Evening star., 1898-06-21
THE HIGHWAY ACT
The Conference? Report on the Bill
Agreed To.
STANDS As PASSED BY THE SENATE
First Five Sections of 1893 Remain
in FoEce.
T II E NEW VISION

The highway extension bill, the Ecking-
ton and Soldiers Home and the Belt rail-
way bills have practically been disposed of
py Congress. The conferees on the high
way extension bill agreed late yesterday
afternoon by the House conferees receding
allowing the bill to stand as it was passed
by the Senate.
This bill, as agreed upon allows the first
five sections Of the highway act of March
=, 1893, to remain in force, and provides as
follows:
THAT sections six, seven, eight nine, ten,
eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen,
sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen
of the act of Congress, approved March 2,
1898, entitled An act to provide a perma-
nent system of highways in that part of
the District of Columbia lying outside of
cities, be, and the same are hereby, re-
pealed.
New Plan for Section One.
Sec. 2 That the map known as section
L. filed in the office of the surveyor of the
District of Columbia on the 31st day of
August, 1895, under the provisions of said
act of Congress, be, and the same is here
by annulled, so far as it covers existing
subdivisions, and the Commissioners of the
District of Columbia are hereby authorized
and directed to forthwith withdraw the
same from the Office of the said surveyor
and to discontinue all pending condemna-
ton proceedings relating to subdivisions
included within said map, and within nine
ty days from the passage of this act to
prepare amended plan for that part of Sec
ton L outside of existing subdivisions un-
der the terms Of sections l to 5 of said act,
and said amended plan when recorded with
the surveyor shall take the place and stand
for any previous plan of section l.
Sec. 3. That in order to provide grounds
for educational religious, or similar insti-
tutions, the Commissioners of the District
of Columbia be, and they are hereby, au-
thorized to abandon or readjust streets or
proposed streets affecting localities that
may be or that have been purchased for
such purposes; provided, that under the au-
thority hereby conferred no changes shall
be made In existing subdivisions or in ave-
nues or in important lines of travel.
THE plat of such readjustment, after be-
ing duly certified by said Commissioners,
shall be forwarded to the commission con-
sisting of the Secretary of War, the Secre-
tary CT the Interior and the chief of engi-
neers of the United States army and when
approved by said commission a majority
thereof the change shall be recorded in the
office of the surveyor of the District of Co
lumbia, and become a part of the perma-
nent system of highways, and take the
place of any part inconsistent herewith
Sec 4. That no subdivision or subdivis-
ions made and recorded in section l of tn.
highway plans prior to the date of the ap-
proval of this act shall be affected or IN
any way changed by any map heretofore
approved and recorded or that may
be hereafter approved and recorded
under the provisions of this act
or of the act hereby amended; and
no highways shall be located in section
through any unsubdivded or subdivided
lands south of the Spring road that borders
Holmead Manor, except such as are neces-
sary to continue or connect existing streets
abutting such lands.
Owners of Land.
"Sec. ). That the owner owners OF
land over or upon which any highway or
reservation shall be projected upon any
map filed under said act of Congress shall
have the free right to the use and enjoy
ment of the same for building or any other
lawful purpose, and the free right to trans
fer the title thereof until proceedings
looking to the condemnation of such land
shall have been authorized and actually be-
gun And as to any highway or part OF
highway which by any such map is to be
abandoned neither the right of those occu-
pying or owning land abutting thereon or
adjacent thereto, nor the right of the pub
lie to use such highway or part of high
way, shall be affected by the filing of such
map until condemnation proceedings look
ing to the ascertainment of the damages
resulting from such proposed abandonment
shall have been authorized and actually
begun; nor shall the obligation of the mu-
nicipal authorities to keep the same in re-
pair be affected until they are rendered use
less by the opening and Improvement of
new highways, to be evidenced by public
notice by the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Sec. g. That said Commissioners shall
not submit for approval to the highway
commission created by section of said act
any map or plan hereunder until the own
ers of the land within the territory en-
braced within such map shall have been
given an opportunity to be heard in regard
thereto by said Commissioners, after pub