Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-23
District Claims Attention of
the House.
INCORPORATION BILL
MR.. BABCOCK'S TEMPORARY
MEASURE PROMPTLY PASSED.
The Appropriation Bill Then Brought
Up and Changes Explained by
MI. McCleary.

District matters had full sway in the
House today. Soon after the body con-
vened Representative Babcock of WILSON,
sin, chairman of the House District COM
mittee, called up the bill to amend section
so of the District code, providing that all
corporations hereafter incorporated in the
District of Columbia shall pay to the re-
corder of deeds at the time of the filing of
the certificate of incorporation, 40 cents on
each $1,000 of the capital stock of the cor
porations, provided that no fee shall be
less than s25, and provided, also, that the
recorder of deeds shall not record any GER
tficate of organization until the corpora
ton has proved to his satisfaction that all
of its capital stock has been subscribed for
In good faith and not less than 10 per cent
of the par value of the stock has been &C.
tually paid in cash.
Mr. Babcock explained that during the
past year /, 491 companies had been capital
lied in the District with an aggregate of
$2.O41 10000, and that from this enormous
capitalization the District government had
derived in fees just 81 .491. He said that the
District committee, together with the De-
partment of Commerce, proposes to bring
before the House at a later date a bill pro-
viding for a general Incorporation law in
the District which would serve as a stand
ard for the country. In the meantime,
however, he offered the bill in question in
order to prevent fraudulent concerns from
taking out articles of incorporation and
preying upon the citizens of the United
States who sometimes were led to believe
that District charter meant that the con-
Germ was under the supervision of the fed
eral government The bill was passed.
Police Pension Fund.
The House bill amending the laws gov
erning the metropolitan police was then
considered and passed with one or two
minor amendments. The measure as passed.
authorizes the District Commissioners to
deposit with the treasurer of the United
States, out of the receipts from Police
Court fines and dog license receipts, a suf-
hc1ent amount to meet any deficiency in the
policemen and firemen's fund, provided that
the chief engineer of the fire department
and all other department officers above
the grade of captain, the Superintendent
assistant superintendent, captains and lieu
tenants Of police, in case of retirement
shall receive pension of not more than
$iCo month, and in case of death $50
month shall go to his widow or to his
mother, and $25 month to his children.
The District Appropriation Bill.
Representative McCleary of Minnesota,
chairman of the District subcommittee of
the House appropriation committee then
called up the District bill He explained
tiAct liz A4Cu VI Tue OpTldClOnS hereto
fore made of $1,000 for a harbormaster
and $500 for the improvement and pro-
lection of the harbor and river front the
bill proposes an appropriation of S61S for
expenses of the harbor patrol including
an additional lieutenant of police to be
harbormaster and an additional sergeant
of police, together with four additional
employees required to operate the harbor
police boat. This change, Mr.. McCleary
explained, practically makes new police
Itt of fha harl n, md riv
and was greatly desired and urgently rec
commended by the District Commissioners
and others familiar with the subject.
Mr.. McCleary called the attention of
members to that section of the committees
report dealing with the change from per
diem employment paid out of general ap-
preparations to specific designations to be
paid from specific appropriations. The
committee. he said. had examined into the
matter carefully and believed that the
change was necessary for many reasons
principal among them being that Congress
might keep informed Of the manner in
which its appropriations were being ex-
pended.
Boys Reform School Change.
Mr. McCleary then took up the change in
the matter Of the appropriation for the
Boys Reform School. The bill, as stated
in The Star. omits all provision for the sup
port and management of the Boys Reform
School and provides instead an appro-
priation of $4,000 for the care and
maintenance of boys committed to that in
stitution by the courts of the District of
Columbia under a contract to be entered
into with the board of charities.
Mr. McCleary on the floor today explain
ed that the reform school is a penal and
reformatory institution belonging to the
United States. its site having been pur-
chased and nearly all of its improvements
paid for out of the federal treasury.
Furthermore, its management is wholly
under the control of the Department of
Justice. Mr.. McCleary said that conse-
quently the committee believed that -as an
institution for the reception of juvenile
offenders under the laws Its maintenance
should be provided for as are other penal
institutions, in the sundry civil appropria-
ton bill, with provisions as proposed in
the present District bill for the cost of care
and maintenance of Juvenile offenders COM
mitted to it by the courts of the District
Mr.. Littlefeld's Warning.
At this point Representative I.ittlefield of
Maine who had been carefully going over
the totals of the District bill, interrupted
Mr.. McCleary and securing the floor spoke
on the subject of appropriation bills in gen.
erai and the District bill in particular,
warning the members of the House that
they must be careful; that if the present
state of the treasury were not considered
in making up the bills it would soon be nee
essary to either increase the revenues or
else reduce the appropriations.
LAS l am averse to increasing the reve-
nues," said Mr.. Littlefield, Il believe the
appropriation bills should be looked at more
carefully" Mr.. Littlefield then quoted from
figures to show that the sum total of APP
preparation bills would run far over the es-
timated revenues Of the government.
Mr.. McCleary said that he agreed with the
gentleman from Maine, and that he also
was opposed to increasing the revenues.
And" he said. Il have done my part in
thi matter by reducing the estimates in the
District bill over IA per cent.
You are entitled to the entire credit by
the House." said Mr.. Littlefield.
Mr.. Bakers Criticism.
At this point Mr.. Baker of Brooklyn
jumped to his feet and started in. on Bit
ter arraignment of the District tax asses
sors. He contended that all this talk
about the District of Columbia government
heir1 a bile or tn si