ination mentioned, s154,409 and not
$12S,000.
Alleges Other Newman Errors.
''Mr. Newman further stated that the
next highest testimony of the owners
witness was $4,000. Again he was in
error. The next highest witness figure
was s152,054, including ground and i'm
provements.
Mr.. Newman further stated that the
third highest witness figure for the
property owners placed the value of the
property at $116,000. Again he was in
error. as the third witness gave s145,-
673.
"a summary of the testimony which I
VIII leave with the committee shows
that the average testimony of the gov
ernment expert witnesses on the four
squares was s7S.s95; that the average
testimony of the expert witnesses for
the owners who testified as to the value
or the ground, the value of the houses
and the value of the clay and gravel
on the property, was S1S5.S91.05. If you
Will add the average testimony of SIS
sss OF the government witnesses and
s1S5.S91 of the owners witnesses and
divide it in half you will have an aver
age of S132,443.34. The award by the
commission for these four squares be-
ing s133, ,4S2.23, or only little over a
thousand dollars in excess of the aver
age expert testimony of the witnesses
on both sides, and not, as Mr.. Newman
incorrectly stated on page 100 of his
argument, that the award was more
than any witnesses estimated it's value"
Senator Works Quotes Record.
Senator Works read into the record
extracts from the Congressional Record
of 1901, in which the late Senator Hoar
declared his opposition to any fixed
ratio of the expenses of the District
which should be borne by the federal
government, and favored a plan by
which the whole expenses OF the Dis
trict should be paid by the federal gov
erpment, while the citizens of the Dis
trict should be taxed a reasonable
amount. which would be paid into the
federal Treasury.
Z. b. Hemingway was the next wit
ness before the committee. When he
Pomerene of Ohio, a member of the
Senate District committee. who has
just returned to Washington entered
the committee room and was given a
seat with the members of the joint Sc
lect committee. Senator Pomerene has
always taken a keen interest in the
affairs of the National Capital
Views of Mr.. Hemingway.
Mr.. Hemingway said that it was not
necessary. in his opinion, to make many
changes in the present form of govern
ment in the District.
But Congress is not sufficiently in
touch with the needs of the citizens
here" he said. He contended that the
citizens associations were not really
representative of the people of Wash
ington, and urged the creation of
kind of assembly of proxies" or dele
gates to be elected by the people and
TO voice their desires to Congress.
Mr.. Hemingway then turned to the
consideration of the system of taxa
ton in the District. He contended for
the single tax on land values. arguing
that 1t would bring down rents, per-
NIT would-be home owners to purchase
property now held too high, and gener-
al oil Il he 1ah ri