Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-22
LOCAL LEGISLATION
Bills of District Interest in
House Committee.
SEVERAL ARE ACTED ON
THEIR PROVISIONS EXPLAINED
BY THE COMMISSIONERS
The Bill Creating Board to Condemn
Insanitary Buildings to Be
Favorably Reported.
SEVERAL ARE ACTED ON


Favorably Reported.
The House committee on the District of
Columbia today authorized a favorable re-
port on the bill presented by the Commits
sioners creating board for the condeTuna
ton of insanitary buildings. This measure
Is aimed at the alley slums, and IL 1t passes
the House and Senate. as now seems graft
fyingiy probable, 1t means the end of the
shacks and the novels which have long
been considered a disgrace to the capital
city. Commissioner mcfarland and his
associates of the District board we're pres
ent this morning when the committee acted
and were deeply gratiied. Mr.. Macfarland
has handled the matter and made force
full presentation of the case to the COM
mittee on yesterday.
The bill was submitted to subcommittee.
of which Representative Morrell was chair
man. Today Mr.. Morrell questioned Com
missioner mcfarland further in regard to
certain provisions of the measure. The
subcommittee suggested several minor
amendments. which were adopted. By
unanimous vote of the committee a favor
able report was ordered. The bill will be
called up in the House Monday next.
Amendments to Corporation Law.
When the hearing granted the Commits
sioners by the committee on the subject of
local legislation was resumed at the Capt.
tol this morning at 10 o'clock Chairman
Babcock stated informally that his atten-
ton had been called to the fact that under
the District code the local laws relating to
Incorporation are more liberal than those
of New Jersey. He thought the matter
should be looked into Commissioner Mac
farland declared that corporations with
millions of dollars of capital had been
drawn here by the liberal law and the alb
Sence of fees
Commissioner West VINO has supervision
of the tax department, stated to the COM
mittee that the corporation counsel is now
engaged in drawing up a bill proposing
amendments to the code so as to yield
revenue to the District from the corpora
tons obtaining their charters here.
To Regulate Electric Wiring.
Commissioner Macfarland stated that the
Commissioners would follow the plan
adopted yesterday of speaking as bills ar-
fecting the departments which they re-
spectively supervise were reached He
called the attention of the committee to a
bill before the Senate with the approval of
! the Senate District committee. proposing
to regulate electric wiring in this city. MIR.
Macfarland said the bill had been under
consideration for several years. and in its
authorities and the trades. He hoped when
the matter came before the House commit
tee it would meet with favorable consdera-
ton.
Reservation SO.
Colonel Biddle, the Engineer Commission
er. asked that favorable action be taken by
the committee on House bill s6Sa. trans
ferring jurisdiction Of reservation 81. in
front of the new municipal building site,
ha 80
army, to the Commissioners Colonel Bid
die explained that the triangle. which Is at
the corner of Pennsylvania avenue and 18th
street. will be needed for the construction
of approaches. etc. He said the chief of
engineers had approved the transfer.
The bill was considered by the committee
and a favorable report ordered.
Water Pipes and Sewers.
lively discussion of the local system
of assessing half the cost for water pipes
and service sewers against abutting prop
erty owners was preciptated during the
consideration of House bill sG91. authoriz-
ing the laying of water mains and service
sewers and the levying of assessments
therefor Several of the committee MEM
bers thought the abutting owners should
pay the whole cost of the construction OF
the pipes and sewers mentioned
Col. Biddle explained to the committee
the various sections of the bill. great part
of which is a compilation of existing laws
Under the present system of aging service
water mains abutting property Is assessed
at a fiat rate of 81 % per lineai foot. This
provision is re-enacted- In the case of
service sewers. however. the present system
provides for assessments according to the
size of the sewer. A property owner at the
head of service sewer only pays for a
six-inch construction. Further down the
line the sewer is increased in size and the
owner there has to pay for a twelve-inch
pipe, although his service Is no better than
that Of the neighbor in the block above.
The bill provides flat rate of 81 per front
foot. which is the average cost of the sewer.
and thus the assessments for equal benefit
are made equal.
The provision of the bill which provoked
discussion was that which allows the con-
struction of the pipes and sewers through
unsubdvided lands and exempts the prop
erty owner from paying his share of the
cost until the property Is subdivided or the
service made use of. Col Biddie said that
II was occasionally necessary to lay pipes
and sewers through farm lands to supply
settlements beyond. The Commissioners
I'd not think the owner of the intervening
! nd should be compelled to pay on the i'm
proyement until he made use of it, Col.
b-ddie cited a case now before the Com
misSioners where certain property owners
of Brightwood desire a service sewer. To
reach them the drain must be laid through
a large tract of unimproved land. The
assessment on this property would be in
the neighborhood of 5000 The Commits
sioners thought this work should be paid
for by the District of Columbia at the
present time and the assessment collected
at future date when the Improvement
SHOULD be made use of.
Some Questions Asked.
Representative Campbell asked If 1t was
not a fact that just as soon water pipes
or sewers were laid the abutting property
was Immediately enhanced In value. He
thought that was assuredly the case. and
therefore the amount of the assessment
should be paid at once.
Representative Morrell asked II the prac-
tice proposed by the Commissioners would
not tie up great deal of money.
. Chairman Babcock said 1t seemed to him
that in the present precarious state of Dis
trict finances il would be unwise to enac:
any legislation calling upon the employ
ment of money where no direct benefit ac-
crued. He thought street extensions and
Improvements were more essential
Col. Biddle explained that the amount of
money involved would be small.
Representative Campbell said that In
such event the property owners should
pay it.
Representative Cowherd declared that the
policy proposed by the Commiss. oners
would encourage the holding of large tracts
OF land for speculative purposes. The
owner OF a large tract should be compelled
to pay just the same the owner of a