The evening times., 1899-12-14
FUNDS FOR THE DISTRICT
Oaly TIVE Items in the Urgency De-
lciescy Estimates This Year.
Additional Appropriations Needed by
the Commissioners. for the Con-
.truction of New Public school
Building and for the Maintenance
of the Once Of the Surveyor.

The urgency deficiency estimates which
have been cent to the Secretary of the
Treasury by the District Commissioners In
clude but two items this year. but they are
considered very important by the depart
appropriation of $4,000 to be used in the
construction of the Lovejoy School is the
largest of the two items. The last Congress
| appropriated $4,000 to be used to build this
school. but when the bids for materials
were opened it was found that the prices
had increased SO much during the year that
the District would be unable to construct
the school on the plans prepared by Con-
gress for the amount appropriated.
This building is, perhaps, needed as much
as any of the school buildings in the city.
The present structure is one of the oldest
In the city and has been declared several
times untitled for the purpose for which it
rs used. The progress in the construction
of schools and the facilities offered for
studies in the new buildings have left this
Old structure long way behind. and for
several years the Trustees of the Public
schools and the Commissioners have s6ught
10 have 1t replaced by modern structure.
Their efforts were without effect how
ever. until the last session of the Fifty
NTH Congress when a bill was passed. Civ
Ing the municipal authorities the power
to use $4,000 for this purpose 1t Is not
believed that the Commissioners will have
any difficulty in securing the. addition
asked, as Congress is fully advised OF the
necessity for the money.
The second item calls for less money
but 1t is probably of more direct inn
portance than the first. The amount in
this instance is s., 500 and is to be used
in carrying on the work of the Surveyors
Office. Unless the appropriation is made
Captain Beach has stated that the uffice
will not be able to operate for about three
months OF the year. The force OF this
office has only included one field party for
making surveys for a number of years The
work Of making the necessary improve
ments in the city this year has required
more men than Congress provided for
In order that the work might not fall
behind tco much. Captain Beach ordered
that an additional field party be employed
The money available for the use OF the Sur
veyor is $1,000. and this will BE- exhausted
in about three montbs. The office has baen
behind in its work for almost a month ever
since the appropriation became, availabl.
and the Commissioners have tried to find
died The only way was by requesting the
additional appropriation and this has been
done.
Unless we get the Appropriated the
Surveyors force will quit work about the
LIST of March" Commissioner Beach said
YESTERDAY afternoon. That Will be a seri-
Gus hindrance &c builders and to the classi-
fication Of the Engineer Commissioners
work. The Office of the Surveyor is one
of the most important under my charge and
it is very necessary that it should be main
tanned. 1t cannot do the work with the
force provided by Congress On my own
responsibility / directed the increase of
the force which was made early in the year
The Surveyor cannot get along without two
field parties and we are compelled to have
the surveys made as soon as possible.
suppose man wanted 10 build house
and called on the Surveyor TO define his
lot The matter could not be attended 10
for a month at present and If we have &c
shut up shop building operations will
be stepped. The work In the Office has in
creased TO an enormous extent in the past
few years. a fact which shows that the peo-
pie of the city ara becoming more careful
in constructing their homes. They call Oh
the Surveyor TO define the boundaries of
their property The Surveyor makes il and
the lot is properly placed on the records
This is only one of the reasons. why the Of
fee should not be closed. There is much
work 10 be done and more money is nee
essary for this
The Surveyors opinion of the necessity
for the appropriation and an increase in the
force next year is as follows:
THE Washington of today differs from
the struggling village of fifty or sixty years
ago. Should not, then, the Surveyors
Office grow. as well as the city?
I'm many respects the force and means
available now are the same as then. /
recommend that sufficient money be ap-
to provide, in addition to the
special matters already referred TO, two
complete field parties of four men each,
with two teams. and means within the
use of the Commissioners
to pay for a third complete field party for
the buster part of the year. whenever need
ed. / also recommend that the Office Of
Second Assistant Surveyor, at 1,6O0 Per
annum. be created, the incumbent TO have
general charge of the suburban division OF
the office work, now necessarily assuming
large proportions because of the near COM
pletion of the whole street extension plan
and the consequent transfer to this office
Of permanent records of the data produced
by the street extension department and the
necessary Interpretation of those plans on
he orouu1 This division of tho wo-L will