National Republican., 1874-05-13

much more is due upon these accounts, that
have been stated, By reason Of the 20 per cent. :,
that has been withheld for the work already
executed, and yet the contracts themselves not
being nnally completed, the board withholds,
as understand, under their rule, 20 par cent.
surety for the undnishedr portion Of the con-
tracu a. Well would not like 70 make an
Approximate estimate Of snything OF that kind.
| could telI you from the books. I have It all
Mr.. Msfrick. would be glad IL you would
run over the books and make statement Of
the outlay, or debt already actually incurred.
Governor Shepherd. Have not most Of the
percentages been paidl
The Witness. 4 good many, not most of
them.
Governor Shepherd. Just furnish state
ment of everything In relation 10 the matter.
GOVERNOR SHEPHERD RECALLED.
Mf. wIIsoa nj hare understood jour testi-
nony, the 81 BIC, 600 appropriation, when that
appropriation was made the Board of Public
Works was already indebted to that amount,
and the money was used to pay that indebted
nessl A. Yes, SIR. gLE -l--
Q. And the same with reference to the ST.
900 900 appropriation A. Yes, sir.
Q. And substantially the same with reference
to the esl3 900 appropriation A. Yes, sir.
q Al tho time these appropriations were
made an indebtedness had already been in
CURED, to the payment Of which these several
appropriations were appliedl A. Yes, sir.
.. Now, your attention was called this fore
noon 70 these re4alsitions-one of S4O0, 900 and
one Of $3.50, 900, believe it was; and over
$3.50, 900 was made just prior TO the pubiica-
ton Of the report OF 1873. You referred the
committee to the act Of the Legislative Assem-
Araf ..
appropriation for the purpose OF making up the
full sum of a, ,000, ,000-that was 10 supply the
deficiency In that four million by reason of the
discount 4. Yes, sir. -. = -
q, The second section of that act Is as fol-
lows And be 70 further enacted, That In view
OF the emergency arising from the necessity for
the immediate payment by the Board of Public
Works of outstanding claims for work done,
In the improvement Of the District, this act
shall take effect immediately upon its passage,
approved June %, 1878" I take it from that
that the money had also been anticipated by
the board. In other words, the board had al
ready eontracted an Indebtedness, and this ap-
preparation was used for the purpose of reim-
bursting the Indebtedness. A. That emergency
take same time to get the bonds ready. What
date is that lawi
Mr. Wilson. On the 2sd June, 1873.
The Witness. We could not get the bonds
ready to sign them before August, and l sup
pose it was to save thirty days that clause was
put in.
Q. Is 1t fact, however, that the board had
already incurred liabilities to the extent of this,
and you deemed 1t necessary to have this ap-
propriationI A. They are constantly mourning
liabilities; they were working a large force of
men with a good many contracts, and the liza
bilities were mourning. The organic act pro-
yides that no law shall take effect until thirty
days after its passage, unless there Is an
emergency clause, which requires two-thirds
vote to require 1t, think.
Q. You will observe the phraseology of this
section. "In view of the emergency arising
from the necessity for the immediate payment
by the Board of Public Works of outstanding
claims for work done in the improvements OF
the District, this act shall take effect immed;-
ately upon its passage" Is that correct re-
cital Of the condition of affairs at that timel
A. do not think It is. do not think the
phraseology is correct. It Is meant to apply to
work that was in progress.
Q. The next law to which you refer the CON-
mittee is found on page 56, and for the pur-
pose Of getting the matter distinctly before the
committee will read the act in order to get II
in the record just at this point. 1t Is short.
lActof Third Legislative Assembly,
Xi An rss nakng X fO.
District Of Columbia for the money expended
by them for the erection and repair Of pumps,
iH Cleaning and repair S Of streets, and unasrpln
Be u enacted, &C., That the following sums be,
and the same are hereby, appropriated TO reim-
burse the Board Of Public Works Of the District
Of Columbia, viz:
For the erection and repairs of pumps, ffsy-Ons
thousand dollars.
| For cleaning and repairs Of streets, two hun
dred and sixtY-two thousand eight hundred and
ffty-hve dollars.
For raising and underpinning houses, one hun
A-aA Nkas,a a,,A 1nIIo
For raising and underpinning Georgetown lar.
ket-house, three thousand ave hundred and hfty-
| seven dollars and seventy-one cents.
For amount expended on Northern market
house, sl2, ,0254s: Provided, That the money
hereby appropriated shall be paid ont by the
treasurer OF the District OF Columbia, upon war.
rants drawn by the Governor and comptroller Of
| the said District.
Sec. 3. And be Il further enacted, That to enable
is hereby authorized to issue bonds Of the DIS
trict Of Columbia, bearing interest at the rate o
seven per cent per annum, not to exceed the sun
the proceeds thereof used for the purposes above
| specified, and for no other purposes Whatever.
Approved June 2S, 1873.
Q. If understood your testimony few days
ago, these liabilities had already been incurred
| and such would seem to be A. This is the
amount which was reimbursed.
Q. Yes; the liabilities had already been in,
| CURED for which this appropriation was madei
A. A portion of them had. Now, in regard to
| underpinning and raising houses, that work
was going on at the time of the passage of the
act, and we figured up what had already been
expended and added to 1t what it would cost to
complete it, and the Appropriation was made
| in that way.
O. The provision in the first section of thi:
| act is that the money hereby appropriated shall
| be paid out by the treasurer of the District oI
| Columbia upon warrants drawn by the Gov.
ernor and comptroller of said District. Was
| that donei A. That was done, presume. II
could not have been gotten out of the treasury
in any other way.
o. Was 1t paid to Mr.. Magruderl A. To
him as treasurer Of the board.
Q. But 1t was to be paid out by the treasurer
of the District Of Columbial A. It was paid
out by the treasurer Of the District to the treas
urer Of the Board of Public Works.
Q. Did the treasurer of the District of Colum-
bis pay any moneys to the treasurer of the
Board Of Public Worksl A. He paid the bonds
Q. now call your attention to the second
section, which have already cited. If under
stand you now, the bonds were issued, and, in
stead Of the bonds being sold by you, the bonds
themselves were paid outl A. Yes, sir; the
| contractors lost the discount on them, instead
of the District.
O. Were those bonds paid out to contractors
who had done the specific work named in this
contract, or were they paid out generality A.
On, q very large pOIIlOu OI WOIh udu Dccu
paid for year before the passage Of that act
for repairs of pumps and things of that kind;
they were used as an asset of the board, and
paid out to such contractors as saw proper to
take them.
Q. Instead, then, of being paid out speci-
fcally for the purposes set forth In this act,
they were issued and paid out by the treasurer
of the Board OF Public Works, Mr.. Magruder,
generelly, on the Indebtedness Of the board. Is
that eorrccti A. Correct, With this modiiea-
tion, that most Of Il had already been expended
by the board, and it was merely a reimburse.
ment of The general fund Of the board Of the
amount which had been paid out previously OF
this accouIt-making the general fund good.
Q. These bonds were used, then, to make uT
deficiencies of the general fund of the Boar
of Public Worksf They were turned riehi
into the treasury and paid out as everything
else.
Q. Do you know whether there is . record
showing who received these bondsl A. Indeed
do not.
By Mr.. Stanton: @. Is that the &C. on pag'
| 6j A. Yes, sir.
Q, Do you know what disposition Mr.. Ma
gruder made of these bondsl
| Mr.. Stanton. / will call your attention to the
first section which says to reimburse the Board
of Public Works.
Mr.. Wilson. know it is peculiar in it'
phraseology.
By the Chairman: Q. werc those paid out al
pari A, Yes, sir.
4 n t4 c,.o ,,o1,,oa ofr