Evening star., 1900-06-09
Plans of the Chairman of the Senate
District Committee.
CONSIDERATION OF The CODE
Extension and improvement Of
Streets and Avenues.
PARKS AND RESERVATIONS

Senate committee on the District of CO.
lumbia, left for Michigan yesterday after
noon he laid out general line of work on
some important matters affecting the in
terests of the District. These were es-
pecially in relation to the District code
bill, the parks and reservations and street
extension. Speaking of these plans today
Mr.. Charles Moore, clerk of the committee,
said:
BY the understanding with Mr.. Jenkins.
who handled the code bill in the House, it
was decided that the bill should -e passed
in the House with as few changes as pos
sible, leaving it to rest during the vaca-
ton so that it might be considered very
carefully by the people who framed it and
by all the people who had objections to it,
"A considerable number of these objections
have already been filed with the committee
but have had no consideration uD to the
present time. While the committee has a
number of able lawyers in its member
ship, still there is no one who is familiar
with the practice in the District of Co.
lumbia to the extent that Senator Faux
ner was familiar with it when he was a
member of the committee. 1t so happens
however, that Senator McComas has the
largest possible familiarity with the prac-
tice mere, and at the request of the chair
man he has consented to act with the
committee In regard to matters relating to
the code. 1t is among the possibilities also
that Senator Turley will take the place
on the committee made vacant by Senator
Clark's resignation. There is no DISPOSE
t1on whatever to delay action or to make
any extensive changes in the code nor any
changes not entirely acceptable upon fur
ther consideration to the Bar Association
of the District. The matter, however, is
one in which the United States as we'll as
the District of Columbia are concerned,
therefore very careful consideration will be
given to the bill from the standpoint of
the United States
Street Extensions.
Bills have been passed by Congress, and
the land has already been purchased, for
the extension of Rhode Island avenue, S
and Decatur streets. and Connecticut ave
nue. east of Rock creek and number of
other extensions and widenings have been
provided for, notably 11th and 10Th streets
ana Sherman avenue In these cases, by
the time Congress reassembles, it is eX-
pected that the condemnation proceedings
will have been completed so that the streets
Will belong to the District of Columbia 1t
is the purpose of the committee to have
prepared Il bill providing for the grading
regulating and. so far as may be neces-
sary, for the paving of these streets before
other streets shall be opened so that what
ever money Is to be spent on new streets
may be utilized to open up the streets that
have already been. acquired. The desirable
1ty of this can readily be seen from the fact
that for more than year the District has
owned the land necessary for the opening
or Connecticut avenue these lands having
S2SO.OOO ''ei
1T Is unfair to the property owners along
those streets not to open them promptly
ana moreover. If the streets are opened
promptly on their purchase it will be an
1nducement to juries to make larger as
sessments for benefits The committee
considers 1t of the first Importance to have
10Th street opened to the District line at
the earliest possible moment for hv So do
ing other streets in that vicinity will be
opened without any expense for the land
Parks and Reservations
Another matter that will receive atten-
ton Is the Improvement of the small reser-
vations in the different parts of the city,
particularly in the east and northeast A
large number of these triangles, which are
capable of being made attractive features
of the city, are now lying neglected. In
many instances they need grading and in
almost all instances they need care and at
tention The grass is allowed to grow
without being cut from the beginning to
the summer. The trees are struggling.
and they give a very unkempt look to the
portions of the city in which they lie.
Good Work to BE Continued.
"a start was made on this work during
the last year and the reservation on the
top of the K street tunnel and the one in
front of the navy yard, together with .
number of minor reservations, have been
largely improved by Colonel Bingham and
the Commissioners acting together. 1t is
proposed to continue this work. and the
result cannot help being decided i'm
proVement In property values in the neigh
borhoods OF these reservations. The main
difficulty is a lack of money. but when the
needs of the situation are presented 1t is
expected that there will be no difficulty on
this score.
The Question of Control.
There is a larger question in regard to
the control Of the parks and larger reserva-
tions generally. Rock Creek Park presents
great opportunities for artistic develop
ment. but with the exception of $4,000 of
the unexpended balance appropriated last
year and about $1,000 appropriated this
year no money has been expended on the
park except that an appropriation of &c.
600 was made for carrying road through
the park from east to west.
ut is expected that some landscape archi-
tect Of established reputation will be en-
ployed to map out the park, SO that the
development can proceed according to a
Well-established plan. The control Of the
parks as 1t now exists Is scattered that
the development cannot go on as satisfac-
torily as it ought to. Rock Creek Park Is
in the hands Of park commission. The
Geological Park is controlled by the Smith
sonian Institution. Potomac Park is in
Chdd &c VI oiio oA!Cef VI lie eiiSAueer CoTpS
and the public buildings and grounds are in
charge of another officer Of the same
corps, while the smaller reservations are
under the control of the District of Column
bia.
Park Commissfon Proposed.
"It is believed that without taking the
control entirely away from any one of these
officials a park commission can be formed
on which the citizens of the District will
have representation. and in this way a
systematic, continuous and well-defined
plan can be followed out The necessity for
something Of this kind has long been ap-
parent, for as things are now some OF the
largest and potentially handsomest reserva-
tions of the city are simply hay fields, on
which persons go and cut grass and carry
1t away as they please"
ORDERED TO THE PHILIPPINES.