Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-11
OF CITIZENS
NORTHWEST SUBURBAN AND
BRIGHTwooD ASSOCIATION.
Wants Sewers and Better Roads
Messrs. LancxSter, TAFT, chappell
and shoemassr Make Addresses.

An earnest and vigorous appeal for serv-
Ice sewers. macadam roads and other Inn
provements in the northwestern suburbs of
the District wasasnade before the District
Commissioners today by representatives OF
the Citizens Northwest Suburban Associa-
ton and of the Brightwood Citizens Asso-
citation. Among the speakers were Z. e.
Lancaster, president OF the northwest
ISOLATION: James l.. TAFT. DIR. Chappeii.
Louis p. Shoemaker and Mr.. ]. A. Finch.
Among other representatives of the two as
sociations present were DIR. A. M. Ray.
Galen L. TAFT. A. B. Omwake. Frank T. Is
rael. Major G. A. Armes. Mr.. Burga. Mr..
Croissant and Wilton J. Lambert president
Brightwood association.
Mr.. Lancaster. the first speaker, declared
the citizens are working for the public good
and for the development OF the suburbs OF
the District. He declared that owners OF
property in the suburbs are obliged to pay
city taxes and yet do not receive city bene-
fits. The existing conditions. he said. are
preventing the development of the north
west suburbs. and the situation could be
adequately summed up in the term, taxa
ton and starvation"
Mr.. Lancaster urged the Commissioners
to inaugurate new policy with reference
to the sewer projects. They have all the
legislation necessary, he said, and the peO-
pie want service sewers and the time has
arrived when thes& should be constructed
instead Of waiting twenty or thirty years
for trunk sewers. The citizens, he said.
now. ask the Commissioners to obtain from
Congress an appropriation of $5OO.O0O as
fund for laying service sewers in all the
suburbs of the District. the amount to be
expended by the Commissioners as deemed
advisable by them. The service sewers
could be paid for. one-fourth by the United
States. one-fourth by the District and one
half by the property owners along the line
of the improvements. By this project. he
Iao &y,o fn1 foAa o~,1. thn q.
trict would make money and the citizens
would be benefited. The laying OF sewers,
said Mr.. Lancaster. will give great I'M
petus to the development of the suburbs.
which is prohibited by the existing cOndi-
lions.
IF this new policy is not adopted by the
Commissioners" said the speaker. 1T viii
mean simply that the property owners m
the northwest suburbs will be starved out
We cannot pay our assessments. The peo-
pie are being driven out of the District into
Montgomery county,. Md. because they do
not want to be harassed on account OF the
sanitary laws governing the District, and
which the residents of the suburbs cannot
comply with in the absence of proper sew
. erage facilities. -....
A Pertinent Question.
Gentlemen. aref you going to drive the
people who work in the city out OF the
District and build up the state of Maryland,
or are you going to stand by the people OF
the District and Iassist in getting for lis
what we deserve?ii3 !Bi
. Mr.. James L. TAFT stated that in Ameri-
can University Park there are about live
miles of roads donated by the owners OF
the land to the government. The owners
Of the land. he said graded all these roads.
put in ten stone bridges and set out hun
dreds of trees along these roads. He de-
clared that in the past this section mas MOI
received it's proportionate share Of appTo-
prfations. and he urged the Commissioners
to give the park as much macadam road
this next year as is given to Albemirle
street alone. Mr.. TAFT spoke vigorously OF
the bad conditions resulting in the section
because of the lack Of sewerage facilities
The policy of the, Commissioners with re-
spect to sewers for the suburbs. he said.
IS filling up the large apartment houses OF
the city to the detrtmentI of the suburbs.
The Commissioners, policy" he declared,
rs going to maksci Possible for the rich
to become richer. and the poor to become
poorer If this policy of the past few years
is continued it will amount to confiscation.
SO far as owners of suburban property are
concerned n.s--
Want Better Roads.
DIR. ChappeA urged the Commissioners to
give the citizens better roads and service
sewers He approved of the remarks made
by the preceding speakers and urged the
Commissioners to be liberal toward the
suburbamtes.
Mr. Louis p. Shoemaker told the Commits
sioners that large number Of owners of
land in the suburbs desire to build homes
on their property, but are prevented from
doing so on account Of the hack Of sewers.
Many owners of land in the suburbs he
said, have already built homes, but their
houses are idle. because of the inability to
secure proper sewer accommoda tions The
need of service sewers at this time he de-
clared. is urgent. 1t Is just and the Com
nliSSiOnerS, he hoped. would not delay in
augurating this important public work
At the close of the hearing the Commits
sioners stated that they are always glad
to hear from the citizens regarding pro-
posed improvement; that the Commits
sioners have annually recommended appro-
priatfons for service sewers, and that the
question seemed to be as to how large an
appropriation they should request next
year They stated that they viii take the
matter under consideration during their
preparation Of the estimates to Congress-