Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-03

| collector of taxes at the expiration Of the
specified period. -.
Work Of Disturbing Omcer.
| The volume of work incident to the dis
bursting Office continues to show q marked
increase, due to the progress of many
great improvements and the conseque nj
employment of large force of laborers.
especially in connection with the elimina-
| ton of grade crossings. the new Union
railroad station, the sewage disposal sys-
! tenn. bridges. etc.
| During the fiscal year the disbursing
! officer paid out $S914. 14S 20 in checks, in
| payment of vouchers. pay rolls, etc. and
! the checks numbered 50, 338 of which only
seven failed to be received by the persons
| entitled to them. After meeting the re-
| quirements of the Treasury Department
| duplicate checks were issued in these
| seven cases and they were then delivered
| to the proper persons. =
The total amount of cash handled in the
disbursing office and paid to officers and
employees of the District building. me
| chanics and laborers on public works.
| amounted to 81 500 1864. The dlsburse-
| ment of this sum involved the prepara-
| ton and payment of cash in envelopes to
over 1900 persons, twice a month, in adj
dition to many thousand miscellaneous
payments over the counter. The separate
cash payments during the year exceeded
| 100000.
The operations of the office are con-
stantly under the close scrutiny of the
Treasury Department, and during March
an examination was made by two ex-
pert accountants representing the United
States government. who, upon the COM
pletion of the work, reported that their
examination disclosed that all the moneys
advanced to the disbursing officer by the
United States had been properly account
ed for. and that his office was conducted
in a businesS-like manner
In addition to this the Commissioners
have inaugurated a system whereby a
daily balance sheet is prepared at the
close of each days business which pre-
sents the exact financial condition of the
disbursing Office as audited and approved
by the auditor. SO that the days work
is not considered complete until this daily
balance sheet accounts for every dollar
in the possession of the disburs:ng off,
Ger. The careful management of the dis
bursting office. as we'll as the efficiency and
thoroughness of the auditing Office. Is
shown by the fact that in the final review
and examination by the Treasury officials
of the accounts Of the District of Co
lumbia, covering over $1,000 600 in ex-
pendtures and representing 10000 pay
ments. all the accounts were settled with
out any difference.
A large number of electrical meters is
now in use and the Commissioners be-
! lieve there should be an inspector OF cleo
inspection, and in case of dispute between
the private corporation furnishing the
current and the consumer there is no
official means of determining the ques-
ton. For many years the inspection Of
gas and gas meters has been provided by
law, and the Commissioners believe It is
time that such an inspection was pro-
vided for electric meters. They recon-
mend that Congress make provision for
such an Office. and that the private cor
frIr text oil Cfy}c tn to
trict of Columbia be required to con-
tribute toward the expense Of such an
office in the same way as corporations
furnishing gas do to the Office of the in
spector of gas and meters.
Electrical Department.
The electrical department has done good
service in the administration of the
municipal work intrusted to 1t and in the
supervision of the work of the private
corporations supervised by 1t. An i'm
provement in the electrical wiring of
buildings and in clearing the streets from
poles and wires, public and private, is
reported by it.
Under authority Of Congress the Com
| nissioners entered into three-year con-
tracts for mantle gas and naphtha light
ing. securing very satisfactory rates. AS
result of those favorable prices, coupled
with the increase of $50 900 In the appro-
priation. the electrical department was
enabled to change all the old fiat fame
gas burners to the improved type Of man.
tie burner, with the exception Of thirty
one lamps on two bridges, where the ex-
cessive vibrations make the use Of such
mant1es impracticable. This change has
resulted In greatly increasing the illumi-
nation on the gas lighted streets.
The total increase in the number Of
lamps was 1920
The work Of the District underground
cfnvv
with the addition Of eleven miles Of ca
Bile. the erection Of forty-eight additional
alarm and patrol posts and the con-
Meeting OF two additional District build
ings
Twenty new hre-aIarm boxes were
placed in service on the streets and one
private box installed In Convention Hall.
At the close Of the year there were 434
hre-aiarm boxes in service
Inere was net increase Of twenty-nine
tenn. of which six were for the public
schools. At the close of the fiscal year
all Of the public schools with the excep-
ton Of two were supplied with telephone
board
A separate telephone system was in
stalled for the police department, with
connections to each of the station houses.
to the various offices of the departments
and to numoer Of the captains and in
Fifteen new police patrol boxes were
established during the year. the system
having been extended to the District line
at Giesboro Point.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company made gratifying progress in the
work of extending its Underground con-
Quits and removing poles and wires from
the streets. The company reports the re-
moval of over S91 miles Of wire and 238
poles from the streets and alleys The
western Union Telegraph Company re-
moved 50 poles and 256 miles of wire
There was large amount of work per-
formed by the electrical wiring inspectors,
but the lack of sufficient inspectors has
prevented any systematic inspection Of old
wiring in buildings and small progress
was made in this direction. Theater in
spection was carried on regularly each
week by the inspector detailed for that
purpose.
Inspection Of Gas and Meters.
The inspector of gas and meters has at
last secured cases which he believes can
be effectively prosecuted against the
Washington Gas Light Company and the
Georgetown Gas Light Company, furnish
ing gas deficient In candlepower and
puriey. The law under which such prese-
cutions can be made contains the follow
| ing provision:
Provided, however, That If it shall ap-
pear that such deviation from the above
| named standards could not have been