Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-19
CAUSED DISCUSSION
Question Of Authority Over
Water Supply.
WHATHAS BEEN NEEDED
PLANS OF THE DISTRICT COM
MIssIoNERs.
Extract From the Congressional Record
Mr.. Macfarland Before the
Committee.
WHATHAS BEEN NEEDED

The exclusive publication In The Star OF
Wednesday of the fact that the great Dale
carlia reservoir had been cut out of the Dis
trict water supply system without the
knowledge OF the District authorities,
thereby. undoubtedly. adding to the seri-
BUSINESS of the prevailing typhoid fever out
break, has precipitated lively discussion
concerning the proposal to bring the entire
water supply system under the control or
the District government. which has been
renewed with vim in many interested
quarters.
1t was stated at the District building to-
day that the only reason Congress did not
transfer the Washington aqueduct system
from the War Department to the District
Commissioners at the last session was be-
cause the Commissioners and the commit
tees thought it best to wait until the War
Department had completed the filtration
plant, which ii was then thought would not
be entirely finished until late In the present
fiscal year. The other proposition of the
Commissioners. that the parks now under
the War Department should be transferred
to the Commissioners had nothing to do it
is stated. with the postponement of the
Washington aqueduct transfer. The Com
missiOners expressly stated that until they
had the consent of the chief of engineers to
the transfer of the parks, which PROPOSE
ton he was then considering, they would
not press it, although they thought there
should be unity of control in this as in
other municipal matters, but with army
engineers, of course, in immediate charge
under the Commissioners. as formerly I'M
der the War Department.
The published report of the conferences
between the Commissioners and subcommt-
tee on the District of Columbia of the
House committee on appropria tons, under
date of December ii, 1904, contains the fol-
lowing:
Extract From Report
Mr.. Macfarland-''It has been the desire
of the Commissioners, certainly ever since
/ came into office, to have the Washington
squeduct and everything else under the
War Department that could be brought
under the Commissioners of the District Of
Columbia brought under our Jurisdiction
The aqueduct is a District service. We
have, of course, to pay half the cost of
operation and of maintenance. and in the
case of the filtration plant we pay half the
cost of construction and half the cost of
It's maintenance. We delayed bringing the
matter forward until the filtration plant
should be practically completed because We
did not want to interfere with the opera
tion OF the War Department under its ex-
listing law, but in the past summer we
brought the matter to the attention of the
War Department, the chief of engineers
and learned that in 1896 the chief
ol tHSiIietrS ndu recommended the transfer
Of the aqueduct to the Commissioners but
that nothing was done about it at that
time and the recommendation was not re-
ncwed We are able to say that the chief
of engineers, and presumably the War De-
partment, since it would probably take his
recommendation, would favor the transfer
OF The Washington aqueduct and filtration
plant to the Commissioners
Mr.. McCleary-''That is matter of Iegis-
lation.' t7'-
MIR. Macfarland-"But there would be no
objection to it; no would raise point
of order if it was doLe in this bill. The
only possible opposition would be from
the War Department, and the engineers are
in favor of il and recommended it in 1896.
We did not intend to press it at this time
before this committee, but we felt that we
ought to tell you what We had in mind, and
then if 1t should be best to put 1t on In the
Senate we could say that we had presented
1t to you here.
1--WE have thought that we ought also
to have the supervision of the parks in the
city of Washington, which are now under
the officer in charge of public buildings and
grounds, but that matter is under considera-
ton by the chief of engineers at this time,
and he has not said yet what he would ap-
prove, and we would not press the matter
without his consent"