Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-30

sIoner West, as at present, will have SUI
rervision over the purchase of supplies for
; the executive departments of the District
| government, and Col Biddle will have
charge CT the purchase of supplies for the
! engineer department with practically the
same authority that he has exercised here
tofore ever the office of superintendent of
property.
erty TO- the engineer department, received
| q compensation amounting to So per day
for 313 days in the year. AS property clerk
under the new law he will receive an an
| nual salary of 81 800. While losing about
SIS each year by this change. he will have
the advantage of thirty days annual leave
and thirty days sick leave each year.
Mr.. Hargrove, as deputy to Property
Clerk Beckett. received salary of Sl,4O0 a
year. His appointment to the position of
deputy property clerk under the new law
carries with 1T increase of 500 in his
annual salary.
In the case of Mr.. Beckett, who as prop
erty clerk. has received a salary of S1GO0
year, the reduction to a clerkship at 81
a day will mean loss of about $3.50 in his
annual compensation.
Col. Biddle's Recommendation.
Under the reorganization of the two Of
fees Col. Biddle, in recommendation made
late yesterday afternoon, specifies that
acquisitions for supplies in the engineer de-
partment shall be made as follows
heads of divisions and forwarded to the
clerk of the engineer department for rec
ord and statement, when necessary of the
available appropriations From this they
shall go to the Engineer Commissioner for
approval as to all contingent funds, but as
to other appropriations to the engineer Of
ficers acting as assistants to the Engineer
Commissioner as to the RESPECTIVE ap,
the assistants to the Engineer Com
missioner they shall go to the property
clerk, who will purchase the material IN
accordance with law and the regulations
of the Commissioners. After the purchase
is completed and vouchers are sent in, the
vouchers, properly signed and certified, Will
be sent to the chief clerk for record, and
they will then be forwarded to the auditor
"Offce supplies shall be purchased twice
a year, as far as practicable, and Kept IN
stock; and all property In STOCK shall De
issued directly by the property clerk on the
reuuisition of the head of a division of the
engineer department, or the engineer Of
ficers acting as assistants to the Engineer
Commissioner, the property clerk seeing
that the issues are kept within the limits
Of the supplies on hand. In case OF douot
as to the proper expenditures under the
various appropriations OF the eng ,heer ue
partment the property clerk shall consult
the auditor of the District of Columbia; put
in ordinary cases this need not be done.
Mai. simms' Record.
Mai r D. Simms, who tomorrow will as
sume the duties of District property clerk,
entered the service Of the District govern
ment nineteen years ago as laborer In the
engineer department. Later he was as
signed to a clerkship in the engineer de-
partment and remained there about eigh-
teen months at the end of which time he
was transferred to the Office of the chief
clerk He served for almost eight years
@ clerk to the superintendent of county
roads, and for short time was permit
clerk in the property clerks office. He also
served chief clerk to the engineer of
highways.
In 1893, at the outbreak of the with
Spain, Maj. Simms secured a leave of alb
sence and went to Cuba captain in the
1st Regiment, District Volunteers. After a
brief service as captain, he was made chief
quartermaster of the second division of the
4th Army Corps At present he is major in
command of the 9th Battalion of Infantry
of the District National Guard.
Upon returning from his military service,
Maj. Simms resumed his work under the
District government, and in September,
1899, he was appointed to the position of
superintendent of property of the engi-
neer department, in which capacity he has
been employed up to the present time. Maj.
Simms is about thirty-six years of age, and
is regarded as one of the most popular and
efficient officers in the District service.
Mr.. Beckett's Long Service.
Mr.. F. o. Beckett received his appoint
ment to a clerkship in the District service
from Gov. Shepherd in 1873, and served
under the old board of public works. No
vember @, 1874, he became superintendent
of property of the District, serving in that
position until 1881 when he was appointed
inspector of weights. During the following
year he was reappointed to his old position
as property clerk. and has retained that
place until today.
Mr.. Beckett is native of Vermont and
came to the District in 1870. Throughout
his service of nearly thirty years in the
District government he has maintained a
record for honesty and rigid faithfulness
to duty. His long service has been char
acterized by hard work.
The promotion of Mr.. Hargrove is espe-
cially complimentary. being direct recog-