The morning times., 1896-12-24
FIGURES LIKELY TO Be CUT
Wants of the District Considered
by House Committee.
THE POLICE FORCE PROBLEM
Strong Plea Made for the Desired
Increase-New School Buildings
Needed-Raise In Salaries Asked
For-Buildi Inspector Brady
Desires More Help.

The conference yesterday of the Com
missioners and other District officials with
the House Committee on District appropria-
tions began early and continued until "a
late hour in the afternoon, the discussion
| including, among other subjects, the ap-
propriations asked for support of the
| public schools, the police and fire depart
| ments, the Washington Aqueduct street
| lighting, health office, ana other i'm
portant interests.
The item for street lighting calls for
| $203, 1913. GA for gas and $9G,94 90 for
| electric lights. The proviso as 10 gas
service is that not more than $50 per
annum for each street light shall be paid;
also that all lamps shall barn every night,
on the average from fortyfive minutes
after sunset until fortyfive minutes be
fore sunrise.
Not more than 80 cents per night sta!l
be paid for any electric arc light, burn
ing from forty-five minutes before sun
set to foriy-five minutes before sunrise,
ard operated wholly by means Of under
ground wires. Each arc light shall be of
not less than 900 actua! candle power.
New school Buildings.
The new items in the public Schooi eSri-
mates include "A number OF school buildings
and sites, among them these:
One, eight rooms, in the third division;
one, eight rooms, iii firth division; one.
four rooms, lexington, or sixth division;
one, eight rooms, in sixth division; one.
eight rooms, and one of four rooms, in
seventh division, the latter on Grant road;
one four-Toom addition TO Benning School,
and one, eight rooms, IN ninth division.
The two new manual training schools
were also the subject of argument one Of
these is for the use of the pupils i'll the
ninth, tenth ana eleventh divisions, and
the OF her for the first eight divisions. The
cost of the one first named is placed az
500 900, the other, $3.50 900.
An item was also included for the com
pletiou of the Western High School build
ing, $50 ,0o0 being asked for. with the re
quest that it be made Immediately avaii-
able The site for this school has been
| purchased, and the plans are drawn for
construction. which is to I've commenced
at early date.
The Police Force.
1t is prohlematical whether or not the
desired increases in the police aud fire
departments will be granted. but an dp
| peal WIS made for them The amount
! appropriated for the current year for p0-
| lice work was $604,69 The aggregate
of the estimate Tor 1898 is S747 Ola. the
increase being mainly for an additionto the
force. The subject WAS eXhaustiyeiy
| argued in the report of the superintendent
! of police. as made to the Commissioners
and his arguments We're repeated before
/ the committee
An advance OF more than 500 600 was
made in the estimates over present ap-
| propriatious for the fire department This
! includes, of course, the proposed increase
! of pay TO the men, and for proposed ad-
! ditiOns to the force and equipment The
| advance on salaries is an average Of ! :
per cent. and the committee was appealed
| to for the allowance
| The health officers salary in the esti
| mates, is placed at $4,000, which is III
| increase of 81 900 per aunum over The
present allowance. The estimates also
call for SIX sanitary and food inspectors
an engineer at the smallpox hospital; one
clerk, who shall be a physician and act
as chief inspector and deputy health
| officer, and one sanitary and food in
| spector, who shall assist the chemist, al
|
force. There Is an item Of $4,000 fuI
the purchase of a site for a hospital 70
| contagious diseases. This the Commits
sioners hope to have passed. 4 site has
already been found. which it is believed
| has the approval Of the board.
More Building Inspectors Needed.
Another bureau that was representrt
| before the committee has a strong plcS
for an additional force, and that is the
office of the building inspector. Mr. Brady
| has asked for four additional inspectors
and a clerk, who shall also serve as book.
| keeper. His argument IS that the bus
ness of Washington has grown to sucI
| proportions that his force is inadequate Il
| properly attend to the building operation:
! as they should. Each Of his aSSistants
has more territory to go over than any
| one man should have, considering thc
Importance of the work in his charge, anG
he regards the necessity for more helper,
as Imperative.
1t is understood the necessity for a new
harhor boat, the estimated cost of which
is $50, 900. was also presented in the con
ference, and also the additional appro
priation of 81 200 to complete the repair.
TO the Joe Blackburn.
The bill was practically completed
before the sitting closed. 1t is the belle
OF some Of the officials that the commit
tee Will pare the items considerably.
There viii be no more sessions of thi!
committee until after the holidays Chair
man Grout leaves for his home in Vermont
today.