The Washington times., 1895-06-07
SOLVING TAX PROBLEM
Water Registrar Appointed Under
the Assessment Law.
JOHN j. BEALL DESIGNATED
of the Opinion That
the Appointment Cures Defects in
the System-Garbage Complaints.
Additional Policemen Appointed.
Colored People and Departments.

: John j. Beall was yesterday designated
water registrar. Mr. Beall is the present
chief clerk of the Water Department, and
will. unless other provision be made, serve
without extra compensation. This action
the Commissioners claim will cure the de-
feet pointed out by the courts in the sys-
tenn of levying assessments for wateRmains,
SO far as the future is concerned. AS
to the cases disposed of against the Dis
trict plan, other provision must be made,
presumably by Congress.
The decision in the Burgdorf case, the
Commissioners maintain was based upon
the tact trat under the law of 1878
a registrar was provided for, whose duty it
was to make the assessments. There was
no appropriation for the salary of the reg
istrar, and the office was discontinued.
The law creating the office not having been
repealed, the Commissioners contend that
the court decision was based upon the
fact that the assessments were made with
out the participation OF such officer, and
they say they can go right on with the
laying of water mains and distributors,
and making connections for the extension
OF the service without hindrance and with
out giving notice.
Ii is a provision OF the law that the
water department funds shall all he ex-
pended for the maintenance OF the system.
The assessments heretofore collected, at
the rate of So 80 per running foot, for
mains laid where demanded, are also
provided by the law, no deviation, it is
stated, being permissible from the fixed
price The average of years collec-
tions from this source, according 10 the
reports, amounts to 100000, and the
water rents aggregate about $3.50 900, or,
possibly, both together will reach the sum
of $3.50, 900
HOW THE FUND rs USED.
This fund is used FOR laying trunk mains,
connections and distributors. From it
is paid all the expense of maintaining the
water supply There is no general
fund to draw upon, nor is any part of it
diverted else where, and it is barely suf-
ficient for the needs of the department,
the increasing service about keeping pace
with the collections. The appropria-
tiun OF fixed sum each year towards
paying tie Lydecker tunnel debt, which is
alsu required by enactment, must also be
derived from the water fund.
When q main for distributing purposes
is required in a locality il has been the
practice of the engineer department TO
make the assessments at hegiven rate upon
the property to be served.
Any excess that accrues from the assess
ing the connections to render the dis
tributor available, or the surplus in the
section to be served, and as much more, sew
eral times multiplied. may be exhausted in
! laying the large main for the benefit Of
the section served by the distributor. In
this way the average is sstruck and The water
fund made to perform its general func-
tions.
The garbage inspector appeared yester-
day at the health office, after a single
days service, with the report that nearly
one-half OF the complaints against the
service were without just foundation,
being due to the negligence of the house
| holders, and not the contractor. The re-
mainder OF the notifications of non-con-
formity to the regulations were due TO
the crippled force OF the contractor by
reason of the heat.
Thirty six complaints, filed after 3
O'Clock Wednesday, were placed in the in
| spector's hands yesterday morning.
SHERMAN AVENUE IMP ROW EMENT.
The Commissioners have formally no.
titled Justice Harlan, president OF the
Garfield Memorial Hospital trustees, that
upon certain concessions as to protection
of the roadway they will agree to expend
as much OF the present appropriation, not
less than 81 900 incarrying out the hospital
plans for the widening OF Sherman
avenue, aud will incorporate in their esti :
mates to the next Congress sufficient
amount to complete the work. The present
appropriation of So 900 made for the i'm :
provement was conditional upon the dedi :
cation by the hospital of the ground re :
quired.
Record of deaths reported to the Health
Office for the twenty -four hours ending
at one O'Clock p. m. yesterday, was as
follows:
White-Julia A Wilbur, age seventy
niue years. Benjamin d. Carpenter, aged
one; Henry q. Oft, aged thirty four;
Carl Tanner, aged twenty nine; Edith
Shepard, aged one and one half.
Colored-Tbornton Meggs, aged seventy
nine years; Joseph Dent, aged fifty-eight;
Elizabeth Oliver, aged thirt weight;
Julia Somerville, aged twent four;
Carl Laurel, aged fourteen; Joseph Butler,
aged ten; Marie Harris, aged nine months.
One of the deaths, that of the fourteen
year-old boy, was due to drowning, his
BODY having been placed in the morgue
Wednesday. The drowning occurred at
the bathing beach,
Two persons, Julia Somerville and Jo-
seph Dent, both of whom died June 3,
were victims of the heat.
Additional privates on the police force
Were appointed yesterday as follows: Allen
site of the union passenger depot, at
Thirty-siXth street and Prospect avenue
Henry S. Davis, for three months, on proba-
| ton, for duty at the National Baseball
Park
CoLORED RACE WANTS RECOGNITION.
An appeal has been made TO the Com
mfssioners by prominent colored people
| for the promotion of a representative of
their race to one of the vacancies in the
fO IN ha lod T,,l, I A
ton called at the District building yester-
day with a petition setting forth at great
| length their reasons for the demand.
| They also requested recognition of the
race in appointments to the fire depart
! ment. 1t was stated that but twelve col
ored men are now on the police force,
not one of whom has been promoted, and
that no appoinNnent of a colored man has
been made to the fire department service
in eighteen years.
| The delegation consisted of DR.. G. B.
Purvis, Col. Perry Carson, R. S. Smith,
Rev. j. Anderson Taylor, G. NJ. Wieder
and o. NJ. Atwood.
The Commissioners have declined to
approve the additional wheel-guard of the
Smith pattern, which the Columbia Street
| Railway Company desired to add to its
| equipment in lieu of a front fender.
Mrs. Honora Roach and her son sus
tanned certain injury by the falling OF
their horse into an excavation, which she
alleges was not properly protected, ON
Lincoln avenue. Mrs. Roach made a
statement of the facts to the District
Commissioners, claiming redress. She was
yesterday informed that the permit fol-
| making the excavation was issued to j
G.. Schlosser & Co., plumbers, and in the
| Judgment of the Commissioners they are
| responsible for any damage resulting from
| the accident, provided the statement be
correct that the cut in the avenue was moi
| properly guarded.
| Building permits issued yesterday: Buch-
anan Beale, dwelling, No. 1920 Kalorama
street, $1,000; John McIlveen, store, No
| 2l9 Indiana avenue, $500