Evening star., 1922-01-01
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT.

Ways and yleanS of improving tralne
conditions in the city was one OF tnt
biggest munics gal problems iaceu 1osi oy 'Ae
District Comm. ssioners during l92l.
Early in the gear they frightened up
on the issuance Of automobile operators
permits by requiring all applicahts. ~
demonstrate TO a policeman their apiiltS
TO drive. Abolition OF center parking
on PENNSYLVANIA avenue was anothei
street safety step taken by the board.
Several months ago the city tathers'
in the hope of bettering conditions, an
nounced proposed rule that Wouiu
have prohibited parking OF hachlIes ~ ~
front of all business establishments II,
the congested section. Protest asalls'
such an order was SO general that the
Commissioners withdrew 1t ana APP
pointed committee of citizens 10 STUDY
the parking problem. The report oi
that committee is now before the Soih-
,nissionerS for consideration.
The personnel of the board OF Com
missioners changed in its entirety dur
ing the year. In January the ooaro WaS
Roardman, Col Charles w. kutz and J.
Thilman Hendrick. In March Henarich tst
and Miss Boardman were succeeded py
Cuno H. Rudolph and James F. oyster;
In September Col. kutz was translerrea
TO supervision over the Ohio river an9
~, Charles Keller succeeded him al
District Commissioner.
Snowden Ashford resigned as munich
pal architect in August and was sue
ceeded by Albert L. Harris.
missioner Cary H. Brown and the Com
missioners themselves We're kept BUS!
during the last half of the year garry.
ing out the school building program au-
thorized by Congress IN June. .o, now
That program called for ten new
grade schools, two junior high schoois
and a school for tubercular children. IN
addition there were five other grade
schools, the Eastern High Schooi ana
the Gallinger Hospital under construc-
tion duriug the year, which meant much
work for District officials. In an error
TO speed up work on the school build
ings so that they might be ready Ior use
in September, 1922. the commissioners
emplove nine private architects to as
sist Mr.. Harris in the preparation Oh
plans. 1901
eyinced interest in the necessity Tor
improving the quantity ana quailty
of street lighting in the Dlstrict anu
asked for an increased appropriation
for this purpose in their budget TO
Congress for the next fiscal year.
After many years of service to the
August as sanitary engineer, and was
succeeded by J. Blake Gordon. who
had been his assistant for number
of years. Mr.. Phillips supervised the
construction of practically the entre
sewerage system of the National
Capital.
Shortly after taking office the new
Commissioners asked the United
StaVes bureau of efficiency to study
salaries in the District service. After
several months of inquiry the bureau
recommended increases for practically
ali statutory clerks, the new scale
averaging per cent over present
rates.
In July the Commissioners granted
slight increases to the 1000 per diem
laborers and mechanics of the city to
partly offset the action of Congress
in excluding these workers from the
S24O bonus under the last Legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
law.
Commissioner Oyster conducted a
vigorous campaign during the fall for
the clearing of weeds apd debris from
all vacant lots in the city.
The War Department assigned Capt.
John f. Wood of the Engineer Corps
to be All assistant engineer commits
sioner of the District. giving Col.
Keller three instead of two assist
ants.
In June the new weights and meas
ures law for the District went into
effect, which fixed a standard weight
for bread, abolished the old double
END peck measure and required the
sale of practically all Vegetables.
fruits and other edibIes by weight or
numerical count