Evening star., 1898-12-31
BOARD OF TRADE
First Public Meeting of New Year,
January 6.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMITTEES
Streets and Avenues, Centennial
Celebration and Other Questions.
DISTRICTS NEW CODE

The first public meeting of the Washing
| ton board of trade for the new year will be
| held Friday evening. January 6, at s
| o'clock in Masonic Temple Hall, corner
| 9th and + streets northwest when some of
| the rccommenda tiCns and conclusions
reached by the various committees of the
| board Will be submitted for considera ton
| and action. The meeting will mark the be-
| ginning of a series of public sessions of the
| board TO be held during the months of jan
uary and February. Fridays meeting will
| be followed by an afternoon meeting We'd
! nesday, January II, at 4 O'Clock, at the
| same place. when the work of the board
/ will be continued.
This being the short session of Congress,
it is the desire Of the board of trade to dis
pose of as much as is possible of its work
at the earliest moment in the new year
and f"r this purpose it is intended that fire.
quent public meetings of the full board
shall be held at least once week during
1 the next TWO months. These meetings and
the topics to be considered and discussed
will he announced from time to time by the
| officers of the board
In anticipation OF the forthcoming meet
| inSS. at which they will report and ask for
action upon recommendations, the commit
| tees of the board have been busily en-
gagged. and the activity will continue dur
| ing the next ten days or two weeks, or
until all the matters in their hands shall
have been properly presented to the main
| body of the organization. Important meet
| ings of these committees have been held
| during the last few days, at which their
| final recommendat atoms were under consid-
Grafton.
Streets md Avenues.
At a meeting of the committee on streets
and avenues Myron NJ. Parker chairman,
| communication to the president of the
| rI of
| was read. In his communication Mr.. Wight
| asked consideration by the board of the
| plan of the proposed extension of the citys
| boundaries. The general impression in the
committee seemed to be favorable to the
| project and a subcommittee, composed of
McsSrs. Nj. Nj. Parker, Chaplin Brown and
". q. Henderson, was appointed to confer
! with the District Commissioners, to ex-
| anime the plans and documents of which
| the Commissioners invited inspection, and
| to report definitely upon the matter at
early meeting of the full committee.
Mercantile interests.
| The committee on mercantile interests,
| lsGdOre Saks, chairman, considered at its
! meeting a communication from the New
| York chamber of commerce which had ref
! erence to the proposed reduction in express
| charges on the railroads. \ committee was
| appointed to communicate with the cham
! Der to secure further information in the
matter, and especially to ascertain if the
! proposed legislation by the New York leg
| iSlature will affect the express rates be
| tween New York and Washington. Sub
| committees were also appointed to inVeStl-
| gate any questions arising in connection
1 with the license tax imposed upon mer-
| chants handling secondhand goods in the
| District, and in connection with the refusal
| of the express companies to pay the war
| revenue tax upon receipts given for eX-
| press packages
| The determination to make a great sue
| cess OF the centennial anniversary in 1900
| of the transfer of the seat of government to
| Washington was expressed. The prepdra-
| ton of a circular letter to Washington mer-
| chants inviting suggestions for the promo
| tion of local mercantile interests was or
/ dcred.
Public Library.
! The committee cn public library, j. W.
| Babson chairman has arranged to make a
! report to the first public meeting of the
| beard. The committee will hold meeting
| at the library No. 1896 New York avenue,
| next Wednesday evening at I oclock in con-
nection with which the library building and
the arrangements for the accommodation
and comfort of readers will be inspected.
The library Is now open for the registra-
| tion OF readers. and the issuance of books
| Is expected to begin next Tuesday.
| Charities and Corrections
| The committee charities and correc-
| tions. b. T. Janney, chairman, has in
| structed the subcommittee or legislation
| to work for the enactment into law of the
bill creating board Of charities for the
District of Columbia, and also for the bill
| requiring the compulsory support of in
| fdnts. both measures having heretofore
| been approved by the board of trade. 1t
| was decided by this committee to recon-
| mend to the board cooperation with the
trio
vitatiOn to the national conference of char
| tiles and corrections to meet in this city in
1900.
The Railways.
| y number of important resolutions were
adopted at yesterdays meeting of the COM
| mittee on railroads of the board of trade,
| Frank Hume, chairman. one of these was
! TO the effect that it is the sense of the
| committee that the board should adopt the
| principle that street railroads passing over
| improved streets in settled portions of the
! District should use on such streets the un-
derground system Of transit, without refer
ence to the location of the street. either
north or south of Florida avenue. This ac-
| lion was taken in accordance with a COM
! munication from the lexington Citizens
| Association. The committee decided 10 rec
| ommend to the board the approval of the
| extension of the Metropolitan railroad lines
| II
| tiOn was also adopted declaring that the
street railroad necessities of the CITY re-
| quire a cross-town line somewhere between
| NJ and L streets, inclusive.
| The committee on railroads appointed a
| subcommittee, composed of Messrs. Frank
| Hume. F. b. Noyes and W. J. Frizzeil to
| visit the District Commissioners and urge
| upon them the formulation in the shape of
| bills of the agreements heretofore reached
| with the local railroad companies on the
| subjects of the change of grade of the
tracks and the improvement of terminal IA
| ciHties. The subcommittee will also urge
the submission of the proposed bills to Con-
gress with view to early legislation
The committee on public buildings, B. H
| Warner, chairman, took action in the mat
ter of ireproof construction in connection
| with the District surveyors office.
Codidcntion of Laws.
| The special legislative committee A. T.
| Brit.on, chairman, having in charge the
| codifioation of the District laws, has ar.
ranged for the inspection of copies Of the
| proposed code by the bar association, the
board of trade congressional committees
| and citizens generally. Copies are on hand
| at the board of trade rooms for the inspec.