Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01
DISTRICT AFFAIRS.

Almost with the beginning of the pres
ent year CunO III. Rudolph and Gen. JONI
A. Johnston took Office as new members
/, of the board of Commissioners to fill the
positions made vacant by the designations
Of Henry b. F. mcfarland and Henry L.
West. Commissioners Macfarland and
West remained in office until January "a
somewhat longer than they had ant'cl-
pated-in order to finish the District
business before the committees in Con-
zresa The new members of the ooaro
were sworn in at the District building
the morning of that day. A day or Two
previous the retiring Commissioners were
given an impressive farewell and present.
ed with tokens of remembrance from the
EMPLOYEES of their various departments
and bureaus.
Commissioner Johnston and commas
.ioner Rudolph started off their new ad-
ministration with some slight changes In
the manner Of handling the Dlstrlct s. dl-
fairs. More frequent board meetings. were
established. The two new Commissioners
paid their first official call on Presldent
Taft January %. One of the first puDhc
hearings of any Importance was that
granted to the osteopathic practitioners
in the District, who claimed that they
deserved the same recognition that the
followers of ether cults have The re-
1uest was fought by homeopathic:
eclectic and allepathic practitioners \
bill drawn by the osteopaths Is now pc
fore Congress and bears the COMMISSION
ers approval
What they regard as model insurance
bill, drawn at the District building. was
one of the first pieces OF iesislatl 1or-
warded by the present Board Early III
the year the Washington Humane So
.tety appeared before the Commissioners
in q fight to retain its existence, as Dill
had been introduced which. it was claim
ID. would make the Humane society mere
~ q name.
Citizens Associations Are Heard.
UNIQUE in municipal history was the
monster citizens association meeting held
at the District building February II,
when over fIity associations presented
their pleas to the Commissioners Every
association presented in succinct form
what its. members considered TO be the
most pressing needs of the various sec
lions and subdivisions.
The retrocession of the Virginia land
once q part of the hundred square mile
District of Columbia has been a live top
lc at the District building during the
year. The Commissioners are now in a
position to take the first step toward re-
covering a part of the land, and only
sort of proceedings In a recent state
ment Commissioner Judson has said that
the Commissioners want only the Pail
sades OF the Potomac on the Firginia side,
so that the natural beauties of the river
may be saved for the National Capital.
instead of allowing those historic banks
to become SCARED with factories and
p0or-looking dwellings or to be cut to
pieces by quarrymen.
Two New officials Appointed.
E. G. Davis. assistant assessor of the
District of Columbia, died March j.
There were a score of applicants to take
his place on the board Of assistant as
SCISSORS. The appointment fell to Ed
mund NJ. Talcott March 81. The APP
pointment Of a successor to Thomas E.
Drake, former superintendent OF insur-
ance, gave the Commissioners much trOu-
bic. Daniel Curry was appointed acting
superintendent and served the entire year
until November IL, when George lngham
was made superintendent.
Important among the hearings was that
on the vigorous protest against the es-
adjustment of market in the Arcade
building at 18th street and Park road.
The boardroOm at the District building
was crowded with householders, resi-
tents, property owners and tenants of
that section Churches sent their rec
tors and large delegations of their MEM
DeIB, 0nO Iuily ual ttIC OiS ouui W esS
composed of women. The outburst of
cheers. Kisses, yells and the stamping of
umbrellas on the floor approached more
nearly to disorder than has ever been
seen at a District building hearing. The
market people won.
Another hearing that attracted much
public attention was that held November
~. when q large audience OF mothers and
babies appeared before the Commissioners
20 influence the board in legislation look
ng toward the retention of the Stratus
milk laboratory as a municipal plant. The
Commissioners, after the hearing, ap-
pointed q special committee to advise what
would be the best thing to do. The COM
nittee advised against the plant as a
municipal feature. but warmly recon-
mended that it be made part OF the
public health and marine hospital serv-
ice-
commissioner was ordered by the War
Department to duty In the Philippines
May O. and he left the city six weeks
ater. Capt. Mark Brooke succeeded him,
.aking his new ONCE June 70
District Surveyor Hazen started in
July TO resurvey the old boundaries of
the District. some made by George Wash
.ngton. The lines to be tested affect sew
eral government reservations.
Question of Leave Is Up.
The question of leave to per diem en-
pkOyc was tiIc SUOJSCt VI stuoy ~ the
Commissioners and the auditor during the
year. For several years certain of the
ger diem employees received no leave OF
absence, owing TO technicalities in the
law. 1t was decided during the year that
per diem employees performing continuous
service could have leave. but at the same
time it was decided that no employees
.hould have sick leave. The Commission
srs have prepared a paragraph for the
APPROPRIATION bill to remedy this matter.
The Piney Branch sewer. one of the big
projects Of the drainage engineer of the
District, was started during the year. 4
feat OF sewer surgery unique I'm detail
Was performed on the big main running
down 18th street northwest last sum
mer, q break being mended by under
ground methods entirely, the street not
being torn up. A plan to eliminate blinC
alleys has been formulated and sent tC
Congress
Three hundred lights were taken away
from the outlying districts. and storm
of protest aroused. Plans for splendid
lighting of some Of the main streets and
avenues have been prepared and are be
fore CONGRESS
New lighting regulations requiring
ugftS on horse-drawn vehicles were
adopted during the year and are effective
at present. A dog-muzzling order wa:
framed In August and put into effect
oil Ao1s tn he rnuZZled until August 1011