Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-05
NAVY YARD SPUR TRACK
CONTINUES IN ABEYANCE
Solicitor to Secretary Of Navy Deals
With Subject in Annual
Report.

According to the annual report OF
Graham Egerton. solicitor to the Sec
rotary of the Navy. the matter of the
construction of a branch railroad track
to the Washington navy yard under
the provisions of the act of June "a
1910. is still held in allegiance, await
ing decision by the Navy Department
as to whether new spur track should
he built on the east side of the yard
or whether entrance to the yard should
be effected by Encouragement of the
old spur track on the west side. The
delay of four years that has occurred
since authority was obtained to build
a track the east side, the solicitor
says. will be added to by the necessity
for obtaining additional legislation if
it should be decided to have the track
enter the yard on the other side. as
has been under consideration.
Solicitor Egerton reports also that
the 1ong-drawn-out negotiations for
acquiring all private lands within the
Naval Observatory circle are still I'M
finished. The plan of sale and ex-
change indicated in the report for last
year has been carried out in part
that is to say, the owners of Norman
stone" executed and delivered to the
department. two deeds. dated August 4.
1913. for the two parcels into which
of the two tracts the department has
paid in full. the price being s13.959 In
money and a deed to the triangular
tract of government land outside and
adjacent to the circle. The smaller
part of "Normanstone" is valued in the
agreement reached and is stated in the
deed lat S4.041.
An appropriation for that amount
was estimated for. but the House COM
Inlttee on appropriations omitted 1T in
drafting the bill. so there is no imme-
date prospect of payment for this
land. Fair dealing on the part of the
quires that the appropriation should be
passed and payment made without
further delay. and it is earnestly
recommended that the matter be urged
upon the attention of the Congress
Progress on Eight-Hour Day.
Considerable progress is believed to
have been made toward the establish
ment of universal eight-hour day un-
der the influence of the eight-hour en-
actments during the last several years
Very few instances have occurred OF
violation of that law. and of such vio-
lationS as have occurred nearly all are
believed by the solicitor to have been
the result of oversight or mfsinterpre-
tation of the law. Adjustment of condi-
lions to the growing custom, he says.
has, in great measure, passed the de-
rangement necessarily resulting from
the friction and confusion of alteration
and experiment, and it Is not believed
that the department has suffered any
disadvantage or greater expense that
the government should not willingly
bear as a contribution to the better
ment of the commonwea1.
The modification by the act of Octo-
Der 8. 1913, of the tariff rates on i'm
ported material of foreign manufacture
is reported to have had a very decided
ly beneficial effect, both directly and
indirectly, on the prices of many ar
ticles required for building. repairing.
arnling and equipping naval vessels
and operating other elements of the
naval establishment, and the solicitor
adds that the reduction in prices has
not effected a dimunition in quality or
efficiency of material and appliances.