The morning times., 1896-03-24

In the matter of the certificates proposed
| to be redeemed under the provisions of SEN
ate bill 1916, which the Commissioners re-
| turned 10 Congress yesterday without recon-
| mendation, as noted in The Evening Times,
| Auditor Petty says in his report TO the
Commissioners that the parties who hold
| the certificates were urged TO fund them
under the provisions of the act of 1874,
| and again under the act Of June 80, 1880.
The latter act provided that unless pre-
| sented within six months from date OF en-
| actment they should be forever barred
and expresses the opinion that they are
| therefore no longer legal obligations of
| the government.
All the equities in the case, he says, will
be met in providing for their redemption
upon the same terms that governed in the
redemption of those included under the acts
named.
TO allow interest to claimants, as pro-
posed in this bill. The auditor says, in eff
! feet to place premium on delinquency. BE
| recommends that the interest be reduced To
! 1865 and that Il provision be introduced TO
| stop the interest at the expiration OF sixty
| days from the date of passage OF the act.
The Commissioners inGorse the auditors
| suggestions.
STILL WANT HIGHWAY ACT.
| The District Commissioners yesterday
! returned 10 tie House the hin introduced
| there and referred to the board 1or its
| consideration, providing for tie extension
of seventeenth street northwest.
An adverse recommendation is made, for
he same reason assigned several days ago
| by the board in the case OF two other
| measures for the extension OF thorough
| fares-that is, that the board desires to
take no action that viii interfere with the
| general system provided for in tie high
/ way act
The Commissioners have also returned
! 10 Congress, with amendment and favor
| able recommendation, the bill introduced
| in the House ITO permit the Pintsch Com
pressing Company TO lay pipes in certain
| streets IN Washington" the amendments
consisting of two sections.
These added sections provide that the
| Pintsch Company shan lower or relay any
| pipes whenever in the judgment OF the
! Commissioners 1t shall be necessary in
changing street grades, and also that the
| company shall pay annually into the Dis
| trict treasury sum cCualing per cent
OF its gross annual receipts.
| The bill provides that the company shall
! have the permission to lay pipes for gas
| distribution. from its plant. at the corner
| Of Thirteen-and-a-half ana Z streets south
| west, TO the depots Of the Baltimore and
| Potomac, Baltimore and Ohio, ard South
| ern Railroads. respectively, the object
| Of the corporal ion being to supply the gas
| Of its manufacture to railroad postal cars
and the United States lighthouse buoys.
GARBAGE SERVICE DATA.
In respect 10 the complaints published
anent he operation of the garbage crema-
! tory, and the alleged nuisance produced
| therefrom. Health Officer woodward said
! Yesterday that while he had not visited
| the plant since the consumption OF garbage
| was commenced, the reports from there Of
| the satisfactory results were most en-
j couraging for the continued success OF the
| ysten. The plant, he said. is now tax
| ing care Of the collections for the entire
| District.
| DR.. Woodward regards the building, the
stack, and lie furnace as models OF their
| kind, ard the Brown system he believes
! to be equal to any cremation plant eX-
| tant
| He thinks there are others that may he
| made as effective, but the expense of oper-
| ating will, in his opinion. be greater than
| that incurred by the one introduced here.
The cost under the Brown method, he says,
| Will not exceed thirty cents per ton, and
! il the ashes prove TO be valuable a. a fertil
| izer, the sale OF it will materially reduce
| if it does not wipe out the expense OF
| garbage disposal.
The ashes have been tested as a fertil-
| izer elsewhere, but the analysis OF the
| Washington product is not yet complete.
| The per cent Of ash to the aggregate
| Of garbage is about five, or one-twentieth.
The price commanded for ii in some To-
| calities is from So to SIS per ton. Thirty
| cents per ton being given as the cost of
| burning, DR.. Woodward is of the opinion
| that the sale of the ash product will about
offset the expense, If it does not leave
| a margin.
| SHALL THE DISTRICT OWN IT?
The Importance of this subject has led
| to a suggestion that the District shall own
! the garbage plant and at the same time do
| its own collecting, DR.. woodward is now
| formulating report upon that suggestion,
| which Will be submitted to Congress along
| with the report made lately as to munic
| ipal ownership of the street and alley
| cleaning plant.
The health officer has not yet made up
| his mind as TO the advisablity of owning
| the garbage plant. but admits that under
| civil service rules. when politics might
be wholly eliminated from District affairs,
| there are adyantagesto be gained bymunici-
! pal control of the entire work
What the health officer now needs to
| make the garbage thoroughly efficient, is
| an increase in the number Of inspectors.
| The system is working very well now,
| DR.. Woodward says, but at the height of
| the heated term there will be, as there
was last year, demand for much closer
! inspection than can be now given it, and he
| should have, he thinks, not less than
! four, and if possible six, additional Off
| GERS.