Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-22
A Treasury View Of the Questions at
Issue.

Secretary Fairchild had not this morning re-
ceived the reply of the District Commissioners
to his letter asking for the estimates to be
more in detail. The department will insist
upon having the details. Judge Durham says
there is no question as to the Interpretation of
the law, and it has never before been disputed.
The act says: ''Said Commissioners shall SUBJ
NIT TO the Secretary OF the Treasury, for the
fiscal year, ending June 80, 1879, and annually
thereafter, for his examination aud approval,
a statement showing in detail the work pro-
posed to be undertaken by them during the
fiscal year next ensuing. and estimated cost
thereof" When the law was first passed
there was q disposition on the part
OF the Commissioners to disregard 1t, but the
department promptly called them to an ac-
count, and always alter that, up to the present
time, the estimates have come in in detail, and
there has been no question about 1t. 1t is en-
tirely proper, Judge Durham says, that the gov.
ernment, paying hall the money, should know
what streets are to be improved, where school
houses are to be built, and how many and what
classes Of teachers are TO be employed. All
these things should be known and made public
for the Information of the people. In the gov
ernment service estimates have to be specific.
So many clerks of one class so many OF another,
SO much for this purpose and SO much for that.
There is no reason, he thinks, why the District
Commissioners should be exempted from this,
and the law specifically provides that they
shall not be.
As To the statement of the Commissioners
that they cannot possibly say upon what size a
school is to be built, the judge says that the
department does not want them to do SO. What
is wanted is that the district in which the
schOOl-house is to be built shall be mentioned,
so that it may not be left 10 the discretion of
the Commissioners TO put them all in one dis
irict. Judge Durham thinks, too, that the
school teachers should be classified and esti-
mated for according 10 the classification. At
present the estimates are for SO much money
fOr u certain number CT teachers AT AN average
salary of $64O. II is in tue discretion of the
Commissioners to pay almost nothing to large
number OF teachers and immense salaries TO
Others SO long AS the average is kept balanced.
This policy was severely criticised in the House
appropriations committee last winter.
The commissioners to Make Issue with
the Treasury Department.
The letter which the District Commissioners
will send to the Treasury department In an
swer to Mr.. Fairchild's letter asking for de-
tailed statements of work to be done, &C, in
connection with the estimates will raise
question as to the construc. Ion Of the law
prescribing how District estimates shall be
made. The letter will probably not be written
before tomorrow.
Engineer Commissioner Ludlow, when asked
about the matter by a STAR reporter this alter
noon, said: "In the judgment of The Commission
far as it is practicable The law, he said,
required them to submit itemized estimates to
the Secretary, with the view oI having him
revise them, and then send the revised esti-
mates, together with the originals, to Con-
gress. 1t was manifest tnat Congress intended
To control the matter as they wanted the Com.
missioners' originals as well as the Secretarys
revision"
sTnen," said Col. Ludlow, "it is impossible
for TO comply with this request. We need
all the time between now and the assembling OF
Congress to determine what streets should be
selected for Improvement. We do not know
how many school teachers will be employed
next year. That will depend upon the needs OF
schools and the appropriations We cannot say
now where new school houses may be erected
vaa md a IA 4 hlH l.tSa II L.,
in our own minds, would 1t not be very
injudlcious to tell where IL was? AS to the
Streets we will have to cut out four-fifths OF
those now on our list. Who is To be the judge
of the streets to be improved, the Commission
ers, who have the responsibility and whose
action is controlled only by Congress, a
clerk in the controllers Office? No, the Com
mssioners believe they have done what the
law contemplated"
Commissioner Webb comedies in the views OF
Col. Ludlow.
It is understood that Mr. Wheatley favors
such details as the mmissioners are aUle to
give, including the wnole list of streets for
which improvements are asked.