Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-23
THE NORTHEAST SECTION.
A Special Hearing by the Commissioners q
to Street Improvements There.

A Special Hearing by the Commissioners -
to Street Improvements There.
This morning tho Commissioners gave q
special hearing in the board room to Messrs. W.
c. Dodge and 8. c. Clarke, who desired 10
speak with reference 10 the expenditures for
street improvements in the northeast quarter.
They charge that some years ago the engineer
officers devised a plan Of dividing the city
into four quarters-the northwest, southwest,
southeast and northeast, for the purpose
Of applying the annual estimates Of street
improvements, and that this is not done. Mr..
Dodge, in his argument before the Commits
sioners, stated that he attributed this to the
special schedule which was made up for each
quarter and the amount Of which each is
charged. Large sums are annually APP
propriated in some sections, he stated, which
are not charged to those sections, as for
instance IN the repair and resurfacing Of con-
crete streets. He called attention to past re-
ports. which showed that there had been ex-
pended for this purpose 81, SS5, 26s. Is, nearly
all of which he said, has been expended in the
northwest quarter, but with which il has
never been charged. In 1887, he stated, another
plan known as a general schedule of streets to
be improved, because OF their general import
ance, was devised, and for this general schedule
there was appropriated s144, coo, none Of which
was expended in the northeast quarter.
CuNNMGLy DEVISED SCHEME.
He said that this seems to have been a cum
ningly devised scheme to expend the money in
other sections and yet make it appear in the
statement of monies expended there, AZ no
money expended on q general schedule has
ever been charged to any one Of the sections.
He said, further, il the money for
under the general schedule had been
expended pro rata in the four quar-
tiers there would have been no ground Of COM
Plnint, but this has not been so. He continued
that If there is any justice reason in the plan
OF dividing the city into sections and sppro-
each separately with the amount 90
appropriated, then all the money ex-
pended In each section should be in
ciuded in the estimates and appropriation for
that section, and every dollar expended in that
section should be charged to it and should ap-
pear in the official statement Of the money ex-
pended in that section, and that no other plan
Is or could be fair and honest.
THE GENERAL SCHEDULE SHOULD BIZ ABOLISHED.
He said that the general schedule should be
abolished and that there is not nor ever was
attention to the fact that the northeast section
is charged with money that they do not receive
and called attention to the report Of the Com
missioners for the year 1885, in which the
northeast section is charged with Sl29, 200,
which amount was not all expended there. In
that appropriation the improvement Of Mary
land avenue from 9th street to Boundary and
also from North Capitol to l street was in
cluded, but both were omitted, and that was
done two years in succession and Maryland ave-
nue. is still unfinished; notwithstanding the
fact that Chairman Clements in his
report on the District bill stated tina,
the Commissioners, at the request o;
the committee, had furnished and revised
the schedule OF the streets to be improved with
the streets arranged in the order in which they
we're to be improved, and Maryland avenue was
second on the list. Mr.. Dodge also called at
tention to several other cases OF like nature.
He said. in conclusion, that it must be borne
in mind that, while millions were spent in
the northwest by the board of public
works for wooden pavements (about -. 500, 900.
as stated by Capt. Green, and some two mil
lions to replace them with asphalt, the northeas,
received almost nothing. lie then presented q
table prepared by the engineer department in
1888, showing the area Of unimproved streets
IN different sections. 1t was as follows:
Georgetown. a.S6 per cent; northwest
quarter. 1886 per cent; southwest quarter,
e6G Per cent southeast, 1918 per cent; north
east, S209 per cent. And he said that that
record showed that if there was any portion OF
the District which is justly entitled to an extra
share OF the appropriation il was the north
east quarter, and it surely ought not to be dis
crlmlnated against as 1t has been in the past.
Mr.. CLARKE READS soME srArEnrxrs
Mr.. S. c. Clarke also spoke on the same sub
ject, but his remarks we're more in detail. He
read several statements Of the money estimated
Tor the Improvement Of streets in the north
east which that section never received.
Col. Robert explained to him the necessity OF
conhning his remarks to the appropriations az
applied, for, he said, estimates are very uncer.
tain things, as prices for supplies are varying
at all times. The colonel added that it was a
wonder that the people were able to get any
estimates at all from the District gov
eminent as it was at present run,
and 70 per cent at least more
money should be appropriated for the use of
the engineer department alone. Il felt when l
came here, continued the colonel. that was
getting out of the engineering business land
going into the whisky business" put in Mr..
Douglass "Yes, sir. acquiesced the colonel.
Mr.. Clarke then called attention to several
streets which were estimated for improvements
end when the time came to go to work the good
curbing which was already there was taken ND
and new curb purchased, which, he thought,
was waste Of money and illegal The
colonel. however, corrected him in this matter
and Mr.. Clarke withdrew what he had said on
this subject The colonel added that he be-
lieved in citizens watching these things and re-
porting to the Commissioners, so that they
could be investigated.