Evening star., 1924-11-23
Heard and Seen

There is just one week left in which
to pay your real estate taxes. At least
half Of the total assessment must be in
the hands of the collector of taxes of
the District by the close of business
November 80.
The tax office is one of the most in
teresting places in the District Build
ing. Situated. as most people know.
in the south corridor Of the first floor
of the building at Fourteenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue. it sees all
types and conditions of men and
women.
All last week they streamed in. TO
get their tax bills on their houses and
lots for the year. Three lines were
| formed at the cashiers windows after
they had secured their bills.
Getting your bill is an interesting
procedure. For the benefit of renters
and apartment house dwellers, we
will describe the process, SO that at
some future date. when they enter
the lists Of home ownership, they may
know just what to do and how to
| do it.
| To those who have gone through the
mill the description ought to take on
some of the interest which attaches
to the story of a base ball game
which one has seen. The game is one
thing: reading about IT in the papers
|
| Why, to many a base ball game
would not be q game unless they
could read about 1t afterward! The
same trait is seen in those to whom
no event is real until something is
printed about it.
| II x
! The first step is to enter the Dis
trict Building, of course. One may do
! this either through the front en-
trance or one of the side doors, pref
| erably the portal on the east. If
you go in on the first floor. which is
elevated. you simply walk around the
corridor.
| Entering from the street level,
however, you can take an elevator.
| There a courteous conductress Of the
| lift will tell you Just where to go.
The car starts up, then jerks back
ward. the door opens for others to
enter.
May I get in?" asks a facetious
| gentleman. He is assured he may get
| in. This he proceeds to do. with a
grin that signifies to all. strangers
| and those 'in the know" that this
| is a sublime piece of drollery.
81 am an official here" he seems
to say. as plain as day. "And, of
course, have every right in the
world to enter this elevator-my
humble request was just by way of a
standing joke, you know
Upstairs one starts around the cor
| ridor. peering curiously at various
| Offices as he goes along. There is
something about going on such a
search that appeals to the hunter in
man. Hunting, you know, is not
always confined to rabbits and other
ferocious animals.
This seems to be the floor Of count
ers. Counters loom over and forbid
ding through doors to right and left.
Here Is where YOU pay your automo-
bile taxes Several gray-haired men
wearing bright gold eyeglasses are
at work in there.
But where is the tax Office you
seek? All, there it is! You enter a
big Office, where there are any num-
ber OF cages, behind which stand
girls. The windows are labeled
! with various numbers indicating the
square and lot number. To know
city is divided for realty purposes.
1t is necessary to know your own
square and lot number. To know
merely your street address would do
| you little good. II that were all you
knew, probably YOU would have to
go off to some other office to look the
| matter up.
| y X
Luckily you know your square and
lot. You have 1t down in the COM
| partment of your brain where you
house your telephone number, etc.
'Td like my BILL" you tell the
young lady with bobbed hair, after
you And your proper window.
What is your street address?" she
asks, after you have told her care
fully the square and lot. She hands
you the bill, and jots down the street
address on q piece Of paper she keeps
Have you ever handled a railroad
ticket to California? Well, the tax
bill is something like that. You un-
reel 1t with one hand, while you at
tempt to hold 1T with the other. try
ing to glimpse the writing on both
sides.
1t is worse than a Chinese laundry
ticket, you decide. 1t has six Sec
tions, half of them in red, half in
black, all reading very much alike g.
When you think you have solved
them. you discover yourself wonder
ing what the reverse Is.
| At last you make out that 1t is
permissible to pay half the tax al
this time, the remainder In May.
/ You get In one of the cashiers
lines, at last arrive at the window
where you give the cashier the en-