The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-05

The District Commissioners spent the
entire day yesterday at the Capitol in
conference with the subcommittee of tht
House Committee on Appropriations, so.
ing over the estimates submitted by the
Commissioners with their annual report
Representative W. w. Grout, Chairman Of
the subcommittee, had informed the
Commissioners that the District bill would
be taken up in committee and had re-
quested their presence, as well as that Ct
the Assessor and the Auditor.
In presenting their claims to the COM
mittee Commissioner Macfarland, as
President of the Board, spoke for his as
sociates. He said that the estimates as
presented were regarded by the Commits
sioners as representing the actual needs
of the District and the several depart
ments of the municipal government. He
admitted that they were larger than in
former years, but this was to be accOun ed
for on the ground that the city was trow-
| ing and the business of administration
was keeping pace with the growth. Mr..
Mcfarland told the committee that
! Washington is expanding at a wonderful
/ rate. The city, he said. and its needs is
/ no longer limited by Florida Avenue, hut
IL
| He said the District government was all
| the time impressed with the fact that the
! needs of the suburbs were as great or
even greater than the crowded parts of
the city He informed the committee
that the appropriations could no longer
be made on the basis of the small area Of
the original city, but must be scaled to
meet the demands of larger Washington.
In speaking of the departments, Mr..
Mcfarland stated that he. as the junior
member of the board in point of service,
had seen in the few months that he had
been in office, probably more clearly than
his associates the shortage in clerical and
other help. He confessed that he had
been little surprised at the amount of
work accomplished by the small force in
the several ofilc S. MI Mcfarland thought
that there was not an office of the ra-
tional Government so short-handed as all
Of them were in the municipal govern
ment. While the Commissioners had
asked for a considerable increase along
this line, it was no more than the actual
needs of the situation demand.
In speaking of the estima ties for street
Improvement, sewers, and the extension of
sidewalks and water mains, Mr.. Macfar-
land said TO the committee that they had
not asked cent that was not required.
Mr.. Mcfarland also said, with reference
to these matters and the question of
granting to the District a loan for i'm
proyements, that the Commissioners
thought that it was time to speak out
and let the committee know and to let
Congress know the true facts of the sit
uation Mr. Macfarland said that the
District needs several millions Of dollars
for the improvements mentioned in the es-
Inmates. This he thought they would not
now need If it had not been for the diver
sim al exfpucipn which
might have been used for genera i'm
proyement. Mr. mcfarland informed the
committee that this use of the money re-
ferred to had been made without the
consent of the Commissioners or the com
pliance of the District Government. For
this reason he thought that Congress
should now extend a helping hand and
provide the means for the Commissioners
to undertake much-needed improvements.
1t was said that the Commissioner
speech to the committee was a very thor
ough and careful statement of the fnan-
cial needs of the District, and that it was
well received by the committee.
The chairman of the committee re-
sponded briefly to Mr. Mcfarland say
ing that he was glad to have the matters
spoken of SO well presented. He stated
that such a presentation of the case would
probably make a good impression upon
Congress. He stated that the sub-com-
mittee was not the full committee. much
less the Committee on Ways and Means,
and that he and his associates could not
do more than frame bill that would. in
their Judgment, meet all the interests in
volved. He reminded the Commissioners
that in the way of general Improvement 1t
was useless to go beyond the resources
of the District, as that would be only Gre
ating a public debt which could not be |
met. He thought the committee was dis
posed TO give the District all that II con-
could, taking all the facts into |
consideration.
The Commissioners and the committee |
then turned their attention TO the schedule |
of estimates and went into the recon- |
mendations relative TO several of the de- |
partments. 1t vas said that the commit
tee exhibited a disposition 10 listen at
tentively to all the Commissioners had to
say.
The consideration of the bill will go on
today and for several days until It is FIN
ished.