Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-06-03

A BILL TO DEFINE THE POWER OF THE
BOARD OF PUBLIC woR6s.-Mr. Crebs intro
duced into the House this afternoon bill de-
fning the power OF the board of public works Of
the District OF Columbia, and fer other pur-
poses. IL il a follows:
Whereas, by the 4th clause OF the organic act
establishing territorial government for The
District of Columbia, which reads as follows,
viz: They (the board of public works. shall
diSburse upon their tcdrrInt sll none rs approp-i-
ated by the United States or the District of Co
lumbia, or collected fror proper. y-hOlders I'm
pursuance Of law for the in yroyemen. of streets,
avenues, alleys and sew r. and roads and
bridges, and shall assess in such manner a.
shall be prescTibd by law, upon the property
adjoining and 10 be specially benefited BY the
improvements authorized by law, and made by
them, reasonable proportion Of the cost of the
improvement, not exc eeding one third of such
cost, which sum shall be collected as all other
taxes are collected" and whereas the board of
public works, under the power contained in said
clause. assume the right TO take from the treas
urer OF the District OF Columbia moneys to he
used by them, and place the same in the hauls
of so-called treasurer named by themselves
without authority of Law, whereby they have
absolute control over TIE money without due
and proper accountability: TO the people: There
fore,
Be 1t enacted dc, That the treasurer of the
District of Columbia shall be the sole custodian
of the moneys of the District, and that all spe-
cial taxes assessed on property for improve
ments TO the same shall, under such regulate nS
as the legislative assembly Of the District hall
prescribe, be collected aud paid into the treas
nry Of the District, and shall be kept a sepa-
rate fund for impr only, and ali
moneys now in the hands Of the treasurer of the
board of public works shall at once be refunded
to the treasurer of the District.
Sec. 2. That the board Of public works in
payment for any improvements whatever made
by them, shall draw their warrant on the treas
urer of the District in favor of the party or
parties TO whom such sum of money may be due
and the treasurer shall lay the same and file
the said warrant as voucher, and he shall, on
the first Mondays in the months of July and
January of each year, publish a detailed state
ment Of the disbursements made by him for and
on account of the government, in one daily
paper OF the city of W ashin gton, with the names
of persons to whom payments may be made
and shall in said statement give also the recei pts
of his office, and the sources from which they
were derived.
Sec 3. That the board of public works shall
keep a record OF all warrants drawn by them on
the treasurer Of the District, with the date, the
amount. and in whose favor the same was dra 4n.
copy of which record, together with the report
of TIE treasurer, shall be annually submitted ~
the Governor of the District TO the District leg
isiature, with such suggestions as he may deem
advisable.
Sec. 4. That this act shall be in force from
and after its passage.
Referred to District committee.
Ex-PRKsIDRNr JOHNSON was examined by
the House committee on military affairs this
afternoon in reference to the missing records in
the Buell. case. His examination was com
menced few minutes past two O'Clock, and he
was on the stand when our report closed, the
committee holding the session with closed doors.
A LIVELY DAY AT THE WHITE HoUsE.-To-
day was a regular field day at the White House,
as many as three or four hundred persons
(mainly delegates to the Philadelphia conyen-
ton,) calling to pay their respects to the Pres-
dent. In the morning Senators Morton and
Pratt called with the Indiana delegates 10 the
convention, some thirty or forty in number;
later Senator Ames and Kellogg, with portion
OF the Mississippi and Louisiana delegates, saw
the President; and subsequently a number OF
Minnesota delegates called to pay their respects
Among other persons who had interviews with
the President were Senator Cameron, Secre-
tary Belknap, Postmaster General Cresweil
Solicitor General BIlst0w, and Representa- YES
Shoemaker, Negley, Sargent, and Beatty.