Evening star., 1900-05-12
Conference Committee Has Fully
Agreed on Its Report
new SCHOOL BOARD PROVIDED
Appropriations for Filtration Plant
and Municipal Hospital Retained.
AMENDMENTS AGREED TO


plete one, embracing every detail of the
bill. and it is believed that both the Senate
and the House will adopt it without change.
AS reported the bill contains large num-
Der of items of great interest to the Dis
trict, and most of the Senate amendments
have been retained. The provision for the
appointment of board of trustees to have
full authority in the management Of the
public schools was kept In, with a change
which places the appointment of the
trustees In the hands of the Commissioners
instead Of having them appointed by the
President.
The bill appropriates $4,000 to begin the
construction of a water filtration plant
and $1O00Go to purchase ten-acre site for
a municipal hospital
The provision in regard to the public
schools, which was passed by the Senate,
follows:
The President of the United States is
hereby authorized to nominate by and with
the advice of the Senate to appoint seven
persons, bona fide residents and taxpayers
of the District of Columbia, VINO have been
such for five years, Immediately preceding
their appointment, and who shall conSti-
tute board of education and whose term
OF office shall be seven years, except that
the terms of the persons first appointed
shall terminate as follows: One each year
to be determined by lot among the seven
members of the board first appointed. The
compensation of members of the board shall
be $40 for each personal attendance at each
meeting, but shall not exceed for any mem
Der 500 per annum.
THE board shall have complete jurisdic-
ton over all administrative matters con-
nected with the public schools of the Dis
trict of Columbia, except that all eXpendi-
lures Of public funds for such school
purposes shall be made and account
ed Tor as now provided by law, under
the direction and control of the Co,nmis-
ci rf strat of oil Ct,a
board shall make all needful rules and reg
ulat,ons which may be proper for the gov
ernment and control of said schools, and
shall make annual report to the Commits
sioners of the District of Columbia. who
shall transmit the same to Congress of the
condition and operations of said schools
and the sanitary and structural conditions
of all buildings in use, as we'll as those in
course of construction, with Tccommenda-
tons as respects needed changes.
The board shall have power to appoint
one superintendent for all the public schools
of the District of Columbia, two assistant
superintendent. one of whom, under the
direction of the superintendent, shall have
jurisdiction over the schools for colored
children; a secretary and three clerks and
to remove said officers at its pleasure. and
shall also have power to employ and remove
all teachers. officers and other employees
connected with the public schools not al
ready specified: provided, that the gradu-
ates of the normal schools shall have pref
ererce in all cases when appointments of
teachers for the public schools are to be
made. The superintendent shall annually
submit to the board for its approval the
course of studies and list of text books and
other apparatus to be used in said schools.
"The board shall annually transmit to the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia
an estimate in detail of the amount Of
money required for the public schools for
the ensuing year, and said Commissioners
shall include the same in their annual esti-
mate of appropriations for the District Of
Columbia.
For officers-For seven members of the
board of education, at $500 each, So. 500 not
more than S1.IJO of which shall be used
during the first half of the fiscal year: one
superintendent Of public schools, IS, 900; two
assistant superintendents, $1,000 each; one
secretary, 5000: three clerks, at 1880
each; one messenger. $720: in ALL $21, $50"
Ihere was an additional paragraph in the
amendment providing that appointments of
the board of education should take effect
Immediately, which was stricken from the
bill
Present Provision.
The provision as 1t comes from the
conference stands practically as given
above, with the exception that the trustees
are to be appointed by the Commissioners
instead of by the President. 1t is said by
those who are in close touch with both
the committee on appropriations and with
the committee on the District of Columbia
that absolutely no agreement was made
W TN tIle COMMISSIONERS III regard TO VINO
should be appointed school trustees No
such agreement, it is said, has ever been
contemplated, although it has been under
stood by members of the committees that
the board should be made up of representa-
tive men, so that it will be of the most
efficient character. 1t is probable that a
prominent business man, prominent ply
sician and prominent educators will be
selected for these places 1t is expected
that the board will be a thoroughly inde-
pendent one, and that it will consider all
questions relating to a new management
of school affairs from an Independent stand
point. The new board, it is expected will
take up the subject of education, thorough
ly sft all matters relating to the present
system as brought out in the recent investi-
CATION and as they may be developed
through any further investigation consid-
cred necessary. and that only after such
full consideration will they undertake to
make any changes.
1t has been generally understood that one
of the two assistant superintendents will
be colored man. and that at least one of
the trustees to be appointed will be a wo-
man.
Hospital and Filtration Plant.
The committee also adopted the Senate
amendment appropriating 100000 for the
purchase of site not to exceed ten acres
in area and located in the District of CO.
lumbia, for new municipal hospital to
be provided for hereafter. This disposal of
the municipal hospital question leaves the
Columbia Hospital as it now is. 1t was
contended for long time that the Colum-
bia Hospital should be sold and that the
proceeds should be applied to the erection
of a new municipal hospital.
The bill appropriateS S2OU,O0O, to be i'm
mediately available. for establishing those
portions of a filtration plant which are es-
sential to the operation of either system of
filtration adopted, including necessary land,
grading, masonry and appurtenances
There Is still an open question In rela-
ton to the filtration, and IT is yet to be de-
termined whether the American or the
European system of filtration will be adopt
ed The American system contemplates fill
tration by mechanical processes, while the
European system contemplates the use of
large settling beds
Police and Tax Sales.
The bill, as it passed the Senate, provided
an increase of So additional policemen, but
as approved by the conferees. this number.
has been cut down so that the total in
crease is about 10 of class two at S1,OSO
each.
The conferees agreed upon the following
paragraph Of the appropriation bill:
Provided that in lieu of the notice now
required to be given by the Commissioners
of the District of Columbia of the pamphlet
containing the list of arrears In taxes the
said Commissioners will give notice by ad-
vertising twice week for three successive
weeks beginning on the third Monday II