Evening star., 1934-09-28
ICKES' APPROVAL
OF D. .C.FUND SEEN
Secretary Must Be Assured
Work Will Begin This
Winter.
Continued From First Page)


Involving the sewage disposal plant
contract might easily and more quickly
be unraveled If the District Commls-
sioners would seek and obtain a con-
ference with the public works admins
traitor. possibly next week. Secretary
Ickes is leaving late today for Atlanta,
Ga. to be present at the beginning OF
the wrecking of two slum areas In that
CITY. He expects to be back at his
desk next Monday. P. w. A. officials
indicated he would not be unwilling
TO confer with the Commissioners in
an endeavor to reach a clearer and
swifter understanding Of all questions
that appear at issue.
At P. w. A. headquarters it was
claimed. in the opinion Of It's en-
eineers. there is no reason why work
cannot be started on the project IN a
reasonable time.
The methods to be used in the
treatment can be left for determlna-
ton at a later time and need not hold
up preliminary construction work,
Secretary Ickes' spokesman said.
Advance Work.
"The bitches can be dug in advance
regardless of the method of treat
ment used. Secretary 1ckes does not
want to defeat the purposes OF the
national industrial recovery act
which, as he pointed out in his let
ter to the Commissioners, is to put
men to work Immediately.
P. w. A. engineers point out that
Chicago IS undertaking the construc-
ton of the biggest sewage disposal
plant in the world, for which S42,-
100000 P. w. A. allotment was made
They claimed actual preliminary con.
structicn commenced within few
months after the allotment wa:
made
The city of ST. Paul, they pointed
out, is engaged in a similar $l8,000,.
900 project much greater than that
proposed for the District. Work or
this project, they claimed, was under
way within two and half month:
after the allotment had been made.
They cited these two examples ir
explanation of the view of the P. w
A. that the demand made by Secretary
Ickes upon the District Commissioner,
is not unreasonable.
The District Commissioners, it wa.
learned today, are anxious to obtain
a conference with Secretary Ickes
but hesitate to ask for one. They
seem to think that the invitation
should come from the public work.
administrator.
Ickes' spokesman made light of thi.
and suggested that by spending 2C
cents for a taxicab," as suggested
editorially by The Star, they should
have no trouble talking matters ovel
with the Secretary.
One of the matters that could be
discussed in such a conference, il
was pointed out, is the difficulty that
has arisen over the existence of pat.
ents on the activated slug type of con.
struction planned to be used. Ac.
cording to District officials, these pat
ent rights will not expire until 1885,
in one case, and 1887 in another. Il
has been estimated the District woulc
have to pay about $2O0,000 for patent
rights If the patented types we're en-
ployed prior to the expiration of tn,
patents. =
On the other hand, It was rumorec
that the Guggenheim interests have 9
chemical process involving a new pat.
ent which would limit the construction
of the sewage disposal plant to only
two years.
P. w. A. officials we're asked II Sec
retary Ickes or P. w. A. engineers hac
this latter method in mind when the
Commissioners we're told construction
work should be completed within two
years. The only answer given was te
the effect that methods Of treatment
such as involved under the two types Of
patents, need not be determined al
this time nor interfere with prelimi-
nary work being started.