Evening star., 1944-05-05
Budget Hearing
Wafer
Efficiency
Most Rents Can Be
Collected, Officials
Tell House Unit
By DON S. WARREN.

ny DoN .. WAnnCN.
Progress being made by District
officials in reorganizing the staff ane
system in the Water Registrars OF.
flee was explored today by the Hous,
District Appropriations Subcommit.
tee as it considered fund request!
for the next fiscal year for the Wa.
ter Department and the Washing.
ton Aqueduct, among the last items
on the budget schedule.
Difficulties in billing and collect.
ing water rent have been outlined
in detail in several official reports
and studies for the last few years
including a lengthy set of recon-
mendations submitted to the Com
missioners by a committee headed
by Corporation Counsel Richmond
B. Keech. Il n H. -l
1t was brought out during testi-
mony by Raymond B. Ward, the
new water registrar who took Office
recently as a first step in the reor-
ganization plan, that water rents
totaling about $430,000 have not
been collected, but District officials
told the subcommittee, which is
headed. by Representative Coffee,
Democrat. of Washington. they be-
lieved virtually all of the old bills
cap he collected
The subcommittee also was told
that District officials had been ad-
vised by the Office of Controller
General Warren that the District
could hold either the owner or the
tenant of building responsible for
water bills.
Discuss Division of Authority. q,
The division of authority between
the District Commissioners and the
District Engineers Office of the
War Department over the District
water service, with the Federal
agency controlling the water sup
ply and the District government the
distribution system, also was dis
cussed.
Citizens spokesmen will be given
opportunity Monday to outline their
ideas on the budget, under plans an
nounced by Mr.. Coffee. If neces-
sary, second day will be granted
for them.
The end of the parade of officials
testifying on items in the $67, ,0O0, 900
budget was expected to be reached
by tonight with the needs of the
militia, National Capital Parks and
the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission scheduled for at
tention. During the afternoon also,
Welfare Director Ray L. Huff was to
be recalled for examination on COM
plants made recently by Mr..
Warren.
After the transcript Of the hear
ings is printed, the subcommittee
viii mark UP the District appropria-
tion bill later next week, mr.. Coffee
said, and the measure may be ready
for submission to- the full Appro-
priations Committee and to the
House the following week.
Sewer Officials Criticized.
Sewer Department officials were
yesterday for having ship
ped a hve-year supply of sludge from
the District sewage treatment plant
to the Occoquan Workhouse for use
as fertilizer. Warren protested the
amount was so large it constituted
a health menace"
1t was brought out, Mr.. Coffee
reported, that the railroad trans
portation of the material has been
costing the District about $40, 900 a
year and that the fertilizer was sent
there because no other place for it
had been found. In some later esti-
mates, District officials said they
would seek an appropriation of be-
tween 100000 and $50O,000 for in
stallation of dehydration system to
lessen the weight of the material,
so as to make it's transportation
more economical. Elwood johnson.
sewer engineer, was admonished to
find other outlets for the material.
Stefan Makes Protest.
Representative Stefan, Repub-
lican, of Nebraska, ranking minority
member of the subcommittee. pro-
tested that it was unfair to District
taxpayers to permit the Navy to
obtain free the sewer gas developed
in the sewage treatment plant oper-
alton, for use at the Bellevue hous-
ing development, for heating pur-
poses. Mr.. Stefan was told the
average quantities produced had a
value Of about SIS a day.
Mr.. johnson was admonished To
follow the example of the District
Refuse Division in the sale of SAL
vageable material. Reports on that
divisions operations showed it was
garnering for the District about
$65 900 year from salvage and sale
of tin cans, metals and other mate
rials, Its superintendent, William A
Xanten, was praised by the subcom-
mittee for his program, Mr.. Coffee
said.