Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-04
Mount Pleasant Citizens Claim Un-
fair Treatment,
QUESTION OF COUNTY TAXATION
Repairs and Other Improvements
Asked by the Association.
I HE PERMIT STEM


Oh the village. President J. w. Somerville
presiding. and about thirty members being
present. After the election of Albert stenh-
an and j. NJ. Wood to membership, reports
OF committees were called for The commit
Tee on sewers. water supply and sanitary
matters recommended that catch basins be
added to the memorial TO be presented 70
the District Commissioners and requested
that they be placed at the corners of all
the principal streets. The committee rec
commended that the following memorial be
presented to the District Commissioners:
Gentlemen-Main street sewers are needed
as follows: Fifteenth street. from Columbia
read to Grant street, and ON Pine street TO
Park street; Brown street, from Howard
avenue to Laurel avenue. to connect with
intercepting sewer: Meridian street. east
from Brown: Oak street, east from Brown;
School street from Park; Grant street from
School to 18th street; Kenesaw avenue
from present terminus to Rock creek: 18th
street. from Howard avenue to Center
street; nth street, from present terminus to
Piney branch. intercepting sewer 18th and
18th streets, connecting on Ingieside Ter
race and Lowell street. Milwaukee street
and Howard avenue.
Water mains-Private sewer connections
for residences should be made on 10th street
north of Park Special attention is called
to the unsanitary condition existing I'm
Grent street, at fu intersection with 18th
street endangeriLg the health and lives OF
residents Of that neighborhood, and OF those
atteding the public schools located at the
corner of Grant and School streets Re-
spectfully submitted.
street Improvement.
The committee on streets recommended
that the Commissioners be asked 20 direct
that. where there are streets or highways
In the District of Columbia outside Of WASH
irgton and Georgetown. less than 100 feet
wide. no permits be granted to erect any
building nearer than fifty feet from the
center Of the street The committee set
forth the dangerous condition OF Park ave-
rue between 18th and 18th streets extended.
Up to both sides of this square the street
has been macadamized and the sidewalks
paved. but owing TO some oversight the
block between 10th and 18th streets has
never been graded. II is full of roots HILL
ocks. large stones and ruts, and accidents
there are frequent Recently, IL was said.
a LADY fell and broke her arm, and as the
street is the natural and practical outlet for
18th street extended and Ingleside. the pro-
posed improvements were asked for.
The opening of School street to Kenesaw
avenue was urged. and IL was pointed out
that when the new public school opens
pupils south of kenesaw avenue may be &C
commodated and It will no longer be neces-
sary for them 10 go to the city schools. Ac-
cordingly the Commissioners were request
ed TO secure an appropriation from Congress
in order to open this street
The grading OF 18th street from Columbia
luton.
The committee on schools and school
houses stated that the new school building
would be an elght-room building, with two
extra rooms as library and teachers room
The surplus OF the appropriation is to be
used in kalsomining, building a fence and
perhaps laying a sewer. Three sides OF the
building will be finished in fine brick and
the two stairways are TO be freproof There
will be three entrances. The old school Is
to be turned into training school. The
committee on police and fire department
said that a site for the new engine house
had been purchased on 14th street just
south OF the cable car sheds and the pans
art at present in the hands of Mr.. j. Il.
Brady of the District architects Office.
The committee on street railways reported
that 4 new street car line was badly needed.
The route would be out 18th street TO Low
ell or Park streets and along Lowell to the
entrance to the Zoo Park.
Permit System.
After the reports OF the committees had
been adopted. Mr.. Chaplin Brown called at
tention to what he claimed was the injus-
tice done the taxpayers under the present
permit system. He claimed Il cost more
than double TO nave work done under that
system than it could be done for by pri-
waite contract. Better laid pavements could
be put in for less than half the cost under
the permi. system. he thought. and this be-
ing accepted as correct by the association,
the committee on streets and sidewalks was
empowered to memorabilia the Commits
sioners and Congress. II necessary. in an
effort to have street improvements in Mount
Pleasant done by private contract IL was
stated that Mount Pleasant could better
afford to pay all of the expense upon terms
that could be made rather than one-haH
under the permit system: and what was
true OF sidewalks was likewise true Of wa
ter piping.
President SomerVille. speaking of the mat
ter Of additional street lighting, said he
thought it probable that the facilities in
that line could be increased He look the
opportunity to congratulate the association
upon having secured everything il had
asked for, every item having been secured.
and spoke gratefully of the courtesies
shown by the District Commissioners. The
building now occupied by the fire depart
ment would be disposed of. according TO
present understanding. and the money ex-
pended for charity, through Chairman J.
u. Steeman Of the committee on charity.
City and County.
President Somerville laid before the meet
ing a communication from the Benning
Citizens Association in which IL was claim
ed that about $4,000 had been Illegally or
wrongly collected from the county tax
payers. and urging that an effort should be
made to get IL back.
Mr.. J. NJ. Wood said the county had been
robbed by the city of that amount Every
time, he said. the county districts asked for
improvements they were met with the
declaration that there were 70 funds. An
investigation had shown. however, that the
money TO which the suburban localities
were entitled, a portion Of which they had
paid in the way of taxes into the District
treasury. had beel arbitrarily diverted into
the sinking fund of the District, and was
now lying in the treasury vaults unex-
pended.
A close calculation. he said. revealed the
fact that over 100000 had been thus divert
ed, erd that IL the same system continued
the robbery would soon accumulate more
than S2.0o0Oo0, which would be applied to-
ward paying the city Indebtedness. The
act OF March g, 1871. was quoted, showing
that the portion OF the District not in
cluded I'm the former col porations OF Wash
ington and Georgetown should not be taxed
for defraying the expense OF either i'm
proving the streets alleys. public squares or
other property OF the cities. nor for the
payment of any debt contracted by either
of said cities while remaining under a
municipal government not co-extensive
with the District.
The conversion Of the taxes collected from
the county, which amounted TO lbs per
cent of the revenues. was denounced
An executive committee to look into the
matter was suggested. and Mr.. Chaplin
Brown was chosen 10 represent the Mt.
Pleasant Association on the proposed COM