Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-28
SMOKE FROM TREASURY
DISPUTE BETWEEN FEDERAL AND
DISTRICT OFFICIALS.
Declared by the Latter That Local
Ordinance Has Been
Violated.

The Treasury Department and the Com
missioners of the District are engaged in
hot dispute as to whether the Treasury
Department is violating the smoke ordi-
nance of the city.
About the middle of October F. Lee VOL
lard, an inspector of the health Office. re-
taken position on top of the Colorado
building and overlooked the chimneys of
the Treasury Department
He watched for some time and saw dense
gray and black smoke emitted at intervals
or half a minute to minute from the
cn1mneys. He made report to the health
office, which submitted the report to the
District Commissioners. The Commission
ers, in turn, forwarded the report to the
president. who sent it to the Treasury De-
partment
Mr.. Taylor, who was the acting secretary
Oh the treasury at that time, wrote two let
tiers in reply to the complaint
one was to the District Commissioners
themselves, and wound up with the state
ment that since the installation of down.
draught furnaces 1.-The emission of smoke
mas been reduced to a minimum and the
smoke emitted is not in sufficient quantity
at any time to be in contravention of the
laws and regulations governing tho mat
ter"
In addition to this letter Mr. Taylor
wrote somewhat caustic note to Secre-
tary Loeb explaining the matter In his
note to Mr.. Loeb Mr.. Taylor said that the
furnaces of the treasury were provided
with the most modern understanding
devices and that upon no occasion should
the quantity of smoke emitted exceed that
which will be produced by the use Of an
thracite coal.
He stated that it was the claim of the de-
partment that the quantity of smoke emit
ted at any time would not under any cir
cumstances be considered in violation of the
smoke law of the District, nor is it be-
q oy1yy i,,Ir
that view of it,"
Mr.. Taylor also stated that the depart
ment did not think that the bureau of
engraving and printing, against which
lated the law.
Since then more complaints have been
MADE to the health Office by Inspector
w oIlard, who declares that October "a
ana 70 ana November 4 he observed
smoke coming out of the smokestacks of
the treasury
This complaint was forwarded to the
Commissioners in the usual Way and Conn
missioner mcfarland proceeded to send it
10 secretary Loeb, who has again called
the attention of the Treasury Department
to it.
Assistant Secretary TAYLOR said TODAY
that he did not believe that any law of the
District was being violated by the small
amount of smoke that was emitted from the
treasury smokestack.
The contention is such an interesting one
that the outcome is watched with some in
terest.
The Treasury Department officials are
curious to know why the complaints have
been forwarded to the White House instead
of direct to the treasury considering that
this is an unnecessary procedure and rath-
er informal. They think that the COM
plants ought to have been forwarded to
the treasury direct.
There has been some contention between
the health authorities and the treasury for
some time. but Inspector Wollard himself
in one of his letters, declares that he saw
no violation of the law between the 9Th of
last March and the 18th of October