The Washington times., 1895-05-24
POLICE PENSIONS SCALED
Fund insufficient and Amounts
Reduced by Forty Per Cent.
CONGRESS FAILED TO AID
District Attorney Birney Calls for
Information Touching Grade Cross
fngs-CoaI Exchan nge Wants n Off
cial weigher OF Coal-Bids Opened
for Furnishing Steam Apparatus.

| for Furnishing steam AIiparatu
As the result of the failure of Congress to
appropriate sufficient sum to meet the
deficiency In the police relief fund, the ben
eflciaries of the system are now receiving
but 60 per cent. of the lawful allowance.
The widows of deceased officers, for exam
pie, who are entitled to receive $40 per
| month, now get but $I2, and there is no
prospect nor method in view of effeeting
relief.
When the matter was before Congress 1t
was urged that an appropriation be made
commensurate with the needs of the serv-
ice, aud it was proposed by the District to
beartbeexpense alone. TheCommissioners,
acting for the people, expressed willing
ness to have the amount asked for, and it
was not very large, taken entirely from
District revenues, but the proposition was
rejected.
To meet the deficiency, Congress appro-
prated but $4,000, or at-the rate of
1898. .33 1-3 per month. To this sum is
added the voluntary contributions Of the
| policemen, which last month amounted to
$462, the monthly fines collected from
the force, one-half of the awards paid in
certain cases, and the proceeds from the
sale of abandoned property and from Occa-
sional sales Of Chief Clerk Sylvester's
history of the Metropolitan Police.
With this accumulation the Dist rict
auditor is barely able to pay the so per
cent pro rata share Of each pension, and
were it not for the slight advance IN the
sales of the book recently the amounts
would have been necessarily scaled still
farther this month.
NOT SUFFICIENT TO PAY RENT.
There is a good deal OF complaint, based
upon the limited resources ii provides, on
account of the action OF Congress in cur
failing the expenditures so much below
the amount required for payments in full.
In many cases the pensioners have but
slender means Of subsistence, and the
monthly stipend OF relief is not sufficient
TO pay rent.
United States District Attorney A A.
Birney recently addressed a communication
TO the Commissioners asking for infoma-
ton relative 10 questions connected with
the complaint of the Northeast Washing
ton Citizens Association against the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company, in the
! matter OF grade crossings.
The Commissioners responded by forward
ing copies OF communications received from
| Mr.. George II. Bailey, computing engineer,
and q copy of the District annual report
for the year ending June 80, 1887, con
tanning the only official communication
known to have been made to Congress sss')n
fl.a rls Grrlf Of cf4 md STrp
I railroads.
The report marked "a" made 10y Mr..
Bailey. refers to street grades, and says the
] present grades are practically the same as
those established In 1853.
In another report he says There IS no
/ record of any established grades of streets
/ in the section of the city traversed 10y the
/ Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which were
( in existence at the time the road was built,
about 1885. The original book OF gradua-
( ton shows only the grades Of streets that
were built upon more or less at that time,
about the year 1900, and the grades OF
( streets in the northeast section do not APP
/ pear to have been then considered"
The CoyIe grades, so called, were pre-
pared after the railroad was built, and in
/ the opinion of the engineer there are no
grounds for proceedings by reason of nom
conformity to established grades
/ WANT A CoAL-WEIGHER.
A delegation representing the Coal Ex-
/ change was before the Commissioners yes
/ terday with proposition for the appoint
ment of an inspector and weigher of
coal, and during the conference a gen
eral discussion was had OF the system OF
weights and measures in vogue in the Dis
! trict.
The exchange desires Uniformity in the
matter and the regulation of the system
| to be entirely under District control. The
/ members are averSe to exercising any
/ supervision of the work, and to this end
/ requested that a mounted officer be de-
tailed with special authority as inspector.
! The Commissioners objected to this ar
rangement, but suggested that an in
spector be appointed, to be entirely under
| District control. but to be paid for his
services by the members of the exchange,
( and this was agreed to.
President Ross said yesterday that the
board would give the subject further
consideration aud take early action.
The delegation consisted Of Messrs. A.
H. Stephenson, V Baldwin Johnson, A.
G.. Johnson, George Bogus, William Baum
and Richard Johnson, Mr.. Baum serving
as principal spokesman.
DAYS DEATH RECORD.
Record of deaths reported to the Health
Office for the twenty-four hours ending
at L O'Clock yesterday:
White.-samuel s Henkle, aged 67 years;
William Cogswell, aged 90; John j Con-
way, aged Al; Sophia W. seebode, aged
81: Emma B. Thompson, aged %; James
A. Mcdonald, aged 8.
Colored-AIary Davis, aged seventy three
years; James Richards, aged three months.
Building permits were issued yester-
day, as follows: William A. Hutchinson,
store and dweHiugS No 1881 Eleventh
street southeast 2,795; William II :
Tierney, dwellipg,r block s. southeast
$700.
Samuel Keemfe was yesterday desig-
mated for temporary duty as rodmaD in the
sewer division III the Engineer Depart
ment, with compensation at the rate of
So 80 per day.
The Commissioners yesterday revoked
the commission of Games Jackson as an
additional privates and appointed John
Dogau to the same. grade of service, for
duty at the corner of Il aud Canal streets,
i with Nicolai Brothers.
Bids were opened. yesterday at the office
of the building inspector for the intro
ductiou of steam heating apparatus in
the house of the Iuteudent of Washington
| Asylum, as follaws:
Johnson s. Morris, $3.50; n Grahe,