National Republican., 1883-07-13
THE COMMISSIONERS.
Current transactions Mt the Various Dis
trict Offices Yesterday.


At their session yesterday afternoon the
commissioners ordered the construction of an
additional section of the Boundary street
sewer from west of Fourteenth street to Rock
creek, tho work to be done under the direc-
tion Of the engineer commissioner.
They also made the following apportion-
ment of the poor fund: Eleven physicians,
at $3.50 eac h per annum, $5,2S0; medicines,
$3,2l0; central free dispensary, $2,400 major
of police for distribution, ST. 800; total, $12,-
720, leaving $2,2S0 ont of the $4,000 appro-
priated unapportioned for cases of emergency
The reduction in the compensation of tho
physicians to the poor from 5000 to $3.50 per
annum takes effect Aug. 1. The commission
ers also appointed DR.. Lee an additional ply
scian to the poor.
Attorney General Brewster, at the instance
of the President, yesterday delivered an opin-
ion on the status of the commissioners 1t
will be remembered that the commissioners
objected to being treated as disbursing Off
GERS by Comptroller Lawrence, and to his OK
amining their accounts as he does the ac-
counts of other disbursing officers. They
thought this was derogatOry to their dignity
as executive officers, and appealed to the
President for protection from what they con-
sidered the arbitrary rulings of the comp
troller. The question was referred by Presi-
dent Arthur to the attorney general, who in
an elaborate opinion, fully sustains the posi-
tion taken by Judge Lawrence, and in effect
that the district commissioners are virtually
disbursing officers and their accounts must
be examined Just as the accounts of other
disbursing officers are. A hasty examination
of the records by the secretary of the COM
missioners did not disclose that any such
issue had been made by them with Comp
troller Lawrence. 1t is thought that the
matter has grown out of the unsettled ac-
counts of the commissioners VIII. held Office
prior to the present board.
Tho board of assessors, now sitting rs
board of appeals are disposing of the numer-
GUS appeals. The assessments are almost
uniformly lower than the old assessment, and
the appeals are mainly on the ground that
the property has always been assessed too
| high. In addition TO the correction made in
consequence of appeals, the board, of its own
volition made numerous changes on original
| figures Block 9, Meridian hill was increased
from to 10 cents per square foot square 973
lots II and Is, were increased from IL cents to
25 cents per foot squares 976, 977, 992, 90i
099, and 1901 were increased one-third of
their value; squares $50 and 600 were in
creased 10 per cent; square go was decreased
from TO A cents; 67l, from to cents I'll
and 7l2 and part of 672 were materially re-
duced, and ga reduced from 90 to 10 cents
and from IL TO 8 cents; square 675 was re-
duced II increased; 6S4 reduced 726 reduced
10 cents per foot 60l reduced from 25 TO 20
cents; square 600 reduced from go to 45;
square la increased, and the improvements
on square l67 reduced from sly, 900 to $4,000
Commissioner Edmonds will probably leave
the city in short time for some of the me-
dicinal springs TO recuperate from his recent
attack of rheumatism.
Deaths reported July l2: Samuel s. Patter.
son, phthisis pulmonalis; inGant Of j. J. Ap.