Evening star., 1941-09-12
Fund toExpand
Alarm
System Asked
Better Lighting of
Streets Also Sought
In Estimates

An outlay of $146, ITO for improve
ment and expansion OF the DIS
trict's street lighting and fire alarm
systems to meet new demands i'm
posed by the city's rapid growth
was recommended to the Commls-
sionerS today in the l943 budget
estimate of the electrical depart
ment
The increase proposed by the
department pushed its total eStl-
mates to S1,l83,162. Most of the
additional funds sought would be
used to purchase new street lights
and new fire alarm boxes, particu-
larly for newly developed sections
of the city, and to convert 60 and
100 candlepower lamps to $50
candlepoWer lamps in poorly lighted
sections.
A new appropriation OF S48,45O
was requested for extension of the
municipal fire alarm, police patrol
and telephone systems. The depart
ment said that for some time 1t
has not been able to obtain funds
for cable, fire alarm boxes and other
materials and equipment necessary
TO keep up with the growth OF the
city occaSioned by construction OF
new public and private buildings
and highway work and improve
ments.
Held Time for Action.
The time has now arrived" the
Commissioners were told, when lack
of a sufficient number of fire alarm
boxes, signal circuits, etc. has be-
come a serious matter and some
thing should be done about it"
Further rejecting the increased
demands on municipal services
caused by the defense program, the
refuse and sewage disposal agencies
yesterday laid before the Commits
sioners a recommendation for
1943 budget of S4.408, ,291, which is
an increase of S998,31l over ap-
preparations for the present fiscal
year.
High lights of the increases sought
for these agencies were requests for
So, ,430 to augment the street-clean-
ing force by IS laborers and three
truck drivers; S598.000 for construc-
tion of new sewers and receiving
basins: 100000 for construction of
the Rock Greek diversion sewer;
2222, 300 for extension of refuse COL
lection services, including four ad-
ditional trash collection crews and
three additional garbage ash crews:
$26 506 for cleaning and repairing
of sewers and basins: s209,000 for
operation and maintenance of the
sewage treatment plant at Blue
Plains and for installation of addi-
tional power production units there.
S22,500 for Brighter Lights.
The electrical department re-
quested $50 5000 additional for
streetlighting costs, $4,000 of
which would be used for normal
additions, $4,000 for purchase of
lampposts, globes, reflectors, ETC.,
and $22,500 for replacing low
candlepower lamps with lights of
$50 candlepower.
OF the $3.50, ,450 sought for extern
sion of fire alarm, police patrol
and telephone systems, $4,000
would be used to purchase 100 fire
alarm boxes and S33 ,450 for purchas-
ing the additional cable needed.
The budget estimates submitted
for sewage disposal amounted to
S2,4O8,766, which is $930,606 above
current appropriations. The refuse
division asked for 81 999 ,525, or
s67,705 more than the amount sup
piled this year.
For maintenance of the sewage
disposal system, $257 ,206-an in
crease of $28 8,506-was requested.
During the last decade, 1t was
pointed out, the city's population
has increased 81 per cent, but the
maintenance appropriation has de-
creased 9 per cent.
Higher Street Mileage Cited.
An overall increase of S139, ,045
in the street cleaning item was re-
quested because of increased labor
costs and the per cent additions
to street mileage in the last year.
The proposed $222.30O increase in
the fund for collection and disposal
of refuse would permit extension of
collection services to outlying areas
and newly erected buildings.
Other requests in the estimates
include $65, 900 to continue reclama-
ton of the Anacostia River flats and
$4,000 for improvement of the
Washington Channel. Appropria-
tions in these amounts were made
available in the 1942 supply bill.
The Public Utilities Commission
also submitted its budget yesterday,
recommending appropriations total
ing S75, ,220, which included an in
crease of $4,000 for employment of
an assistant nnoipeer