Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05

them In repair for one year expires. they
are turned over to the superintendent Of re-
pairs to be cared for out OF the appropria-
tons made for repairs.
The Commissioners would again urge upon
Congress the necessity of an appropriation
70 purchase the necessary ground and to
shop for the District OF Columbia. Tho
present repair shop IL rented by the District
and Is entirely inadequate. A new shop
should be large enough to accommodate the
ting out shopwork, and should, In addition.
be large enough to carry q full stock OF
paints tin. castings, cements hardware,
etc., as well as certain kinds OF lumber,
such as doors. blinds, and SASH Economy
OF administration. greater promptness. and
more satisfactory results would be obtained
Plumbing and Plumbing Inspection.
The work in the office Of the Inspector of
plumbing increases yearly. The number OF
inspections made during the fiscal year was
27,337, being an increase of ]. 700 over the
fiscal year 1904 and 2,039 over the fiscal
year 1908. 1t Is believed that the value of
this office to the public at large and to the
property owner in particular Is very great.
The most efficient supervision Is exercised
over the installation of plumbing both In
municipal buildings and In private build
ipEs. Work can only be done by registered
plumbers In accordance with the most mod
ern regulations, and the consequence has
modern houses of tho District of Columbia
can not be excelled. This Office, like the
building office. however. suffers from lack
OF an adequate inspection force. The ONCE
has charge Of the expenditure of money for
repairing and changing plumbing in the ex-
listing school buildings. and in the report of
the inspector of plumbing a statement is
made Of the work done under this appro-
priaton and the amount expended.
Plumbing Board.
The plumbing board now consists of five
members. whose annual compensation Is
$500 each. or total of $1,000 per year.
The board held IS sessions and examined
SO applicants. The Commissioners believe
that this board is unnecessarily large and
that 1t could be very advantageously re-
duced to three members. One of these
ment Of the District of Columbia. one
master plumber. and the other Journey
man plumber competent to be licensed as
a master plumber. The plumbing board
concurs In this view OF the matter.
Public Convenience Stations.
Congress, at It's last, session. passed an
act for the establishment Of two public
convenience stations in the District of
Columbia, each to afford accommodations
for 20 males and 10 females. Fifty thou
sand dollars were appropriated for the
purpose and $4,000 for the maintenance
of same during the present fiscal year.
Work in this matter is now in progress.
1t is proposed to place one of these sta
lions above ground and the other one
under ground The one above ground will
be located on the reservation belonging
to the District of Columbia. in front of
the Center market, at Seventh street and
Pennsylvania avenue NV. The under
ground station will be located in public
reservation No. 33. in front of the New
National Theater and bounded by Penn
sylyania avenue and Z street and Thir-
teenth and Thirteen and-a-half streets
NV. The work of designing the buildings
Is now under way and 1t Is hoped Will be
completed in a short time. The establish
ment Of these stations will be of great
convenience to the public, both to those
residing in the city and District and the
immense number of people who are con-
stantly visiting Washington In attendance
upon the Inauguration, conventions, etc. In
this line also the Commissioners believe
that public baths should be established
such as those which now exist in other
cities.
Permit Clerk.
An examination of the report of the per-
init clerk will show that the duties of this
office have been gradually increasing for
number of years. This is shown by the
number of permits issued and the amount
of fees received for the same. In the fiscal
year lSO4, l., 0b0 permits permits were 49,
sued and the receipts of the office during
that period were IS, 103 During the present
fiscal year the number of permits issued
was 1905 and the receipts s9,51S.
Street Extension.
Five street-extension measures were en-
acted during the last session of Congress,
and legal proceedings have either been COM
pleted or are now in progress to accom-
plish these extensions. The street-extension
office not only looks after the preparation
of reports on street-extension measures and
prepares cases for presentation to the court,
but it also prepares plats, descriptions. etc,
for the opening and condemnation of minor
streets and alleys Congress. at its last
session amended the code so as to provide
treets and alleys. Proceedings for the open
ing of a number Of alleys have been In
stituted. during the past year. This Office
also looks after the preparation of maps
and papers in the condemnation OF rights
of way for sewers and the sites for school,
houses f1re-engfne houses, and other munic-
ipal buildings, and in general in all mat
tiers where private ground is to De taken
for public use.
Street Names in the District of Column
bia Outside Of the City Of
Washington.
An act of Congress approved February is.
lSO1, autnOTlZeu anu III SS@Su AAio OSiAi'Ai-~
s,oners to name or rename streets avenues.
alleys, highways and reservations In that
part of the District Of Columbia outside of
the city of Washington, under such a sys-
tenn as they should see fit to adopt, and
further directed that such names when re-
corded In the Office of the surveyor of the
District of Columbia should thereafter be
the official names Of such streets. avenues,
alleys, highways and reservations The
Commissioners, after carefully considering
all suggested systems finally decided that
the best system to be adopted was one
which would extend the numbered north
and south streets of the city into the
county from the present city boundary to
the District line, and to extend the alpha
betical system on east and west streets pre-
vailing within the city, to the District line
outside of the city by using the following
method namely: Florida avenue was the
boundary to the old city of Washington
on the north Streets running east and
west which stopped at the boundary were
continued beyond the boundary. These run
to the letter wv" Beginning at that point
the alphabetical system Is used, with names
Of two syllables, which system is continued
northwardly using the letters of the alpha
bet consecutively until exhausted, when
names Of three syllabies, alphabetically ar
ranged, are used until the District line Is
reached. Highways which do not run par
allel to the lettered or numbered streets
are given the designation of avenues or
roads. This in general Is the system that
has been adopted for that part of the Dis
frfc NJ Columbia living north porfhUast