Evening star., 1924-05-13

day said that the citizens of the Dis
trict are willing to stand on the
merits of the case as presented by
ton by the Senate.
Anxwers Blnnton Charges.
Maj Donovan, speaking for the
District officials. replied in behalf of
the assessors to charges made yes
terday by Representative Blanton
regarding the assessment for taxa
ton on Meridian Mansions. which he
claimed was only about One-fifth of
it's actual market value.
Maj. Donovan said that this apart
ment house was assessed for S1,5oo,-
600. Representative Blanton had
stated that the present owner told
him he had put improvements to the
value of approximately S3,OOO,O00 on
this property. Maj. Donovan said that
the improvements were not in ex-
cess of $4,000, according to the rec
ords of the building inspectors office.
He referred to testimony by Bates
Warren. one Of the largest apartment
house operators in the District. given
before the Rent Commission at
hearing when property values were
at their peak, that the value of Me
ridian Mansions was sl,S00, 900. He
also called the attention of the com
mittee to the fact that an owner OF
one-third Of his property had soid at
figures approximating this valuation.
Maj. Donovan continued his dis
cussion of the minority report hied
by former Representative Evans, VINO
was a member of the joint special
committee The members of the
committee said that Mai. Donovan
had satisfied them as 70 why the
joint special committee had not gone
back to the year 1872 in making
their Investigation, because pre-
NiOuS investigation had covered that
period and the District of Columbia
had actually paid TO the federal gov
ernment s2.500,000 as a result of that
earlier survey.
The members of the subcommittee
said that Maj. Donovan had also sat
isfactoriiy shown them, as had also
Representative Hardy. why the joint
special committee had not included
the cost Of the Library of Congress,
Lincoln Memorial and other struc-
lures in the National Capital in the
charges against the District account
These were the two principal OBJ
jections on which the Evans minority
report, on which Representative
Blanton is basing his opposition to
recognition Of the surplus, was founded.
Maj. Donovan emphasized. and the
committee members acQuiesced, that
oTinion with respect to the surplus
n the report of the joint committee
with which the controller general
Ccrcurred and the report of the
Treasury Department and the ac-
counts of the auditors Office Of the
District.
Agree Upon Surplus.
He emphasized that the joint select
committee through outside auditors,
the controller general of the United
states. representing the United
States, and the auditor of the Dis
t1ict, representing the District all
agreed that above and beyond every
known obligation covered by law
there is now in the United States
Treasury S4,43S.000 belonging to the
District Of Columbia.
Representative Stanley H. Kunz
Democrat of Illinois, moved that the
subcommittee make favorable re-
port lie said that the attack made
by Representative Blanton Yesterday
that II had been answered to the COM
plete satisfaction of the subcommittee
by Maj. Donovan. Representative
kunz said that no matter what the
attitude of the committee might be
Representative Blanton would be in
opposition, and even if the full COM
nittee made a unanimous report in
favor of the bill, Representative
Blanton would ask time in opposition.
He always demands an hour. uses up
hfty-ive minutes of il himself and
gives five minutes to other objectors,"
SAID Repre- sentative kunz.