The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-07-15
ALEXANDRIA Is
IMPROVING
CTTYHALL
Bids on Work Too High, City
Engineer Takes Charge of
Construction

ALEXANDRIA, July 15.-A large
force of workmen, under the direc-
ton of City Engineer 2, C. Dunn,
started construction of the new
city health offices and corporation
court record room today. following
the refusal of bids on the project
submitted by a number of local
contractors All of the bids sub
mitted were exorbitant, according
to the city council, and City En-.
gineer Dunn was ordered to take
charge of operations.
The new offices, urgently needed
for some time, will be constructed
IN a portion of the city hail. which
is unoccupied at present. They will
have frontage of approximately
and will be occupied by the health
department as soon as completed.
The present offices, which have long
proved inadequate to the growing
needs of that department, will be
used by the police department. An
additional room in the new offices
viii be provided to accommodate
records of the corporation court;
which have become too bulky for
their present quarters. d
1t is expected that the new
quarters will be ready for occupancy
within two weeks time. This Is
the first alteration Of major inn
portal1ce undertaken in the old city
hall in the past half century.
The city will trifle with license
tax dodgers no longer, it was an
nounced at the city managers
office today. Although all city
license taxes, payable by automo-
bile owners and business and pro-
fessional men, were payable on
June 1, less than go per cent have
paid these taxes to the city. All
delinquents are liable to arrest and
number of them have already
been brought into police court and
compelled to pay. Should anyone
be convicted of attempting to evade
payment, a maximum penalty of
six months in Jail and a maximum
fine Of $500 can be imposed. Such
evaders will be prosecuted to the
limit, according to City Manager
PAUL Morton. Some persons, it Is
stated. have sought to evade the
tax by purchasing District of Co
lumbia tags.
Police were summoned to Rose.
mont and the report circulated that
that section of the city was on
fire when manhole cover was
blown off of a gas main yesterday
with a loud report. The pressure
of the gas. caused by a leak Of un-
determined origin, blew the iron
cover into the air over 100 feet,
according to eye-witnesses. With
the aid Of gas mask a workman,
with considerable difficulty, sue
ceeded In replacing the cover after
the damage had been repaired Sew.
eraI thousand feet Of gas were lost.
The eight directors OF the North.
ern Virginia Hotel Corporation,
three of whom represent the Amer.
lean Hotel Corporation, were re.
eleeted by the stockholders at their
annual meeting held Monday night.
Construction of the $500, 900 George
Mason Hotel, sponsored jointly by
the two corporations, Is progressing
according to schedule, it was an.
nounced by the president of the
local company, Julian Y. Williams,
and will be completed by Novem-
Der Is.
On completion of the hotel, which
will contain log rooms and will be
furnished at cost Of $65, 900. max
ing 1t one Of the best appointed
hostelries in the State, the direc.
tors of the local company will enter
into an agreement with the Ameri-
can Hotel Corporation to operate
the hotel for a period OF thirty
years.