Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-28
WATER employees
GIVEN. FURLOUGH
AS FUNDS SHRINK
Maintenance Workers Will
Be Idle One Day Each Week
Until July |.
CERTAIN TYPES OF WORK
WILL BE ABANDONED
Dram Places Blame on Break in
Main and Addition of Is
Miles to System.

One hundred and four per diem en-
ployes Of the maintenance division,
District Water Department, will be
furloughed one day per week beginning
Monday, owing to q shortage in the
lump sum appropriation for the depart
ment. This furlough is preliminary
step, and is not expected to meet the
shortage that will exist; accordingly
more men will be furloughed later, or
certain types of work abandoned in
order to keep within the appropriations
These measures will continue until June
80, as the appropriation for the next
fiscal year will be available July /.
On February l there was a balance
of SIPS, 900 of the departments MAIN
tenance appropriation of $365,000, ac-
cording to Assistant Engineer Commits
sioner Hugh Dram, who has charge Of
the Water Department. This amount
would not be Suficient to carry the
maintenance division on full time until
June 80. Since the deficiency bill Is
not expected to pass until about June
is, it was decided not to walt for
deficiency appropriation. but to lay OF
the men at once. Capt. Dram explained
that the maintenance division, which
takes care of all leaks and breaks In
spectS valves, water meters and fire
MIGRANTS, operates the pumping sta
tions and all motor transportation for
the department, is essential to the safety
of the city, and that It would not be
possible to allow its work to be stopped
altogether by running out OF funds.
Places Blame for Shortage.
Capt. Dram laid the blame for the
shortage at this time to two sources.
The first is the large break in the main
under the M Street Bridge last April.
This necessitated pumping at the
Bryant street pumping station of water
for the first high service area. This
pumping had to be done out Of main
tenance funds. and since it continued
from April until January. when the new
main was installed under the bridge, It
depleted the maintenance funds during
the current fiscal year by about $780,
He said that he was hopeful of recover
ing some Of this from the appropriation
allotted to the United States engineers
Office out Of water rents. amounting to
SAL 900 annually. which is supposed
to take care Of putting the water into
the reservoirs. The latter appropriation,
he said. was saved considerable money
by the break which made 1t impossible
for water to be pumped from the Con-
duit road tunnel into the Ridge road
reservoir. This saving will not amount
to as much as $4,000, Capt. Dram esti-
mated. He said that Maj Brehon Som
ervell, United States engineer for this
district. had assured him that when the
saving is computed 1t will be transferred
from the supply appropriation to the
maintenance appropriation.
Appropriation Stationary.
The second cause assigned by Capt.
Dram is that, although about % miles
OF new main is added to the distribu-
ton system each year, the maintenance
appropriation remains practically sta
tionary. Last fiscal year it was $3.50, 900,
he said, and the department was COM
PEELED to obtain deficiency item of
$4,000, making $360,000 in all. Last
year being one of Congress short-ses-
sion years. 1t was possible to obtain the
deficiency item before March 4 and thus
avoid the necessity of laying of any
men. He said that the Budget Bureau
has allowed but $685., 900 for mainte-
nance for the 1891 fiscal year, and that
unless this is increased by Congress the
same scenes will undoubtedly be re-
enacted next Spring