Evening star., 1934-10-28

many troublemakers whose presence
in the wall-leSs institution Is a con-
slant threat. But appropriations for
completing the walled section where
they might be segregated have been
lacking Again, the fortuitous exist
ence of the C. w. A. was responsible
for the construction Of four additional
dormitory buildings, two of them left
incomplete when the C. w. A. was
disbanded last March. These build
ings are being slowly finished by
prison labor.
"On the next reservation, at Occu-
quan, the superintendent, asking for
new dormitory for the women's de-
partment. says the present buildings
are Approximately 20 years old and
should be replaced. They are great
fire hazard, insanitary. unsafe and
hardly flt for human habitation. The
cost Of heating them in Winter Is ex-
ceSsive. and no means can be found to
keep them cool in Summer"
Time likewise is taking its toll in
the Fire Department. Twenty-seven
Of the bumpers, aerial trucks and
hose wagons with which firemen re-
spond to alarms are more than Is
years old, some Of them 18, 10 and 20
years old.
All Departments Suffer.
The condition of the rolling stock
in the Fire Department is bad, but
almost every department is operating
automobiles or trucks that long since
have passed the useful span of their
existence. There Is hardly an auto
mobile in service later than a 1880
model, to judge from the many re-
quests for new cars.
The budgetary economy wave has
not spared even those departments on
self-sustaining basis. Thus the Water
Department, paying its own way out
Of the charges made against con-
sumers for water, found itself unable
last year, because Of curtailed appro-
priations, to make water connections
where householders desired them.
The appropriation for main extern
sions was suddenly cut in 1885 from
$275,000 to $l60,000. This, according
to the departments estimates, will
undoubtedly result in hardship be-
cause Of lack of suficient funds to
accommodate all applicants. The
department cannot refrain from en-
phasizing the fact, that there is no
control over the quantity of mains
applied for to serve water to prospec-
tive consumers, the only remedy for
lack of funds being to deny water
service. Such denials of water serv-
ice to prospective builders only result
in a curtailment of building oper-
ations. with consequent increase in
unemployment in various trades"
In another section of the Water
Department it develops that there are
1928 defective or non-registering
water meters in consumers homes
(more than 10 per cent Of the totaD
and that there are still 1886 con-
sumers who never have been fur
nished with any meter, good or bad.
Power System Fully Loaded.
The Electrical Department says, In
its estimates: "At the present time
practically all of our cable conduc-
tors, with few exceptions, are in use.
We have reached stage where it Is
not possible for us to furnish
any additional telephone or fire alarm
service. Some sections of the city are
without adequate~fire alarm and po-
lice patrol box service and in q num-
Der Of cases telephone service is un-
satisfactory on account of lack of
conductors"
Hitherto famous for its fine street
trees, Washington will see a cessation
of planting, on present appropriation
standards, according to the superin-
tendent Of trees and parkings. After
describing the necessity for expensive
work in spraying trees. taking out
dead and dangerous trees, etc., he re-
ported: "Unless the appropriation Is