Evening star., 1915-03-29

to this inaccurate and misleading state
ment Of the George report and used II
star e in nsis &
1912 challenge OF the accuracy OF this
| allegation. and urged that thorough in
| vestigation OF it would be one of the
commission for Washington.
The assessor had no opportunity in
1912 to give to the George committee
the benefit of his pertinent facts and
valuation. and no time was allowed to
combine the data. But an impartial COM
| mission Of 1915. II one Is appointed, should
dissect and compare Mr.. Brownies and
tistical tables and decide between
them
In connection with the triennial as
sessment Of 1914, the assessor has very
parisons of sales during the last few
years with assessments In all sections
of the city. which demonstrate that the
local assessments now average about
the law only requires 662s per cent.
though Mr.. Browne estimates that they
averaged only 40 per cent, and though
Representative Prouty declares that no
one disputes that they are only 33M
sales, utilized by the assessor. have
been made since the latest assessment
was closed.
thorough. over-appraising triennial :
sessment, reports in 1914 realty values
in the District $175.ooo.o00 .ess tha |
Estimator Browne guessed to exist
It was natural that Mr.. Browne
should estimate ground values excess
sively high. AS single-taxer he
wished to demonstrate the existence
of realty values in the District sufh-
cient through the application OF the
single tax alone to meet the expenses
of District maintenance. Thence re-
suited his confiscatory guess of @744,-
600, 00J.
The values guessed by Mr.. Browne
upon property along Connecticut ave-
nue. north of Rock creek have. for ex-
ample. been exposed as fictitious by Q
recent condemnation Of tw) hundred
thousand dollars worth Of property In
assessment upon the property.
The House has never adopted the
George report. it's findings or Its rec
concentrations This particular finding
body. and will be rejected after even
slight examination by any fair-minded
investigator.
VIII not Congress, before 1t moves an
inch in reliance upon Mr.. Brownies
grossly excessive and con6scatory es-
innate, investigate by impartial COM
mission: VIII it not cross-examine
Witness Browne concerning the foun.
dations of his appraisal guesswork In
the light of the testimony OF the as
deductions from the figures collected
by the census bureaus :.
Convincing Comparisons. r.
Let us compare Mr.. Brownies assess
ment of s744,O0O,0OO in 1912 with the
census figures of assessment in that
year. First, it proposes to add s414.-
00O, 900 to Washingtons actual assess
ment of that year of s33o.0o0,oo0.
Washington's taxed realty. as we
have seen, is only fraction Of its area,
and a constantly decreasing fraction.
owing to successive condemnattons Of
taxed real property by the govern
nlent. This taxed fraction does not in
clude the cfty's great workshops. its
largest Industrial plants, represented
in other cities by mills and factories
standing for millions Of taxable prop
erty. Here our great mills and fac
tories and workshops are Uncle Sans
property and do not figure at all in the
assessment roll.
Mr.. Browne proposes to assess and
tax a decreasing fraction Of the capi-
tars area, deprived of the heaviest fac
tors of real estate assessment. at a
figure which values 1t as worth twice
as much as the whole of wealthy. busy.
Industrial Baltimore. with 226.7s4
greater population; nearly twice as
much as the whole of the magnificent
city of Cincinnati, with its great indus
trial establishments and its population
44.767 larger than that of the District
The taxed fraction of Washington is
valued at nearly $45.000.000 more than
Baltimore and Minneapolis combined; !;
baltimore
Cincinnati combined: at $1S,000,000
more than Buffalo and Newark COM
bined; at S76,000.000 more than three
times as much as the whole OF New
New Orleans, st. Paul and Louisville
combined
These figures teach a vivid and i'm
pressive lesson in progressive and de-
structive tax boosting.
Washinston's actual assessment Of
1912 Is over thirteen million dollars
more than that Of Detroit. and over one
hundred and sixty millions more than
that of New Orleans, nearly doubling
the assessment of that city. On the
valuation of $744,OOO.OOO suggested by
Mr. Browne in 1912 Warrington would
thus he valued at more than Baltimore
md Minneapolis combined, twice as
much AS Baltimore and over S17O.OO0,-
900 more than New Orleans, st. Paul
and Louisville combined.
Long before the peak of this noun
tain of tax burden was reached, all real,
value would be assessed out of Wash
ington realty. The higher its valua-
tion for excessive taxation. the lower
its value for sale. until at last 1t be-
comes valueless and is conf1scated by
the tax gatherer.
The following table gives the realty
assessments in 1912 of the cities above
referred to, raised to the 100 per cent
valuation basis: