Evening Star Newspaper, August 18, 1935, Page 21

TAX SALES GAINNG INPRINCE GEORGES Officials Worried as Largest List in History Is Advertised. BY GEORGE PORTER, Staff Correspondent of The Star. UPPER MARLBORO, Md. August 17.—Concerned over the constant in- crease in the volume of final tax sales, Prince Georges County officials today were devising means of making more people pay their taxes. R. Ernest Smith, county treasurer, announced the annual final sale, scheduled for September 16, will be the largest in the county’s history. About 600 parcels of land, having an estimated assessable value of $600,- 000, are involved. As Smith advertised the property for sale, Thomas W. Baxter, super- visor of assessments disclosed he is preparing a list of property owned by the county. This will be ready for submission to the county commis- sioners about August 27, he said. Are Large Land Owners. It will show that the commissioners as officials are among the largest land | owners In the county. having tax titles | to properties assessed at more than | $500,000. Last year alone, property valued at about $400.000 was bought in by the county at the final tax sale. The 33 per cent increase in- this year's sale will, it is predicted, vest the county with title to more than a mil- lion dollars’ worth of land and im- provements. This, as Treasurer Smith points out, amounts to about one- sixtieth of the total assessed value of Prince Georges. When property is purchased by the county it is taken off the assessment books. The prospect of having the county double its present holdings of tax-delinquent property, coupled with the recent removal of large blocks of land from the assessment books after purchase by the Federal Gov- ernment for its Beltsville and Buena Vista experiment farms, is causing county officials to regard the delin- quent tax problem as one of the maost serious which they have had to fale | in recent years. May Offset Gains. 1t is pointed out that such re- movals may even offset a rather large increase in the assessable basis which might have been anticipated because of the building boom. The parcels of land involved in next month'’s sale were originally pur- chased by the county in March, 1933. The county took title to them in March of this year when the two- year redemption period expired. None will be sold for less than taxes, in- terest, penalties and costs. After the parcels are taken off the| books, however. they may be sold at| any price fixed by the discretion of | the county commissioners. Last year | special prices were fixed on several hundred parcels listed by Supervisor Baxter, advertised, and sold to the| public in a novel procedure. Although criticized for “putting the county into the real estate business,” Baxter regarded the sale as a success. He said it would not be repeated, | however, unless better tax deeds can | be given by the commissioners. Legislation Needed. | Both he and Smith believe that| only through legislation authorizing the county to give a tax deed which will be good in court, can the rising | tide of delinquencies be checked. They say the tax sale procedure followed by the town of Colmar Manor is the best in the county. It follows closely the method used in foreclosing a mortgage. The ordi- nance authorizing such a procedure drafted by former Town Solicitor Bird | H. Dolby, is modeled after the old Virginia “land-grabbers act.” Last Winter, Baxter recommended that the Legislature authorize the county commissioners to_spend $2,000 for an attorney to study how tax de- linquent problems have been met in other States and draft a proper law for Prince Georges. The proposal was rejected, but the county com- missioners say they now regard the problem as so important they will again seek legislative aid at the com- ing special session of the General Assembly. 19 GET FREEDOM “Mercy Court” Opens Prison Gates in Mississippi. PARCHMAN, Miss., August 17 (P).— Gov. Sennett Conner today opened the barred gates of the Mississippi State Penitentiary to 19 prisoners as a re- sult of his “Mercy Court” hearings for “forgotten men and women” of the penal farm. A majority were serving life terms end have served more than 10 years | of their sentences. They had no relatives or friends on the outside to intercede for them. Gov. Conner said his hope of find- ing deserving cases had been re- warded. Jam Champ BACHELOR BESTS 100 WOM- EN IN CONTEST. DAVID HIPPLE Of Elgin, Ill., who competed against 100 women in a jam-making con- test at the Cook County Fair. He was declared the winner. Being a bachelor, his hobby has been mak- ing jam for the past five years. —Wide World Photo. FLAG ETIQUETTE CAUSES INJURY TO LINEBURG Police Officer Suffers Compound | Fracture of Ankle in Fall From Pole. Strict observance of flag etiquette resulted in a compound fracture of the left ankle last night for Lieut. Horace W. Lineburg, 41, head of the District Police Crime Prevention Bu- reau. THE SUNDAY While picdicking with the 40 and 8 Club of the American Legion, at the Raccar Canoe Camp on the Potomac River, Lieut. Lineburg climbed a wooden flagpole to lower the colors at sundown. The flagpole broke and Lineburg fell 12 feet to the ground. He was taken to Mount Alto Hos- pital by fellow Legionnaires and the fire rescue squad. It was reported at police headquarters that amputation may be necessary. Lineburg, who lives at 762 Silver Spring avenue, Silver Spring, Md., is a past departrent commander of the Legion. STAR, WASHINGTON, MRS. E. BROOKE LEE FILES DIVORCE SUIT Wife of Former Montgomery Po- litical Leader Asks Custody of Children. Special Dispatch to The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md., August 17.— Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson Lee, socially | prominent wife of E. Brooke Lee, for- | mer Montgomery County political D. C, AUGUST 18, 1935—PART ONE. leader, today filed suit for an absolute i w_ P. A. WAGE OBJECTORS | presented a “united front” demonstra- divorce on charges of desertion. She asks the court to award her|[ASK UNITED STRIKE AIM | custody of their three children, Blair Lee, 3d, 19; E. Brooke Lee, jr, 17, and Elizabeth S. Lee, 12. The petition states the Lees were married in Trinity Episcopal Church, Upper Marlboro, April 13, 1914, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Randolph McKim, assisted by Rev. Prancis E. McManus. Mrs. Lee is represented in the court action by attorneys Joseph Addison and William R. Semans of Baltimore. New York Demonstrators March to Johnson’s Office and Back to Union Square. By the Assoclated Press, NEW YORK, August 17.—In an ef- fort to revive organized labor's lag- ging strike against the Works Progress Administration pay scale, Communist and Socialist workers’ organizations * B New Strato Try Possible. RAPID CITY, 8. Dak., August 17 The demonstrators marched down | (p) _capt. Albert W. Stevens said to Administrator Hugh 8. Johnson's | today an announcement was expected | office, found it closed, marched back | § again and indulged in o within a few days on the question Inspector Charles L.l Neidig, in whether another attempt to fly into charge of police arrangements, esti-|the stratosphere will be made this Fall. Capt. Stevens commanded the mated the number of marchers at David Lasser, chairman of |pqyoon Explorer II, which burst | tion today in Union Square. 5,000. the Left-wing Workers’ Unemployed | Union, said it was closer to 12,000, |July 12. Lasser called Johnson’s failure to| He and Capt. Orvil A. Anderson, be on hand a “premeditated insult to |pilot on the flight, flew here from organized labor. A petition of de- l Omaha to check over the instruments mands was left at Johnson's office. !left in the bowl. —at The National Furniture Co. NO MONEY DOWN! This valuable Seven-Piece Living-Room Group given FREE with the purchase of any Living- Room or Bed-Davenport Suite during this sale. Open an account NOW! This valuable Six-Piece Bedroom Group given FREE with the purchase of any Bedroom Suite Open an account NOW! during this sale! This valuable 59-Piece Dining-Roam Group given FREE with the purchase of any Dining-Room Suite during this sale! Open an account NOW! 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