Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-07
Bills to Be Pressed by the Senate
District Committee.
An INFORMAL CONFERENCE TODAY
Commissioner Ross Urges the
Municipal Building Bill.
OTHER IMPORTANT MEASURES

There was to have been a meeting of the
| District committee of the Senate today,
| but only four Senators responded to the
| call. and so a quorum was not obtained.
These were Messrs. Harris, Hunton, Nc.
MILAN and Hansbrough. They had an infor-
| NAL conference, however. as to the state Of
| the local calendar, and it was agreed that
some legislation might be secured in the
Senate If sufficient energy was expended by
| the members Of the committee.
For "a Municipal Building.
Before the meeting hour, Commissioners
Ross, accompanied by Mr.. John b. Wight.
secretary Of the board of trade. called at
| the committee room and had a consultation
| with Senators Harris and Hunton in re-
| gard to the bill providing for a new munici-
pal building. 1t is probable that more at-
| tention will be paid to this bill this session
than to any other local measure, and Com-
missioner Ross urged that the subcommit-
| tee in charge of the bill should grant q
| hearing at an early day to interested citi-
zens. Accordingly, at O'Clock on Mon-
| day, there will be a meeting of the SUBJ
committee, which consists of Senator's
| Faulkner, Hunton and Mcmillan, for the
| purpose Of hearing such persons as may
| appear before them. 1t is probable that
| the District Commissioners and the board
| of trade will be represented, and a delega-
| ton from the East Washington Citizens
| Association will also attend, consisting CT
| Messrs Evan H. Tucker, Frizzell and w.
| c. Dodge. At the informal consultation
| of the committee, later, 1t was the general
| opinion that the bill presented to the
| House at the last session from the commit
| tee on public buildings and grounds, pro-
| viding for the erection Of the municipal
building, and on the site of the present
| court house. would be the easiest TO pass
| at this time.
| There will be no site to purchase and In
| this way the objections of the economists
| Of the House are met This bill also
&l~sl, nf Cfof ia
| scramble Should the bill be pressed in
| the Senate 1t Is probable that II Will be
| carefully drawn to insure the competition
| of leading architects. The favorite plan Is
| for a group of buildings to be erected on
three sides of a rectangle. giving accom-
| modations not only to the municipal offices,
| but to the police department and all the
| local courts. An argument that is being
| urged in favor of this site is that any
| change to downtown location OF the
| courts and court offices would necessitate
| a great loss In values from the abandon
| ment of the many law off1ce buildings that
| have grown up around the City Hall
| Square.
| The b. md O. Tracks.
A delegation representing the citizens OF
| Northeast washington, consisting Of DR..
E. NJ. Gallaudet, president of the Deaf
| Mute College, and Messrs. Tucker and
| Frizzell, called on the committee this morn
ing to urge early action upon the bill now
|
more and Ohio Company to combine its
| tracks outside of the city limits and to
| enter the city on masonry viadyct.
This Is known as the Sherman bill. and
would doubtless have been pressed at the
| last session had not the Baltimore and
| Ohio company pleaded for a delay on ac-
count Of the hard times. This is Senate
| 656 and Is in charge of Senators Faulkner.
Mcmillan and Harris subcommittee,
| Senator Harris told Mr.. Tucker this morn
| ing that he believed something could be
| done with the bill this uession and that
it would be taken up for consideration at
an early meeting.
DIR. Gallaudet said to a Star reporter
that as far as he has been able to ascertain
the company is not averse this time to
| making the change, and that the plans
outlined in Senator Sherman's bill have
been demonstrated to be entirely feasible
| -.. What the Plans Contemplate.
These plans contemplate a detection Of
the Baltimore tracks from the present
line at Ivy City in order to run to the
| north Of Kendall Green to Join the Metro
| politan track a little north of the old city
| line. 1t was urged at one time by the COM
papy that there were engineering difficult
| ties In the way of such a junction, owing
| to the grades Of the two tracks, but COM
petent engineers, DIR. Gallaudet says, have
gone over the plans with care and declare
that 1t is entirely possible to make this
| improvement.
He added that the necessity for the
4
| which are entirely unprotected is growing
| every year, owing to the rapid increase Of
population In the northeast section. Sew
| eral of the students of the Institution over
| which he presides have lost their lives at
the 7th street crossing, and he has himself
| on a number of occasions barely escaped
| death. He thinks that the danger will be
| greatly increased when the cable road
| shall begin to be used on II street, and. he
is in hopes that Congress will take definite
action this winter to abolish the two men,
1 vlAla 1af
street, which are within few yards OF
| each other.
The Dollar Gas Bill.
| Another bill that is to be urged for pass
| age, and with considerable prospect of sue
cess is House bill 1910, relating to the
sale of gas in the District, better known as
''The Dollar Gas Bill" This bill having al
ready passed the House is now on the
calender of the Senate committee. I'm
| charge of Senators Hunton, Faulkner
and Mcmillan, and very little effort will
probably result in a passage of the bill
| through the Senate.
The bill provides that after its passage the
| price of Illuminating gas furnished to all
| consumers in the District shall not exceed
| a dollar per 1000 feet, IT being provided
that If consumers other than the govern
ment shall not pay their gas bills within
| ten days upon presentation the company
| collect at the rate of S1.25. The act of june
%, 1874, is amended to require the gaslight
| company 10 MAINTAIN 1tb prOuuct at inc
equivalent of twenty-five candles and pro-
| vides a penalty of 500 for each day on
| which there may be proved violation of this
provision. The bill also makes provision
| for an extra clerk at 81, 600 in the Office OF
the Commissioners and an extra inspector
| of lamps at 500 to carry out the provisions
| of the act
| Street Railways.
| There is a strong disposition on the part
| of the members of the committee to criti-
| else the Metropolitan Railroad Company for
| its delay in the work on constructing the
| 9th street rapid transit line, for which one
| year was granted from the 1st of August,
1894. At the informal meeting this morning
| this matter was brought up I'm connection
with other street railway questions, and the
| case Of the Columbia road was cited as an
| instance of unusual activity without the
spur Of congressional interference.
The Danger Point.
It may be that the bill INTRODUCED at the
last session by Senator Mcmillan intended
| to reduce the danger to street traffic and
pedestrians al the corner of 18th street and
New York avenue from the cable cars viii
be taken up again this session and pressed