The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-23
MONEY FOR THE DISTRICT
The Annual Appropriation Bill
Called Up in the House.
Mr.. Grout Explains the Provisions of
the Measure - Controversy rs to
Filtration of Potomac Water-Mr.
Pearre Urges the Danger of Haste.

! The bill making appropriations for the
expenses of the government OF the Dis
trict of Columbia for the fiscal year end
ing June 30, 1902, was called up by Rep
resentative Grout at 4 O'Clock yesterday
afternoon and the House resolved itself
into Committee of the WkaIs that time
with Mr.. Grosvenor in the chair, for the
consideration Of the measure The first
reading was dispensed with and Mr. Grout
/ entered upon formal presentation of the
DILL He said that the estimates of the
! Commissioners of the District of Column
| bia, upon which the bill is based, and ex-
elusive of the water department, aggre-
gate Ss,94s,965.94, one-half of which
1 amount, exclusive of expenses under the
highway act, is required to be drawn
from the revenues of the General Govern
ment and the remaining one-haf to be
levied upon the taxable property and priv
heges in the District of Columbia other
IMAM the property OF the United States and
lne district OF Columbia pursuant to sec
tion OF the act approved June IL, 1873,
entitled AN act providing a permanent
FORM OF government for the District of
Columbia"
Nioul tnat tne amount
carried in the bill exclusive of the water
department is 81. 607, 1864, of which sum
the General Government would be re-
quired to pay s3.S02 5SS.47. The amount
carried In the bill, he said, is 1,341, 2S9
less than the estimates submitted by the
Commissioners.
Mr.. Grout was subjected to a fusillade
OF questions concerning that provision in
the bill which appr0priates $500 600 to-
ward the establishment of a filtration
plant. Mr.. Norton of ohio asked a good
many questions with a view to obtaining
information and not for the purpose OF
expressing opposition to the paragraph
Among some of the things which Mr.. Nor
ton said was, No city is worse served in
the matter OF water than Washington. and
no city should be better served"
Mr.. Overstreet and Mr.. Pearre enquired
as to what method of filtration it was Fro
posed to adopt. Mr.. Grout said that was
an open question, which might be adjus ed
hereafter, but he read from the report Of
Colonel Miller in charge OF experiments,
in which the American, or mechanical
method was apparently endorsed in pre-
ference to the European, or slow sand-bed
method.
Mr.. Pearre insisted that filtration was
question of vast Importance. and he
thought it rather premature that Congress
should appropriate $500 GOO for the estab-
lishment OF plant before it had received
any emphatic information as to the
method which 1t was proposed to employ.
1t was his opinion, based upon expert
ments at Cumberland, that no system of
filtration had as yet been devised, which
would eliminate certain bacilli, notably
typhoid bacilli, from the water. Any old
method of filtration, he said, would bring
about a Qualification Of water, but this WIS
of little consequence, when compared viii
the question of the elimination of dan
gerous germs.
Mr. Gfout read from Colonel Miller's re-
port that he had found no typhoid bacfiiiiii
In Potomac water, but that he had found
q great variety Of intestinal germs which
were not, however, dangerous. Mr.. Pearre
insisted that analyses OF Potomac River
water made by chemists at Johns Hopkins
University had revealed the presence OF
typhoid germs. He said that il was no.
torjous that much Of the typhoid In Wash
ington was due to the drinking of poll
luted water from the Potomac Mr.. Grout
said 1t had been proved that most of the
cases of typhoid In Washington had been |
caused by drinking polluted well water. |
He, however. suggested that when the !
section relating to filtration should be !
reached, Mr.. Pearre scould embody his |
views in an amendment to the bill.
The subject of schools was briefly |
touched upon by Mr.. Grout. He said that |
there are in the District OF Columbia 1000 |
children of school age for whom there is |
no accommodation in the schools. The |
provisions in the bill contemplated that |
school facilities should be made available |
for 1000 of these.
Mr.. Fitzgerald. who led a fight at the |
last session of Congress against the crea-
ton Of an electrical department under the |
District government, asked Mr.. Grout IL |
the section pertaining to District cleo
tricians contained any new legislation. The
answer was in the negative. NJ. Grout |
saying that neither new Offices nor new
salaries were contemplated.
Mr.. Lloyd was particular in enquiring
into the increase in the number Of police
men. Mr.. Grout explained that the in
crease of forty zone men was required by
the creation of new precinct, which was
authorized by Congress at the last session.
The reading OF the bill by sections was
begun at i;55 o'clock, and after the read
ing Of the title and the enacting clause,
Mr.. Grout moved that the committee arise
This was ordered, and directly upon the
of the House and the report
Of the chairman of the Committee of the
Whole to the Speaker, Mr.. Hit was recog-
nized to present resolutions of regret at
the death OF the Queen of England.