Evening star., 1933-02-28


bill would have been the Districts
third annual refund installment.
Maximum Cab Rates Fixed.
The Senate committee struck from
the bill the House rider which seeks to
prevent the Utilities Commission from
ordering meters on taxicabs, but pro-
vided that II the meter system Is es-
tabhshed the rates shall be not more
than rs cents for the first 2 miles and
not more than 10 cents for each addi-
tional mile or fraction thereof. This
Is the same initial rate contemplated
by the commission, but is different fol-
the longer distances. The commission
proposed q rate Of cents for each one
third Of q mile beyond the 2-mile limit
which would have been at the rate OF
is cents per additional mile. Senator
Bingham said the committee wrote in
maximum rates because It wanted to
make sure that rates would not be as
high as they once were under the meter
system some years ago.
Other important changes made by the
Senate group included the following:
Restored authority for the operation
OF the two new incineratorS for the de-
struction of city refuse. recently COM
pleted, and which would have been idle
after July l under the House bill. This
put $185 900 back in the bill and saved
the District from having to return to
the public dump method Of refuse dis
posal
Restored the necessary appropriation
and authority for the operation Of the
industries used to keep prisoners oc-
cupied at the Occoquan Work House and
Lorton Reformatory. The products are
used by the Federal and District gov
ernments. These prison activities are
more than self-sustaining, but the Com
m1ssioners attached greater importance
to the possible harm that might result
from leaving the inmates idle.
Relief Item Approved.
Struck out the House rider which
would have Disseminated against sew
eral thousand District employees in the
system of filling vacancies under the
classification act The House provision
meant that II a 81, ,620 job became va
cant and a person already In the service
In a lower grade was reallocated to the
higher grade he could not be paid the
higher salary. If the place were filled
by q new appointment, however. the
higher salary could be paid.
The Senate Committee approved the
$625, 900 item allowed by the House fol
continuing emergency relief work fol
needy families after July /, but re-
wrote the explanatory language to cor
respond to the existing appropriation
act. This was suggested by the Com
missioners, who pointed out that the
House provision did not define how
much could be spent for administrative
expense and did not outline the methods
by which relief could be provided.
The Senate amendment for building
new P Street Bridge across Rock Greek
was put in because Senators were
anxious to see the connecting link be.
TWEEN Rock Greek and Potomac Parks
completed. It was brought out at the
hearings that one section Of the road
way to connect the parks could not be
carried through until the P Street
Bridge Is reconstructed. When the
committee found the plans for the
bridge were ready and that there would
be money kept over in the gas fund
next year. 1t decided to include the
bridge as an expenditure from that
fund The bridge is to cost $3.50 900
The committee also restored the limit
Of cost for the new Calvert Street
Bridge to the budget figure Of $l.250,-
900, instead Of the House limit Of $780,
900. The Commissioners stressed the
need for immediate replacement of this
bridge and expressed doubt that con-
tract could be let II the House limit
stood. The amount to be spent next
year in starting the structure Is
$780, 900.
Mosquito Fund Restored.
The House provision to prevent the
Highway Department from continuing
to maintain a testing laboratory was
eliminated.
The Senate Committee approved $28,
800 to continue the war on mosquitoes
in the District, which was inaugurated
in 1881. It is expected, however. that
Senator Glass Of Virginia. who regards
the item as unnecessary, Will oppose 1t
The amount is $4,000 less than the
current appropriation.
A request Of civic groups in North
east washington for enough money to
grade and condition a playground site
granted.
Under the heading Of public schools
the Senate Committee allowed $4,000
more than the House for equipping the
Phelps Vocational. School.
Funds also were added for the pur-
chase of land at the Phelps School for
elementary school purposes and land
adjacent to the Syphax School. These
two land items were added to the col
ored school program to maintain the
ratio between white and colored prof.
ects, based on the colored school popu-
lation.
The Senate Committee put the limit
of cost for the proposed Woodrow Will
son Senior High School back to the
budget figure Of $1,300,000, the House