Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-16

some definite plan of appropriate
should be adopted If the half-and
Now 1t is proposed in this bill to hav
an indefinite arrangement.
Using the language Of forme
chairman Of this committee. which
should not think of using myself. W
are to be left to every within and ca
the half-and-haf plan should AWAY
remain. But there should be some def
mite plan, and the question now appear
to be, Should the proportion paid by tn
federal government toward the District
expenses be changed?'
Chairman Mapes' Suggestion.
Chairman Mapes suggested that tn
joint committee seems to have reache,
a definite conclusion. that there is n
excuse for the continuation of the half
and-half plan"
No need for it," said Mr.. worthing
ton. land that it should be replaced b,
some definite PLAN
Mr.. Mapes continued. saying that tn,
joint committee had also found tina
the revenues of the District should b,
used for the District alone and all thu
balance needed for the District SHOULD
be generously provided by Congress
He said that in this bill which he hal
introduced he vas attempting to follow
this part of the committees report
Mr.. Worthington replied:
Your bill provides for doing away
with the present system and leaves u.
at the mercy of Congress, and the
question will arise from year to year
How much shall we make the people OF
the District pay?"
MIR. Mapes said that he had heard
one member of the joint committed
say that he wrote the whole report
of that committee, and that the las
n co l.,
the supporters of the half-and-hal1
plan, had been written by another
member.
All the more reason for paying at.
tention to it," tnterjected Mr.. Worth.
ington- The committee would not
sign the report without it,
Mr.. Worthington pointed out that
two of the Senate members of the
Joint committee during consideration
of District appropriation bill had
later voted against the very proposal
contained in the Mapes bill placed in
the District bill at that time by the
House. He said they had voted in
favor OF restoring the half-andh
plan.
Bill Drawn to Prevent Deadlocks.
Mr. Mapes explained the parliament
tary situation in which Congress had
found itself with regard to the Dis
House opposed to the half-and-h
plan and the Senate supporting it.
I'VE are drafting this bill now to
prevent such deadlocks in the, future II
he said.
I'VE don't want to be deadlocked, o,
comment of Mr.. Worthington.
Mr.. Worthington said that 1t has
been frankly admitted by proponents OF
the movement to do away with the
half-and-half plan when that move
ment first started in the House that
their object was to make the people
here pey eventually the whole expense
OF the District.
Taking up the question Of the Dis.
trict's funded debt. Mr.. Worthington
described the origin Of the debt prior
to 1871 and the compact made by
Congress on the part of the federal
government to pay one-haf of this
debt and one-half of the interest
thereon.
He said that the bonds which were
issued August /. 1874, to the amount
of about $21, 900, 900, ran for fifty
years. and that the date of maturity
was August FL, 1924. He contended
that the government had pledged it.
self to pay this Indebtedness under
the half-and-half plan. and that 1t
could not get rid of this bargain
honorably until the contract il full
filed.
Appropriations for Debt.
Chairman Mapes asked how much
was appropriated this year for taking
care of the funded debt, and he was
told it was about $925,000. With the
annual appropriations and the sinking
fund it is expected that the debt will
be paid in 1929.
Mr.. Mapes suggested that as soon as
the funded debt was paid the surplus
OF District revenues over the appro-
priations made under the half-and-
half plan would be even larger than
it is today.
Mr. worthinston insisted that II the
Mapes bill is enacted into law the con-
tract of the federal government to pay
one-hAH of the bonded debt of the nts-
tHct will be violated. Mr.. Map1s
pointed that the bill provides for the
payment of this debt on the half-and-
half plan.
Suppose you do pay one-half Of the
annual amount and then you take our
whole nine million dollars revenues
away from u.s." said Mr.. Worthington,
you would be violating the contract.
II a man should say to me: I'll pay
you debt of $1,000 l owe you, and
then would say. Now I'll take all you've
would be the same thing you are pro-
posing to do.
How Assessments Are Made.
Mr.. Worthington said that the sup.
porters of the half-and-half plan haC
been asked how the assessor proceeds
to make his assessments He said
that the assessor has an assistant al
the Office of the recorder of deeds, and
that this assistant makes a record OF
every transfer of property and that
an investigation is made to find just how
MI ta fnS h.
then, he said, the assessor takes into
consideration all these sales in as
sessing property In the neighborhood
He gave list of figures showing
total sales in the business district OF
washington over a period of several
years, and in each instance the as.
sessment was shown to be on a basis
higher than the price received for the
property. He suggested that it would
only be fair for the committee to heal
the District assessor, since witnesses
in opposition to the half-and-haH plan
had attacked his assessments.
Representative Zihlman also sug-
gested that the assessor should be
heard. Herbert ]. Brown interrupt
ed. saying that the assessor in his
last annual report admitted that his
assessments were not all made &C.
cording to law.
Assessments Fair and Just.
Mr.. Worthington insisted that the
assessments on a whole were fair and
just He pointed out that in the
business the assessments were made
after ascertaining the actual value
through sales of property, but that in
some of the residential sections
where prices had been forced out OF
sight by abnormal war conditions
the assessor admitted that he had
not taken these abnormal sale prices
into consideration in making the as
sessments. Mr.. Worthington said to
have done SO would have been to
work an injustice on many owners OF
homes. He said that on account OF
these same abnormal conditions unim-
proved land was almost a drug on
the market, since it would be very