Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-16
FORCE WILL Be IDLE
Unable to Resurface ANY
Asphalt Streets.
PATCHING UP WORN PLACES
In View of District Bill No Work Can
Be Done Until July.
PROVISIONS OF THE MEASURE
Senator Hale Of Maine Said to Be
Responsible - What an
Inspector Says.
PROVISIONS OF THE MEASURE

According to the District appropriation
Dill as 1t now stands, having passed both
the Senate and the House, the District
highway department will be unable to do
any resurfacing of asphalt streets or even
patch up worn places on the thoroughfares
from the LIST of next December until the 1st
of July, 1908. This means. according to
Capt. Jay ]. Morrow, assistant engineer
commissioner in charge of the highways.
that his street repair force will remain
idle during those months and that many
streets in need of repair and resurfa cling
Will have to remain So until July l. It will
also mean that not more than half of the
$oOO,OOO appropriated in the bill for resur-
facing and repair work will be expended
This stipulation of time for the street
work Is provided for by little item that
was added in the appropriation bill as it
was passing through the Senate last week.
Senator Hale of Maine is said to be re-
sponsible for it, and, according to the Off
Gals OF the District engineer and high
way departments, it is an unnecessary pro
ViSo.
Useless Legislation.
When speaking about this requirement
today, Capt. Morrow said that it is the
most useless piece of legislation he has
seen since his connection with the District
government.
1T would be a physical impossibility for
US to do the street work according to the
provision of that item. Our fiscal year
begins July ]. and on that date we will
start using the $500, 600 which has been ap-
propriated. We will put as many men to
work as possible, and will do the resurfac-
ing and patching of worn places on the
streets with as much rapidity as we can
nave the asphalt and cement furnished U.S.
BY the terms Of the bill, we must be
through this work by December l. which
is only five months, and then we are to
lay down our tools and sit around idle
until the following July. We will not have
been half completed by December l.
Officials Of the highway department when
asked what was responsible for this legis-
lation and what prompted the senator from
Maine to inject it into the District appro-
priation bill without giving the Commits
sioners a chance to report on it, said the
senator must have been inconyenienced
while riding about the city by a torn-up
street which was undergoing surface re-
pairs. He added that by the terms of Sem
ator Hale's item there will be no tearing
up of highways in the future while Con-
gress is in session and when the members
of Congress are compelled to ride about the
city.
What an Inspector Says.
One official, who is personally in charge
OI street gangs, Sdiu tOOdy tldt Wlen
Congress convened this year not more than
six streets were torn UP and all of them
were only torn up for short distance, and
remained so for a short time. One of these
streets, where repairing was being done
to the surface, was H street northwest be-
tween 18th and 18th streets, and on H streeo
beween 18th and 18th streets. and it must
have been while driving either to the Capt.
tai or to the White House that Mr.. Hale
noticed the conditions, and because he re-
eeived bump or two he seeks relief by in
sorting this ridiculous provision in the ap-
preparation BILL
However,. the Commissioners and the Of
ficials of the highway department are
counting upon this item of Mr.. Hales be-
ing eliminated while the appropriation bill
is being discussed at the final conference
1t Is their only hope. they say.
IF the provision is not cut out" Capt
Morrow said, I'VE viii not be able to prop
erly do our, work, and the real citizens of
Washington, those who reside here all the
year around. and not just during the SEES