Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-02-20
STREET IMPROVEMENTS.


Hearing as the Capisol To-day.
VIEWS OF THE COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED AND
OTHER CITIZENS REPRESENTING VARIOUS SECTIONS
OF THE DISTRICT As TO sTREsT AND ROAD IMPROVE
MENrs PRESENTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE.
Byinvitation OF the District subcommittee OF the
House appropriations committee, q number OF
citizens, representing different parts OF the city,
appeared before the subcommittee to-day to
give their views to the committee respecting Inn
provements OF streets and roads. Mr.. Fendall,
president OF the Citizens Committee OF one Hun
dred, Mr. Noble u. Larner, chairman, and Mr. NJ. !.
Weller, secretary OF the subcommittee on streets
and avenues OF that committee, and Messrs. W. c.
Dodge, c. l. Hoyey and s. T. Suit, also members
OF the Committee OF One Hundred, were present;
also Messrs. Geo. Truesdell, John Saul, ii. A. Girls
void and A. NJ. McLachlan, representing
the County Citizens Committee OF Fifteen,
MT. L. N: Saunders. representing the North Capt.
sunderland and Mr.. j. L. Norris. who appeared In
the interest OF cobble-paved AZ street, and other
citizens represe1sing various Interests. District
Symons were also In attendance. Chairman
Clements and Messrs. Henderson, Rice and Camp
the subcommittee began its session Mr.. Fendali
introduced Mr. Noble d. Larner, who made tate
ment OF the
DESIRES OF THE COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED.
Mr.. Larner, after referring to the long conten-
tons over the matter OF street Improvements,
said one section OF the city had received the lions
share. The system which had been followed gave
rise to complaints OF partiality and to bad feeling
They did not believe that the distribution OF the
Se s ns T Of rne
three Commissioners Every appropriation, they
street was to be improved they asked thar the
committee should SO state In their bill and not
leave Il In any uncertain condition. They asked
that the committee adopt the recommendation OF
the Treasury Department in this respect They
asked also that the committee ignore the list OF
streets that the District Commissioners had pre-
sented, and take that prepared by the Committee
OF One Hundred This list, he said, had been pre-
sented to the Commissioners and almost ignored
by them In making up their schedule.
MR.. LARNRR WOULD COMPLETE ALL THE STREETS IN
YEAR.
Gen. Henderson, referring to q calculation that
the Improvements proposed by the Citizens Com
mittee would cost ST. coo OOO asked II It was pro-
posed to expend all this money In one year.
So far as he was concerned, Mr.. Larner said, he
would make 1t S2,00O.O0O or So, 100000 ana CON-
plete the streets at once. He thought that 1t
would be good policy to follow the same plan with
5a 5as Sxee.s as was adopted respecng the sewers
vance the money as loan TO the District to CON-
plete the streets. As 1t was, he said they made
ated the calculations referred to by Gen. Hender-
son. They were calculations made by the engf-
neer department in twenty-four hours and given
TO the public. The Citizens Committee contended
that the improvements proposed would
NOT COST MORE THAN MILLION DoLLARa
They did not ask the committee, however to
adopt thewhole OF their schedule. but to pick out
from 1t such streets as the committee thought
best.
Gen. Henderson asked Mr. Larner II he wanted
the committee TO pick out particular streets TO
have little work done on all the streets?
Mr. Larner said that the schedule was arranged
which rfff7pnos faa
Thought they should be taken up and improved
Mr. Larner in speaking OF the estimates made BY
provements proposed by the Committee OF one
Hundred, said that the graveling and grading
could be done for 40 per cent less than the estE
FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS poR PENNSYLVANIA AVE-
NUE. RAST.
Mr.. n ]. Weller spoke also for the Committee OF
One Hundred. He urged the appropriation Of
$4,000 to pave Pennsylvania avenue east, SO as to
make make an approach TO the new bridge. He also
called attention to other Improvements needed in
East Washington. In his remarks he urged that
the work OF street improvements, as shown by the
cost II done by the Commissioners themselves, In.
stead OF under the contract system.
UNIMPROvRD STREETS IN THE NORTHEAST SECTION
Mr.. w. c. Dodge called attention to streets in
the northeast section which were unimproved and
almost impossible. This section, he said, had
been almost entirely ignored. Mr. Dodge asked
that the subcommittee fix day for a hearing on
school matters. His committee, he said, had data
that they desired to present.
COUNTY INTERESTS.
Mr. Geo. Truesdell, OF the county citizens COM
mittee, said that he represented portion OF the
District which heretofore had received a very
small part OF the appropriations He said that
the county section comprised property OF taxa
BILE value Of $7,OO0OOO. They paid more taxes
and had q larger valuation than any OF the sec.
tionS OF the city except the northwest
Their annual appropriations had been made under
the one head OF maintenance and repairs OF county
roads" and from $4,000 TO $4,000 year only
had been given for this purpose. large part OF
this region was taxed at city rates. IL was great
tSnS shas the eyenues Of this pofoe
OF the city should be almost entirely With
drawn from 1t and used in improving other sections
They had entire confidence in the Commissioners
They were entirely willing that whatever
was appropriated for county Improvements
pria:ons recommended in the schedule Of the
S Sea s
Commissioners had put in their schedule. They
would not quarrel as to which streets should be
to the Judgment Of the House committee and OF
the District Commissioners. Much OF the
n the he had
leading out OF the city. These Inn
are necessary, but were no more for
than for the city at large.
LAYING OUT TRRKGULAR SUBDIVISIONS
Mr.. Campbell having inquired what relation the
assessed value bore to the true value OF suburban
property, Mr. Truesdell said that the assessment
when made approximated its true value, but now
owing TO the rapid increase In values fell far short
OF it. Mr.. Truesdell spoke also OF the extension OF
city streets and the trouble threatened by the lay.
ing out of irregular subdivisions He said 1t would
require very little money to enable the Commis-
siOners to condemn property and straighten out
streets. Property owners, he said, were willing to
give land for the purpose. He said the county
labored under disadvantage. The whole county
had the reputation OF being owned by spectators.
That was not true as TO the county any more than
as TO the city.
F0uR-AND-A-HALF STREET.
Mr.. ]. L. Norris, who, with DR.. Sunderland, ap-
peared in behalf Of residents and property owners
on Az street, between Pennsylvania avenue and
the City Hall, next spoke. He referred TO the
petition already sent to the committee and pub
lished in TEE STAR Mr.. Norris said they had
been waiting patiently for years to have this por
understand why the commissioners had not put
the street In the schedule for this year.
''Simply," Said Mr.. Webb. "oecause 1t has stone
Mr. Norris said the estimated cost Of the new
pavement was between -. 900 and $4,000.
MI. Webb remarked that there was talk Of erect
Ofice building ON the site Of the City Han build
ing. II that Is done It Will necessitate q change
In the grade OF the street.
Mr. Norris said that for years they had talked of
Q city building and post-on1ce, and had not got
one yet The improvement asked was not expen-
sve and II the building talked OF was erected and
the street had TO be graded the loss would not be