Evening star., 1919-12-01
COMMISSIONERS FAVOR
REPEAL OF LAW WHICH
LIMITS D. C. ESTIMATES
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Noutinu6u ITOI1 rlrSC FdSe.J
the system may meet the additional
demands made upon it.
There should be. and that without
delay. a greatly augmented street and
highWay Improvement program; there
modern bridges where existing struc-
E lures are not fitted to carry the bur-
dens of modern traffic; there should
be park-extension program that
would save certain areas for park
purposes that may soon be unavail-
able. and there should be provision
for modern equipment and accommo-
dations for the several refuse disposal
systems lately come under the direct
@ supervision of the District govern
ment.
increases in the personnel Of the
q police department as well as in the
salaries of its members are made i'm
perative by the growth of the city:
the fire department needs not only
better salaries, but it should be ex-
( banded by the provision of additional
houses in newly built-up sections of
the city, and above all it should be
modernized by the substitution of
motor equipment for horse drawn
apparatus. D.
Need Funds for Hospital.
FUNDS and additional authority
are most urgently needed that the
construction of the Gallinger Munich
pal Hospital, an institution for
thirty years an acknowledged need
and which should be placed in opera
tion as soon as is humanity possible
to replace the woefully inadequate
Washington Asylum Hospital. Then,
> too. there is most urgent need for a
District of Columbia institution for
the care of the feeble minded. and
for a new institution to take the place
~ anf fa1 In Sfrio ol
School
These matters to which attention
is here called are referred to at
greater length hereafter, as are many
= other matters of very great i'm
: portance which are omitted here only
for the sake of brevity.
The Commissioners express the
earnest hope that way will be pro-
vided by which they will be able to
/. lay before the Congress the necessary
J. services and institutions. They feel
it is necessary in the national inter-
!. est that the District of Columbia
: catch up with the times, and they
= hope they are not too optimistic
when they make bold to predict that
future of wonderful greatness lies
before the capital of the great Amer
{ lean republic. which will justify upon
the part of Congress policy of con-
structive liberality in the provision
for its present needs and its future
development.
Regarding Water supply.
: Jurisdiction over the water supply
I system is divided between the chief
of engineers. United States Army,
who is chargNd. under the direction
of the Secretary of War. with the
: procurement of the supply and its
publication. while the Commiss toner's
are responsible only for the distribu-
tion of the water after it leaves the
publication plant.
They feel it incumbent upon them,
however. to call attention to the need
OF an additional supply. In the sum-
mer OF 1918 it was necessary to cur
tan the supply of water to house
holders in order to keep within the
capacity of the single aqueduct sup
plying the city with water. Due to
the termination of the war and to
an anticipated decrease in population
resulting therefrom, it was assumed
that the consumption of water in the
summer of 1919 would be less than
that in the preceding year; but it
proved to be actually greater, and
1t again became necessary to curtail
the privilege of sprinkling lawns and
to stop entirely the use of water for
flushing sidewalks.
Investigations heretofore made by
direction of Congress show con-
clusfvely that the additional supply
should come either from the Potomac
river or from the Patuxent river. the
difference in the cost of the, two
projects being relatively small. The
Commissioners are advised that the
chief Of engineers, United States
Army, in his annual report. has
recommended the adoption of the
Patuxent project as possessing great
er advantages than the so-called Po-
tomac project. The Patuxent water
is very much softer than the Po-
tomac water and can be brought into
the District by gravity at a higher
elevation. the latter being an ad-
vantage which is more apparent to
those charged, with the distribution
OF the supply than to those charged
with its procurement A supply from
pressures in the gravity area and a
large reduction, il not entire elm
area
The Commissioners. therefore. urge
'the adoption of the Patuxent project
at outlined in House document 1900,
Sixty.second Congress. third session,
modified, however. so as to provide
for the needs Of Maryland communi-
ties between the source of supply and
the District line and further modified
SO as to permit the delivery OF. filter
ed water at an elevation of 2i0 feet
above sea level.
Arterfal Highways.
The Commissioners point out the
urgent necessity of providing i'm
proved roadway surfaces on the ar
terial highways leading to the Dis
trict line and connecting with high
ways in the state, of Maryland. At
present most of these roadways are
surfaced with water-bound macadam,
which does not meet the demands of
heavy automobile traffic. Something
more durable than macadam is highly
n Aurv - Ia Il :vA
The roadway surface of these high
ways should be at least equal to that
of the main highways with which
they connect in Maryland. The repairs
necessary on the present macadam
surfaces. in order to take care of the
heavy traf1lc, are SO costly that the
improvements suggested would re-
suit in an actual saving of money.
Extensfon Of Park System.
Nineteen years ago a commission
appointed by the Senate of the United
States recommended comprehensive
plans for the extension of the park
system of the District of Columbia,
Some progress has been made toward
carrying out these, plans, but large
areas yet remain to be acquired, Many
sections of the city have been buiit
up since the park extension plans
were made, and it is now necessary
SO to modify the plans as to it chang
ed conditions and to make. provision
for the early acquisition of remain
ing parcels of land suitable for a,
permanent park system which other
wise may soon be built upon and
their availability for park purposes
thus destroyed.
Permanent School Buildings.
During the war the construction of
permanent school buildings to meet
the needs of a constantly increasi sing
school population practically stopped.