Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31
DISTRICT PROPERTY
ASSESSMENTS R|SE
Total of $1,000, 900, 900 Is
Estimated by Richards,
$17,50o,oo0 Gain.
lcontinued From Flrst page.l

Continued From First Page)
and Uncle Sam is certain to be an i'm
portant one again at the coming ses-
sion, with a special committee created
to study the problem for the House
and with Chairman Bingham OF the
Senate subcommittee on District ex-
penditures already taking steps to
gather the latest available data for his
colleagues.
100000 Pieces for Taxing.
There are nearly 100000 pieces of
taxable property and Approximately
$4,000 taxpayers. 1t is estimated by
the assessors Office that about one
fifth of the individual taxpayers will
find increases in their assessments on
this years tax bills.
Many tax bills already have been OBJ
tanned by owners and the assessors Of
flee will mail to those who make writ
ten request, sending in the lots and
square numbers.
Assessor Richards has assembled fig
ures to show that District real estate
assessments today are between 80 and
100 per cent of fair full value. MIR.
Richards points out that in residential
sections homes are not assessed up as
and he contends this is fair pro-
cedure' in the process of equalizing as
seSsmentS.
The same rule is followed In all
cases, the assessor pointed out, namely,
of taking the land values plus the bare
cost Of construction. He pointed out,
however, that in business sections the
bulk of the value of property is In
the land, which goes up in value while
the building is depreciating. In resi-
Dental section, he said, the bulk Of the
value is in the house instead of the
land, and this depreciation Is a greater
factor than the increase in the land
value.
Area Of Highest Land Value.
A circle drawn around the center Of
the city mile in diameter, with Four
teenth and q streets as the center,
contains one-sixteenth of the area OF
the city and one-half of the land value,
to Mr.. Richards.
Sometime ago the assessors ONCE
prepared set OF figures for certain
areas to Mhow how assessments COM
pare with sales. Five areas were taken,
as follows:
From Third to Twentieth, b to M
427 cases sales amounted to
$37 ,233, 657 and the assessments totaled
$50 ,023,33l the ratio being So per cent.
From N to 3, Fifteenth to Eighteenth
Sc cases sales aggregated
81 ,O49, 39l and assessments $944,840.
Ratio, 90 per cent.
In Columbia Heights between Florida
avenue and Girard street--In 240 cases
sales amounted to &4,6i7,llO and as
easements $3,855,6l9. Ratio, SO per
cent
South washington in the vicinity of
Tenth and F. streets---In n cases sales
amounted TO $3S4,264 and assessments
were $282,09e Ratio, rs per cent
In the vicinity Of the Congressional
Library-In PAT cases sales amounted
to $2,8l9,253 and assessments 81, 34O,-
e77. Ratio, SO per cent.
Richards Explains Statistics.
In explanation Of these statistics, to
make them applicable at present, Mr..
Richards. said:
THESE sales were during the period
of high prices. On account Of the
trend IL is doubtful whether
such prices could be obtained at pres
ent within 10 per cent of what has
been used; so this office contends that
the assessment today Is between 30 and
100 per cent Of fair full value"
Asked If a slackening Of Fales this
year would be reflected In the assess
ments made next year, Mr.. Richards
said that TO feel the pulse OF the mar
ket 1t Is necessary to 60 over period
of four or five years.
In discussing the extent TO which the
total assessment of real estate Increased
from time TO time during the seven years
since the full-value basis was adopted,
Mr. Richards said
Although the actual increase in the
value of land and buildings was about
or pei cent a year there was In addi-
ton an actual increase due TO the lower
power of the dollar, which
was scattered over several years ana
which, added to the natural increase Of
2 or per cent, made an apparent in
crease Of s or per cent during the
past seven years"
Details of Assessment.
In an accompanying table the detailed
assessment and taxation fgures are
shown by years since 1922, which was
the last year under the two-thirds
basis down to the last fiscal year, 1880.
The figures for the current fiscal year
have not yet been added to the table.
One of the marked increases in the
table was in 1923, when the total as
reached 81 1852, an in
crease of $1f1 ,725,72O over 1877. Mr.
Richards pointed out that In 1928 the
District was directed to change from
biennial to annual assessment OF real
estate. He said that when easements
were being made biennially the District
was behind In valuations and In 1928
picked it up In land values.
In discussing the relation between
growth of population and increased total
assessment Mr.. Richards believes that
the growth OF population in the met
ropolitan area just outside the Dis
trict has some effect on values In the
District and he contends that the pop
ulation of the metropolitan area should
be considered in determining the ratio
between growth of population and the
increase in the total assessment OF