Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-09-27
CITY HEADS MEET
|CKES' U[T|MATUM
TO SPEED SEWERS
Promise "Every Effort" to
Fulfill Demands of
P. w. A. Chief.
COMMITMENT ON START
IS REFUSED BY SULTAN
Immediate Funds Necessary, He
Declares, to Hasten Pre-
liminary Work. -

The Commissioners will make
every effort" to meet the demands
of Secretary Ickes. public works ad-
that construction of the
So, 900 900 sewage disposal plant be
started and completed in double
quick time If the loan is to be forth
coming. Engineer Commissioner Dan
I. Sultan said today.
At the same time, Col Sultan said
he could not pledge that the work
would be started during the coming
Winter or be completed by the Fall
of 1886, as called for by Secretary
Ickes in a communication to the city
heads. released last night from the
P. w. A. headquarters.
Immediate Funds Needed.
The first need to hasten the pre-
liminary work, Col. Sultan said, was
an immediate grant of some funds
to hire craftsmen and others to get
plans in working shape. He said the
public works administrator would be
asked to make such funds available
Mote: The sewer experts, hired
with a $4,000 P. W. A. loan by the
Commissioners last year. made an ex-
tensive preliminary survey of the
sewer project, recording their findings
in lengthy report They found the
sewer plant would require four years
to construct recommending annual
expenditures as follows: First year,
100000; second year. $4,000 900;
third year, $4,000, 900, and fourth year,
$4,000, 000D
The issue, lowering In the back
ground for weeks since Ickes an
nounced he had approved the $1,000
900 loan, broke into the open when
the Federal official warned last night
that the grant would be revoked I'M
less the Commissioners exercised
much greater speed in plans for con-
struction.
The project. authorized by a special
act of Congress. has been based on a
four-year building program. Ickes
now calls for completion in two years.
Speed to be Promised.
Col. Sultan said Ickes would be in
formed promptly that the District Is
willing to make all speed that is wise
and humanity possible" in speeding the
work. Whether this is to be done by
letter or personal representations had
not been decided this morning
We agreed with Secretary Ickes.
Of course. in his statement that the
idea of the public works
is to put unemployed persons
to work" said Col. Sultan. We are
lust as anxious as he to accom-
plish this.
We must not forget. however. that
construction of huge disposal plant
is not a simple matter. comparable
to that of erecting an $4,000 900
building. A disposal plant is a very
tricky and complicated affair. My
fear is that if We are pushed too fast,
we may be crowded into making i'm
portant decisions which might later
prove to be unwise and costly"
Col. Sultan said he thought it pos
sible" that the plant might be COM
pleted by the Fall of 1886, but that
he could not commit himself to that
until he had more facts
at hand. He came into Office early
in September and was informed the
four-year program was already sched-
uled.
Can't Spend d. c. Funds.
Until I have funds to hire work
ers for getting plans in starting
shape" he said. "our hands are tied
can't spend District funds for this
purpose until have them in hand
If 1 did. I would go to jail. If the
grant was not forthcoming"
Referring to the four-year construc'
ton program. Secretary Ickes wrote
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column 81