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AT THE STAR BUILDINGS1101 Pennsylvania Ave., Cor. I ith St., byThe Evening Star NDwspaper Company,

fc. H. KAUFFMANN, Pres't.

Y nr York Office. 49 Pottar Bai'din^.E^enlnc Star In served tc ruhorrfhers II The

dry by carriers, oc their own e-oouat. at 10 cent®pe* week. q- 44 crctB per monti. Copies at th*erunter 2 cents etch. By mall linywhere In theLnlfd Sfates or Canada.pt^tast prepaid.50 coat®i*r njonth.Saturday QrrfBtnnJc Shf-et Star. $1 per year. with

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Part 2,

\VASHRsGTON, D. C., MONDAY

Pages 13=20.

DECEMBER 5. 1898-TWENTY PAGES.

If >o« nflnl to ».nr. aril,^"¦e properly or rentrooms, nanl a ¦llnalion »r

want help. It still p«y- > o«to annoimor the fart Inthe advertising eolnninsof The Star. They are

closely studied hy more

than three timet* as manypeople as read any otherpaper.

DISTRICT COMMISSIONERSThey Sntanit Their Annual Report id

President IcKinley.OPERATIONS FOR THE LAST FISCAL YEAEIncrease ii lie Police and Fire Department

Rnieiil.

MORE SCHOOL BUILDINGS NEEDED

A Public Playground Asked For.The

Public Library--Work of the

Health Office and the

Engineer De-

p ;rtment.

The report of the Commissioners of theI>i.-trict of Columbia for the fiscal year cml-ed June l*i>s. was submitted to thePresident today. It is as follows:

Executive Office.«"ommissioners of the District of Columbia.

Washington, December 5, 1MJ-S.The President:T h»- Commissioners of the District of Co¬

lumbia herewith submit for the informa-tion of Congress, as required by law, theira.Miual report of the otfi. ial doings of th»-povt-rnment of said District for the fiscalyear which ended June So, 15j'J8.

Impropriations kihI KevenDf*.The appropriations for the year which

w- re payable out of the general revenues,? ;-ting those for the water department,v.vrc The receipts from taxes

ttu r res mrc a applicable to the pay-mei ! of said appropriations (including theamoui.t '.oiiiributabi'* by the United Statesas its hare of the District expenses, and a> .rj of $7^7of District revenues

j ars) were $?,OtX>,OS8&20LThe ? xpenditures of the water department

v.> re ant! were wholly payablecut of the revenues received from waterr* nts and tax*-s. The revenues of said de¬partment, inclo&ig a balance of formeryears, amounting to $7v*,r»7-.7^, were5»0.a0.

Debt.The funded debt of the District of Colum-a on June .*'..» 1XH>. was $l«».o4;'.,02o.lM. No

portion of it was incurred under the presentform of the municipal government. Thetreasurer of the United States, who ischarged with its management, reports it indetail:

>1 iurflluiifoux indrJliledufKS.The District has no floating debt that its

r ..nues are not much more than sufficientto meet. Put as the Commissioners haven » authority to make expenditures withoutsp*vjfic authority from Congress, they areoblig' i t withhold payment of c rtain cur-r< r.t ami emergent obligate ns for whuchappropriations have not been made. ThPs*eare comparatively small in amount, andare all settled from year to year.

t'ertillcateK of Indebtedness.The District is required to receive in pay-

im nt of special iiss-ssmt nts or of arrears ofgeneral taxes $11,175.63 of drawback cer¬tificates. which were issued as rebites forovercharges or interest on account of spe¬cial assessments levied by former munici¬pal governments, and is a so under obliga¬tions to issue further like drawback certifi¬cates for about l»»oo whenever a certainoutstanding invalid special assessment lienfor $'J«>7.74, bearing nterest at 10 per centper annum to July U, 185*).the date of thenet of Congress authorizing the issue ofsaid drawbacks.is presented f«jr redemp¬tion. To the extent of those two amountsthe plstrtet is practically indebted to theowners of the certificates and the holder of

l!en.There was outstanding July 1. 1SH*S. in the

hands of private holders, $.'{,766.07 of liensagainst private property for special im¬provements and secured by special assess¬ments of like amount levied on the prooertyagainst which they lie, and $1,343.43 of scripissued against private property by the latecorporation of the city of Washington andsecured by special assessments of likeamount for the cost of abutting public im¬provements. In case any of sa d assess¬ments should for any reason become uncol¬lectible, the liens or scrip would be redeem-

able in drawbacks* issued under said act ofJune 189t>, i;i lieu «>t' such void assess¬ments, and receivable for general and spe¬cial taxes, and to that extent become anobligation «»f the District.There was also outstanding: on samp date

S per cent «*ertificates (greenbacks) issuedunder the ligislative assembly act of MayUP. IST.'J, amounting to $3o ». with about$!.\o of accrued interest thereon.Any obligation that the District is under

on account of any of the above certificatesis much more than offset by the specialassessments du>- the District, amounting to$is.i k:.-!o, and accrued interest thereon atthe rate of 10 per centum per annum for anaverage of more than twenty years, andcash collections of such assessments nowin the hands of the treasurer of the I'nitedStates amounting to $s.The trt asurer of the United St ites has

recommended that ;tll of said unpaid assess¬ments in his custody be transferred to theCommissioners of the District of Columbia,and that the cash now in his hands, derivefrom cell clions of sp.c'al as :essm v. sbut not needed to pay outstanding 8 p<icentum certificate:-; of indebtedness and theinterest due thereon, be deposited in thetreasury of th<> United States as generarewnues of said District. A bill. H. 1**>2 is, intended to accomplish that object,an 1 entitled "A bill to provide for the dis¬position of assessment certificates of th»District of Columbia, and for other pur¬poses," has been introduced to Congressand referred to the committee on the Dis¬trict of Columbia. The Commissioners arein favor of the legislation contemplated bythat bill, but recommend that it he modi¬fied so as to provide that the Commission¬ers may use a necessary portion of the gen¬eral revenues of the District, as may fromtime to time be needed, to retire outstand¬ing drawback certificates amounting to iessthan $"_'5o. issued under the act of Congressapproved June 19, IMS. entitled "An act toprovide for the revision and correction ofassessments f«>r special improvements inthe District of Columbia, and for other pur¬poses." as contemplated by that act.Assessment of taxable real estate and personalproperty in the District of Columbia July 1,lM»s. and est.mates tax derivable therefrom.Washington city:Taxable on land. .$87,607,496 00Taxable on improve¬

ments 71,862.425 00£159,509,921 00Washington county:Taxable on land, at

$1.5o $10,095,741 00Taxable on improve¬ments, a $1.5o... 7.161.500 00

17.857,211 00Taxable on land, at.<1 $4,508,609 00luxablv on improve¬ments. at $1 1,230,600 00

5,739,209 00Total assessed value of taxablereal <»»taI*- $183,156,371 CM)Personal property:

Washingto city. .$12,310,954 00Washington county.. 42.545 OoKail roads, taxed ongross receipts 1.077.976 00

13.431.475 00Total assessed value of taxablereal estate and personal prop¬erty in the IMstrirt of Colom¬bia .m July 1. 1898 $196.587.846 00

Amount of tnx:Washington <-ity. at

$!.»» $2,393,398 81Washington county,at $ 1.5o !. 267.858 62Washington county.at $1 57.392 09

Total real estate tax $2,718,649 52$1». 777.-I4*-!. personalproperty, at #1.5o. $146,662 26$2,576,015. ctpilalstock st root rail¬ways. less realty.at 51 50 38.640 23$ 1.«i.31.584. gn ss recelpts street rail¬way ".at 4 per cent 41.263 36$46.3*92. gross re¬ceipts street rail¬ways.at 2 per rent 927 84

Total tax on personal property.. 227.493 69Total txt on real and personalproperty $2,946,143 21

Kate of General Ta*.The rate of general tax for the year was

fixed at $1.5*) on each SbX) for all taxablepersonal property and for all real propertyexcept that used solely for agriculturalpurposes, the rate of which was $1 per $100of assessed valuation.

Estimate**.Estimates for the fiscal year 1809 were

prepared as required by the organic laward submitted through the Secretary ofthe Treasury. They amounted to $8,124,-37.V.JO. including $1 to,851.71, payable out ofthe water funds. The details of these esti¬mates will be found in the book of esti¬mates prepared by the Treasury Depart¬ment.

Defeelive Lleenxe Lawn.Contrary to their expectations, the Com¬

missioners were unable to submit to Con¬gress at its last session a draft of a bill toprovide a schedule of license charges otherthan those pertaining to the issue of liquorlicenses more equitable than those whichnow prevail.The assessor reports thatt so far as theother demands upon him permitted, he hasbeen diligently collecting data on the sub¬ject and collating it in connection with theexperience hfs own office relative there¬to, and expects tp^sqpn ha^e the matter

in form for the consideration of Congress.Uathisg Itear h.

The continued popularity of the municipalbathing beach is shown by the fact thatduring the past season its patronage wasvery largely in excess of that of the seasonof issrr.The appropriation for the beach duringthe current fiscal year enabled the authori¬ties to maintain it and its appurtenancesin good condition, and to add a few im¬

provements; but was not sufficient to pro¬vide for all the modifications deemed de¬sirable. So long as a bathing beach is lo¬cated al the present site it should be made«is safe and enjoyable as practicable. The

Commissioners have included an item forthat purpose in their estimates for 1900.

Public* 1'Ih.v GroundN.The Commissioners feel that the public

should provide play grounds for cities,where youthful freedom of action is notonly restricted by lack df available area foroutdoor games, but where the general safe¬ty and comfort require that many of suchdiversions be prohibited on the streets.Tho spaces in the city and suburbs where

sports and pastimes in the open air maybe permitted are becoming fewer andsmaller with each successive year, and theopportunities for the municipality to ac¬quire. without prohibitive cost, tracts with¬in the city sufficiently large for the pur¬pose have practically passed.The reclaimed ground at Potomac Park

embraces locations readily adaptable i tmoderate expense for public outdoor fielddiversions; while the basins, in addition tobathing beach accommodation, would ad¬mit of the establishment of public facilitiesfor rowing and sailing under municipalregulation and surveillance.

IliwbiirMiiiK Officer.The Commissioners have been greatly

pleased with the results attained throughthe enlarged powers vested in the disburs¬ing officer by the District appropriation actfor the fiscal year 'S'.w. They have been re¬lieved of a great deal of unnecessary andmerely routine labor thereby, and have beenenabled to give their entire time to themore important public demands, withoutthe harassing interruptions and postpone¬ments, caused by the perfunctory necessityof signing checks, to which they were pre¬viously subjected. The employes have sincebeen \ \W twice a month in cash, .nsteadof monthly by check as before, and Ci^i'.tnshaving business with the District have beenpaid with a promptness which was impjs-sible under the previous system.

Street Cleaning.The contract for sprinkling, sweeping ard

cleaning of the streets and avenues of theDistrict will expire on .June 30, 1899. Thiscontract was limited to a term of twoyears, the Commissioners believing that atthe end of that time they would be able todemonstrate to Congress the advisabilityof abolishing the contract system and havethe entire work of cleaning the streets,avenues and alleys done by day labor undertheir direct control. The attention of Con-giess has been heretofore invited to theeminently satisfactory results attained bythe hand-cleaning System here, and the ad¬visability of substituting it in lieu of the<. utract system iho u?lv<ut the District.

In order that a comparison might bemade of the relative costs and results ofthe contract, hand cleaning and the daylabor without contract systems, Congress,in the act making appropriations to pro¬vide for the expenses of the government of'he District «»f Columbia for the fiscal year.nding .June :io, isin», included an item ap¬propriating to be "expended underthe immediate direction of the Commis¬sioners." and directed that tne "accountsthereof be so kept as to show the com¬parative cost of the hand sweeping by daylabor and under contract."After a four months' trial under this pro¬

vision. beginning July 1, 1M)S, the superin¬tendent of street cleaning reports that hehas cleaned daily 308,512 square yards, or atotal <»f 29,518,639 square yards of streetsaving, at a total cost of (WIS.which

at the rate of a trifle less than 1!» 1-3nts per thousand square yards. The con¬

tractor's price fo* the same kind of works IV2 cents per thousand square yards. Thesuperintendent also states that during thisear, under the provision above quoted, the

District will sweep by the hand-cieaning-nethod, at a cost of $l.">,oon, an area equalo that swept by the contractor at a cost

. the District of $2f».242.S1.It should be also stated in this connec-ion that the contractor pays his laborer:n the hand-cleaning work per day. whilehe District has paid them for the samev rk $l.i»r» per day. No stronger argumentn favor of the abolition of the present sys-'vrn of contract work could be made.The contractor's price for machine clean-iff is "."> ."5-4 cents per thousand squar-

yards; and it will be observed that the costof hand-cl°aning by day labor without con¬tract (191-3 cents) is more than 6 cents perthousand square yards cheaper. Under thehand-cleaning system the streets have beenkept much cleaner and more presentableduring the busy hours of day: there are no.louds of dust swept and thrown in thefaces of pedestrians, and no noisy, boister¬ous gangs of men or rattling carts andsweeping machines in the middle of thenight. At the same time, more of our wor¬thy laboring men are given employment andat better wages, under the hand-cleaningthan under the machine-cleaning method.Petitions and requests of representative citi¬zens for the extension of the hand-cleaningsystem have been so numerous, and theresults of the operation of that systemhere have been so highly satisfactory, thatthe Commissioners are convinced that theentire area of the improved streets andavenues should be cleaned by hand laborunder direct municipal control without theintervention of a contractor.Some comment has been made upon the

appearance of the streets during the earlymorning hours, before the accumulationsof the previous night have been removedby the street cleaning force. This accumu¬lation has been practically unavoidableduring the past six months, for the reasonthat it was necessary, in order to enablethe authorities to make a comparison withthe work of the contractor, to have theDistrict's employes work exactly as thoseof the contractor. It is believed, however,that if the street cleaners began to workearlier, so as to have the accumulations re¬moved before business hours, the streetsof Washington would present the appear¬ance which every citizen should desire.

Militia.The Commissioners reiterate the follow¬

ing recommendation in their annual reportfor the fiscal >ear 181)7, relative to the Dis¬trict militia:"The existing law requires that 'all leases

and contracts involving expenditures on ac¬count of the militia shall be made by theCommissioners of the District of Columbia;and appropriations for the militia shall bedisbursed only upon vouchers duly author¬ized by the Commissioners, for which theyshall be held strictly accountable.'"The great responsibility hereby imposed

upon the Commissioners is without any cor¬responding control over the use of any ofthe money so appropriated. AH expendi¬tures of the District government .are madeupon itemized requisitions carefully pre¬pared and approved by the heads of thedepartments making the same, through theproperty clerk or the superintendent cfpr< perty, and the Commissioners throughthese officers have direct knowledge andcontrol to the minutest detail of the same.In the matter of disbursements by the ini-litia. a requisition for a bulk sum is ex¬pended by the officers of the militia with¬out consultation with, supervision over, orother control whatever by officers appoint¬ed or responsible to the Commissioners."The Commissioners, in view of this fact,

and in consideration of the further factthat the militia is more properly a branchof the War Department, recommend thatthey be relieved of the responsibility afore¬said, and that the entire supervision andcontrol of the militia be vested in the Sec¬retary of War."The Commissioners are pleased to refer

to the influence which this organization liashi.d upon the military history of the Dis¬trict. The recent call to arms in the con¬flict between this country and Spain foundit well prepared to provide many trainedvolunteers of all ranks for the regimentwhich the District furnished to maintainthe national honor, and for other fields ofpublic duty. The soldierly bearing of theDistrict's representatives in the army dur¬ing every phase of their service, in thecamp, on the march, in the midst of pesti¬lence and in the presence of the enemy isa matter of rational repute and of justifi¬able local pride. .

Civil Service.The Commissioners renew their recom¬

mendation that the District government beplaced within the purview of the civil rer-vice laws. The reasons for such action,given in previous annual and special re¬ports, still apply, and with increased force.

POLICES DEPARTMENT.Earnest efforts ftavt been made to Xur-

ther improve the condition of this depart¬ment by strengthening it In every possibleway, so as to get the greatest advantageout of the small number of men allowedthe District for the prevention of crimetha arrest of criminals and the perform¬ance of the various duties which havefrom time to time been put upon the policeThose who have grown old and feeble havebeen retired to the extent the mod. ratefacilities afforded by Congress would per¬mit and their places filled with voting andactive men All ihe mourned men havebeen detailed to the county, enabling thedepartment to give better attention to alarge territory hitherto unprotectedThe bicycle squad has been increased

from five to twenty. The introduction ofihe bicycle Into the po'.lee department inthis as well as in other cities, has proveda very decided benefit. Th men can getabout so silently and swiftly !IS to enablethem to cover a large an a in a short timeInstead of having them do general duty aliover the city, as heretofore, th^y are nowassigned to precincts and their duties pre¬scribed by the lieutenants. These men arenow provided with wheels at the txpei.seof the department.The report of the major and superinten¬

dent shows that the department has noapologies to make for the record of thepast year. It has done exceedingly wellAlthough unusual conditions have "existedin connection with the recent war. whichbrought many criminals and cranks to thecity, the record is \ery good, especially inthe keeping down and apprehending ofcriminals of the higher grade.

Mnrders Committed.Fifteen murders were committed during

the year, but with a single exception allthe murderers have been captured and thedepartment has strong grounds for believ¬ing that the one at large will soon be appre¬hended, a record which challenges com-parison with those of other municipalitiesSo much has been said in the past re¬

garding the inadequacy of the force inpoint of numbers, and the fact has been sothoroughly demonstrated, that It seems un¬necessary to say more. Strong efforts willbe made during the coming session of Con¬gress to secure its enlargement to a pointwhich will be proper and in keeping withthe work to be done and the property andterritory to be guarded.Attention is more particularly Invited at

this time to the condition of the stationhouses throughout the city. Congress re¬cently made provision for additional storieson two of the stations, and these housesare now equipped and quite comfortable, sofar as the sleeping and sanitary conditionsare concerned. Taken as a whole, how¬ever. the stations are very far behind themodern stations of other cities and not atall what Washington should have.As inadequate as these accommodations

are we can get along pretty well withoutmuch change at present. The cells, how¬ever. are absolutely insecure and discredit¬able. Made of brick with old-fashioneddoors and the crudest sanitarv arrange¬ments, they are unsafe and unsightly andshould be substituted at the earliest possi¬ble date with the modern steel cell. Corre¬spondence has been had with the manufac¬turers of these e lls and it is believed th;swork can in- done for a few thousand dol¬lars An effort will be made at the comingsession of Congress to secure this improve¬ment.Much could be done to improve the condi¬

tion of these stations if the entire estimateasked for repair? would be grmted by Con¬gress. J-ive thini.-aii'l dollars was request¬ed and shown to he absolutely needed lastyear, but only ,<j.r,oi was allowed. It ishoped a more liberal policy will be pursuednext year. as the money is very muchneeded to put the stations in proper condi¬tion.The contingent fund should also be en-

eirged to an amount sufficient to meet the1:. cessary expenses without a deficiency anda suitable amount provided for the preven-'ion and detection of crime. It is wellknown that in order to'seeure criminals re¬wards must necessarily be offered and theraveling expenses of detectives must ben et. as well as other expenses incidentalt'> such work. The department has beenhampered very much in securing the ar-est of criminals because of the inadequacy

of the appropriation for this purpose.Centrn! Police* Station.

The most important change by far wouldbe the erection of a central police station.The station now occupied ut the headquar¬ters of thin precinct, located 011 12th streetbetween C and D streets northwest, hasbeen rendered almost unfit for use by theerection of the city post office, which tow¬ers so lar above it as to completely darkenhe boiliiing. In addition to this the cellai

is always damp, owing to the fact that thesewage Is above the floor, the water some-.:mes rising so high as to put out the tire111 the furnace. It would be better if abuilding could be erected which would be1 omplete and modern in every respect andcreditable to the city. It should be located111 the first precinct, which contains mostof the principal business houses, hotels,banks, etc. It should contain all the usual.>nis for Offiee purposes, sleeping aecom-nidations for the men and for the policematrons and cell rooms for the proper de¬tention of young girls, women and the bet-ter class of prisoners. There should alsobe a swimming pool for the use of the men

nhv«L.PirartlCV appurtenances forpnysical development and a room in whichinstruction could be given to new offieersties

voper performance of their du-

e .,S, bull<Jl"K was not provided for'in thefn rw vS SU jm,,t,'d the Commissioners11. October, because the exact cost couldnot then be obtained, but during the com-

n..°f Con*?ress sketch plans withdetailed estimate of cost will be submitteda," ;\rl ^PPropriation asked. It is believedH,,n ?i.i gre"SS make such an appropria¬tion the present station in this precinctcould be sold for an amount sufficient tolargely reimburse the new appropriation.

Death of Major Moore.In July of the present year the depart¬

ment suffered the loss, by death, of William<>. Moore, who was for eleven years itsmajor and superintendent. During his termof service he was successful in increasingthe number in the department to exactly-double the number he at first assumed com¬mand e>f. Affable and courteous in his man¬ners, with a kindly heart, full of sympa¬thy with all in distress, he made for him-S<! ,a »°.st "f friends. His loss was sin¬cerely felt by every man serving under" as well as by those whom he served,vi ?e \i.lcanc-v occasioned by the death ofif. h

r1 '°ore was llf<1 by the promotion of

Kfcnar.l Sylvester, who was for sixteenyears the chief clerk of the department,and who, by his personal knowledge of t'sduties, was thought to be well equipped forthe position. It ie hoped that the goodwork of the department may be rewardedby the addition of the men who are sosorely needed for the neee*ssary details, aswell as for patrolling the city and cou.uy.Attention is called to the fact that the

officers of the department are not prop¬erly paid as compared with the amount cfwork they are called opon to perform, orthe amounts paid by other cities. The Com¬missioners indorse Hhe recommendation ofthe major and superintendent that thesesalaries be Increased, that provision bemade for desk sergeants instead of stationkeepers, and that the lieutenants be giventheir proper titles of "captains."It is especially recommended that an ad¬

equate salary be allowed for the enlef ofthe detective bureau. In order that theskill required may be more adequately com¬pensated, exceptional ability In this iinealways finding employment at good pay.

FIRE DEPARTMENT.This department has maintained its high

record for efficiency, preventing seriousconflagrations by its prompt and satisfac¬tory service. So well known Is its efficiencythat no more need be said regarding theqcality of what has been provided. Agreat deal might be said, however, relativeto the necessity for Its enlargement. Atpresent there are only fourteen engines,two chemicals and four trucks to protectthe entire District, cSrafcrlsIng an area ofseventy-two square rrille?,*» ,fn Illustration of how inadequatelythe city is protected, attention is invited tothe fact that south 6t Cast Capitol street

and an imaginary line coincident with itextending directly west to the river front,from the Eastern branch to Rock creek, in¬cluding a part of the territory known asCapitol Hill; the Navy Yard district; theproperty near the Washington barracks;the entire river front of the Washingtonand Georgetown channels; all the import¬ant and valuable merchandise handled bythe railroads which have their termini inthe Baltimore and Potomac depot; thewarehouse of the Adams Express Com¬pany; dwelling houses; the governmentbuildings, such as the Smithsonian Institu¬tion. the National Museum, the Depart¬ment of Agriculture, the Medical Museum,etc., there ar»- only two engine companies,one located on North Carolina avenue be¬tween Oth and 7th streets northeast, theother on Virginia avenue between I'i and6th streets southwest. The area thus em¬braced comprises live square miles; the as¬sessed value of the buildings, includinggovernment property, is J-J4.141.400; the an¬nual value of freight and expressage, to¬gether with the shipping interests at theriver front, is $&*>,<."KMKM, making a grandtotal of $4!I.141.400, protected by the twocompanies above mentioned, at an annualcost of less than $20,000.Again, the entire district known as

Georgetown, including all of the territorywest of Rock creek, is protected by only| one engine.In the rapidly developing portion of theDistrict known as Anacostia there is onlyone engine, which has been Placed therewithin the last eighteen months. Thus, it

coud be shown that the entire number ofengines distributed throughout the Districtis grotesquely inadequate to meet Its needs.I«ist year the chief engineer requested anaddition to his department of six enginesand four trucks. The Commissioners, fear¬ing that this number might not be allowed,cut it down to live companies, every one ofwhich was denied. They have again urgedthe Importance of enlarging this branch ofthe service, and it is hoped that more lib¬eral legislation will be enacted.A chemical engine should he provided forthe neighborhood of Tenleytown and Cleve¬land Park. An additional engine should lieplaced in the northern part of Georgetownand a truck assigned to the territory westof Rock creek. South Washington shouldhave a truck and an additional engine. Anengine should be located Immediately westof the Executive Mansion, between Penn¬sylvania avenue, the river and Rock creek.^ ithin the past four or live years a num¬ber of high apartment houses have beenbuilt In the vicinity of Mount Pleasant andoccupied by many families. Should fire

occur In one of these structures, ladderswould be ind'spensable. The nearest truckto this point is at the intersection of NewHampshire avenue i<nd M street. Fromthis point to Mount Pleasant there is a con-tinuous steep up-grade. It wiil be seen,therefore, that the nccessitv for the loca¬tion of a truck in this vicinity cannot bedisputed.

1 he general condition of the engine housesis very good. Those which have been recently built arc models In every respect,and. while not so extravagantly construct¬ed as similar types of architecture in somecities, they contain every convenience and" c entirely satisfactory. A few of theolder houses are poorly situated and lack¬ing in many necessary accommodation*.hey should be replaced with modernstructures, which would afford comfort tothe men and the necessary facilities for amore ready response to alarms.1 he Commissioners urge an Increase In

the salaries paid in this department. Inorder that the firemen may be compen¬sated in a measure commensurate with theirhazardous duties, it is honed that thisrecognition may he accorded them in con¬nection with the next annual appropria¬tion.The care of sick and disabled horses of

the department has been a matter of greatconcern, and had not the District veteri¬narian placed at the disposal of the Com¬missioners his private hospital facilities thedepartment would have been totally unpre¬pared fcr emergencies of this kind. Thehorses are frequently injured or burned,and at such times hospital treatment is ab¬solutely essential. It is proposed to erecta stable on ground owned by the District,where all the horses of the District govern-n.ent may be properly cared for it) case ofdisability, and an appropriation is requestedfor that purpose.During the year the attention of the Com¬

missioners was called to the large numberof alarms incorrectly struck on the enginehouse gongs, often causing serious delay inreaching (ires. investigation showed thepresent system of receiving and transmil-ting alarms to be. with very slight change,the same which was introduced in ls?;i.On the strength of this fact $0,000 wasecured for the addition of a story to No.14 engine house, located on Sth street be¬tween D ard E streets northwest, for theaccommodation of permanent tire alarmheadquarters and the sum of JST.SOi) wasprovided for the installation of the mostmodern eciufpment known to the service.The building is nhout completed. The cabi¬net W'.rk and 1 rniture, which have beenespecially designed, will soon be in place,and It Is believed that the Ilrst of the yearwill see the new system successfully in¬augurated. With this improvement the Dis¬trict will, so t^r as mechanical appliancesare concerned, have a Are alarm equipmentsecond to none in the country, and thereneed be, thereafter, no occasion for the in¬correct registering or striking of any alarm.Provision is also made for the substitu¬

tion of new fire alarm boxes for all oldones. Every box now has a device to pre-vent its burning out by electrical disturb¬ances. The number of signal circuits hasbeen Increased ftom seven to twelve, andthe number of alarm circuits from four tosix. Should two or more boxes be pulled atthe same time the alarms will be accuratelyreceived, recorded and transmitted.Better provision Is also made for the turn¬

ing in of alarms. Heretofore each police¬man has been provided with a key and du-plicate keys were placed with the occu-pants of stores and houses near the boxes.Under this system there was often seriousdelay in getting the keys. Each box is nowprovided with a little glass door, coveringthe key hole, in which the key Is perma-nently located. To turn in an alarm it isonly necessary to break the glass, open thedoor and pull the hook. While this hasbeen the occasion of a number of falsealarms, turned In by mischievous boys (allof whefm have been severely punished byheavy fines or jail sentences). It Is believedthe novelty has worn off and that this de-vice will materially benefit the departmentand the citizens.

Sealer of WelKhta and Meiixiiren.A very noticeable Improvement is observ-

ed in the office of the sealer of weights andmeasures. A thorough system of book¬keeping has been inaugurated by which acareful record is kept of the work of theoffice. The examination of scales and meas¬ures has been faithfully and economicallypursued, with results gratifying to pur¬chasers, but in many instances disastrousto dealers. A little reflection will demon¬strate the importance of the faithful ad-ministration of this office when it is con¬sidered how much depends upon properweight and measure, especially with thepoor, who buy in small quantities. It canbe readily seen that in order to protectthem close scrutiny and constant super¬vision are absolutely essential.A review of the work of the office shows

the receipts for last year to be $.1,763..'>0.while for the present year ending Novem¬ber .'10, 1898, they were $0,016.20, a net gainof $2,852.90.The incumbent of the office, Mr. W. C.

Haskell, and his assistant, Mr. John D.Miller, are entitled to much credit for therecord they have made.

Superintendent of t'liaritieii.The Commissioners have included in their

estimates an item in connection with char¬ities, which, it is believed, is an importa.itstep toward the solution of the vexed ques¬tion of appropriations to hospitals, and theunsatisfactory treatment of patients sentto them.It is proposed that all appropriations thus

made shall be expended under contract be¬tween the Commissioners and these Insti¬tutions at the rate of so much per annumfor each case. This will enable the Com¬missioners to Insist upon proper prov.sionfor urgent cases and will insure their re¬ception at the hcspltals. It has some irnrgbeen the case in the past that patients havebeen necessarily taken from one hospitalto another when In urgent need of treat¬ment becaua* they have been refused ad-

mission. It being alleged that thrre v.-asneither room nor preparation for the treat¬ment of the particular class of eilsease withwhich they were afflicted.The objects sought to be attained :n the

creation of the office of superintendent ofcharities were the collection .nd pres-rva-tion of information concerning the charit eswhich receive public gran s in the IMstilc:.the direction of their work into such re-la-

j tions with each other as would et ablethem to avoid confusion and duplication,and to apply their resources to the reliefcf all those needing their care In the mosteconomical and effective manner. It wasalso expected that the superintendentwould lie able to present th. real needs ofall public dependents in the District ai d tosecure ptcper prouciion and assistanc. forthem with less prcporsloi ate> expenditureof money and effort than had been incurredin the past.The necessity r.f sup?rv'sle n of the pri¬

vate institutions receiving public- appro¬priations arose not from any indifferenceor any wrong intention on the part or thoseresp nflbie for their management, but fr mthe impossibility if tier k owing the otalneeds ai.d resources of the D str.ct i rul ofappreciating and accepting their ownproper place be.wctn these reeds an 1 r* -

sources.For several years past the number of

private charities for wh intaUuM ap¬propriations are made, ar.d the aimamount apprcpriatcd for ihtir support,have remained praettaalls ittthMiqr, vhOethe number of public agencies for the ac¬complishment of similar work and thegross amount appropriated f, r their sujI port have Increased.The eighth annual report of the superin¬tendent of charities is Included her with.

The tabulate-el statistics which it e-ont.ilusgive a clear idea of the work of the variousinstitutions which receive n-slstaiice In mthe Congress, as well as h" p. lpor'i 111 oftheir income from public and privat"sources and their annual expenditure perinmate.

It is believed that the direction of thework of the charities of the District intoharmonious lelation with each other ar.dwith the public has niaele considerableprogress.

Plltl.IC SCHOOLS.

The schools of the city continue to sus-tain their high reputation for exeellence ofwork performed and discipline maintainedamong the scholars.During the year new eight-room school

buildings were erected on Marshall streetbetween 7th street and Sherman avenue,at the corner of 24th and F streets north¬west. upon >'iih street between 11 and Cstreets northeast and In Eckingtein. Aschool building was also erected on Connec¬ticut avenue extended near the Districtline, and the large buiieling for the West¬ern High School was ee>mpleted.The Commissioners are of the opinion that

larger tracts of ground should lie securedin the future than have been in the pastfor school sites, so as to provide sufficientplaygrouneis for the pupils, and thus avoidthe congregating of children In the streets,to the annoyance of the public and da*ig. rof accident to the mselves. At present m. r.yof the school buildings have no more groundaround them than that occupied by '.heirertrances. This cunelition of affairs. It isbelieved, could be greatly improved, greatlyto the- advantage of the general public anddecidedly to the advantage «if the scholars.The buildings should also be made dreproofand supplied with the latest and most im¬proved methods of heating and ventilation .conditions which it has been Impossible tomeet with the appropriations lie r.-iof .re¬made. A slight increase in the appropi ta-tions would accomplish these desirable it-suits.The plumbing Iti many of the schools was

found to be very defective, and in seirnecases unsanitary. The work of installingmodern fixtures In the buildings, of themost approved types, under the appropria¬tion for that purpose recently maele tyCongress is progressing satisfactorily, anda great improvement is apparent In thesebuildings where the work has been com¬pleted. Owing to the late date at whichthe appropriation was made, ami the factthat it will expire at the end of the bscelyear, it has been necessary to do this workin many cases while the schools vere insessierri. If the appropriation coulei havebeen made immediately available, so iliatcontracts coulei have hrcn promptly enteredInto..or if it had been mude continuous soas to be available beyond the cle>so of tnefiscal year, it would have been possible todo the work during vacation months wiienthe buildings are unoccupied.an advantageupon which it is neeiiiess to enlarge.

Public Vehicle*.The Pennsylvania Rai.road Company has

inaugurates! a local cab system in ce>nneH?-' tion with its passenger service, greatly tothe benefit of the traveling public. Thevehicles used are of the latest and mostapproved type, provided with rubber tires,and in every way a credit to the company.It is hoped that a similar innovation will bemade at the other railroad station and thattho movement will result in the generalimprovement of the cab anei hack service ofthe city. At prese nt many public vehlc e-sare in such a dilapidated condition as toprovoke deserved criticism.

Kirlfr Hoard.During the year the excise board has pur¬

sued the policy of reducing as far as pos¬sible the number of bar room licenses andpreventing the establishment of too manybar rooms in any one locality. The totalnumber of bar room licenses is now 5.12 andthe number of wholesale licenses 134. Ex¬isting legislation regarding the sale ofliquor is enforced, but new laws are verymuch needed, especially one which willprohibit the sale of beer on Sundays by thebreweries. A bill is pending, which. If en¬acted into law, would remedy this difficulty,as well as others in this connection, and itis hoped that Its passage may be secured.

Harbor Master.The work of the harbor master, with the

patrol boat, has progressed satisfactorily,excellent results having been accomplished.He has labored under the difficulty of hav¬ing old and entirely inadequate maehineryin a new boat, whose average speed Is hutsix or seven miies an hour under the mostfavorable conditions. The Commissionersearnestly recommend favorable action onthe estimate for new machinery and thecomplete equipment of this busy little craft.In order that the many duties devolvingupon it may be properly performed. Inthis connection a large amount of wharfproperty demands protection, the Wash¬ington and Georgetown channels must bepoliced, dead bodies dragged for, the fishand game laws enforced and see-urity af-fordeel the numerous shipping Interestsalong the entire river front.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

The work of this department has pro¬gressed satisfactorily, and through theprompt action and effielency of the health

( officer the city has been saved epidemics ofsmallpox and other contagious diseases. Acase of yellow fever recently made Its ap¬pearance here, but was so promptly dealtwith that infection was prevented. Al¬though the case was fully reported throughthe press, nothing whatever being with¬held, the public die! not appear in the leastalarmed, which is the highest testimonialthat can be paid to the efficiency of thehealth office.There occurred during the year 5,415

deaths, being 322 less than were registeredin 1S96-97. Of the decedents, 2,973 werewhite and 2.442 colored. The death r&Jeswere therefore as follows: For the whites,15.43 per thousand inhabitants: for the col¬ored, 27.51' for the total population, l!>.32.As is the case In most variations in mor¬

tality. It Is improbable that this Improve¬ment has been due entirely to any singlecause; a statement that Is borne out by thefact that a diminishing death rate seems tobe the rule at present In most of ourcities, while the sanitary improvementswhich are going on In each are as varied asare their needs. But, If we may judgefrom the experience of other places, themost potent factors In the present Instanceare the abolition of a large number of boxprivies, the closing of numerous shallowwells, an Improved milk supply and an itn-

provement (n the drainage and wafer nun*ply of numerous dwellings. which h.<* beenaccomplished by the Introduction of *. wcrand water service. In connection with the

( abolition of privies.The attention of those who are Interestedin the statistics reRardinir diseases is ,n-vltod to the report of ihc health officer .1-ready published, wldcli Rives in minute de¬tail all the particulars r.-pardlnK the sameThe number of marriages from which noreturns were received, as determined l>> -hedifference between the number of lie<°n«esIssued l.y the court and the reports r. . ixed at the health department, was 1 cm:i ..rapproximately 4o per cent of the entirenumber. The only remedy for such neglectWas pointed out in the l.st re|..,rt f :h.s< . partment and depends on congressionalaction.

InlunVtlc Krrorda.It is a matter of regret and uneasinessthat the valuable records of the health de¬

partment. which could not be rr|.'a'-»<|,should he subject to |M>snible loss by fitV^iLi?"T'in' e. *' °"ns'antly demonstratew,. ,

shom" l,v ll,*> f«'« 'hat Iks -n us* ripts from them bale ,"

O.T t'h1S,ery, nr Teh"' anrui.eS?IS buil^;U°n «r. pr.K.rm,n,C-The nun-.lier of cemeteries and crcma-the'la«"?*"« ,hc Si""" " ,h" of

to thl n *? »S np.iin invitedto the necessity f,.r nstruci,.,,, .f ;1public crematory to disuse <,f that das."er's fleM11* Wh° aI"1' n",V 1,ur,,H' '» !.¦'..As It Is to the Interest of every commit-"IIs «" Pr-mote the study of scientific ntedi-<lne. the law now in f .rce should Ik- am. nd-ed so as to furnish all material needed r ,rthe study of anatomy If it can ).e donewithout injury to the public. The experi¬ence of other places, and the e*,«-rience ..fthis District with reference to thecnt Jaw. seems to dem mstratc that thisrniBht easily l.e accomplishedAs promised 1n the preceding refw>rt ofthis department, impr »vr>d m th- ls havebeen adopted in keeping the record of thework done in connectin with th. m. .! 1relief of the poor As. however, thev eon 1

not be adopted until January 1. ivis thefigures derived from such record r» f. r'« n'>to the six months subsequent to thatInuring that period 4.i>)7 persons receivedmedical relief ai the hands of the phys¬icians to the poor: of this number werewhite and colored. These figures rep¬resent actual persons, there being no o ni¬hility of duplication unless patients havegiven different names at different tinv < aource of error that prac tically can be dis¬regarded To express the same data in aMFcrnit vajr, iuteg tke six tontling June Itn. W.»s. .mi of every '. rs«.nsresiding in this I>istrict Hi.44 received medi¬cal treatment through the physicians ..

the poor at the etpeaat <>f tbf pvblic; u«tof every whites, 4 !»4, and out of ^v-'ry

color* .1 41.22. Those patients r*prsented 2.!Ws families, of which 7f»'.» « rewhite and 2.3 colored. It is probable thatthese figures are smaller than those lorcorresponding periods in previous ye.irs, ?,sthe actual number «.f visits during the p*styear. 21,181, and the number of office b-sultations, l.'.Ki, are considerably belowsimilar statistics previously compiled.The average cost of treating each pa'idit

during th» past six months has been ap¬proximately for services of physician tothe po »r. <11 cents: for me«!Icln» s and sun¬dries. 17 cents; total. 7s cents. The :in-

proximate average c-st per visit (ireiydtrt?.'Tire consultations) during the entire j Mrhas been for s-m » ice of !{| cent-,'"or medicines n v; 1o e. tot a'.44 c-nts. The amount n cciveJ by « ach phy-s dan to the poor for each visit or officeconsultation was, therefore, on an average,

| :u cents.The Charltle*.

Recommendations made by this deparment on June 17. 1M*7, in reply to a letterfrom the congressional Joint select e mmit-tee to investigate th«* charities and reform¬atory institutions in the District of Co¬lumbia. having received the Indorsemt nt ofthat committee, have been carried Into ef¬fect since June 1. the system adopt¬ed alt caHs for the s* rviee of physician tothe poor are left at police station hous< s. inhooks provided f*»r tii.it purpose. If thecall is in the nature of an emergency, theperson bringing the call to the stationhouse is directed to the office of the physi¬cian; otherwise the physieian received thecall upon visiting the station, which hedoes once or twice a day. By this methodpatients are not confused by changes inboundaries of district assigned t<« physician-to the poor, nor by changes of ilie physi¬cians to the poor themselves. They alwaysare assured that the ( ills l«-f: by them areproperly recorded and are delivered to tinproper nhy-ician. In ease of c<4jnp!<<ltits «»fthe failure of any physician t.» respondpromptly t<» a call, the time of the receiptof sueh call at the s tat tor house is a ma¬ter <»f record, as well as the time of its »!.livery to the phfMMan, so that nfedi oon-plaints are not. as heretofore, imp >ssibleof either substantiation or disproval, but canbe very readily verified or otherwise Phy¬sicians to the poi»r are themselves r*li«of the presence of untidy, and in manycases unclean, official patients about theiroffices. The presence of such patients therehas always been a serious dr.". whack "

physicians to the poor, interfering, as itdid. with private practice. The «hange isa relief to them and will justify ?>hysiclansin accepting such appointments who couldnot have done so under other conditions.While the new system has not been in

operation long enough to speak positivelyas to its merits, so far as a conclusion canbe drawn from the pa«f month it has beenvery satisfactory to all concerned.

DisinfeeHon Station.The disinfection of such articles as could

be moved to the municipal disinfecting sta¬tion and disinfected by steam has ix en done,as heretofore, under the direction of ihehealth department, but the disinfection ofthe premises themselves has necessarilybeen intrusted to the householders b* causeof the absence of any appropriation to ena¬ble the health office to do the work. Thedisadvantages of such a system have 1m .-:ipointed out in previous reports. It is hopedthat some provision can be made in the nearfuture for the establishment, of a generaldisinfecting service.Decisions of the attorney have, from time

to time, shorn the health department of al¬most all of the authority which it was for¬merly supposed to have under the act toprevent the spread of scarlet fever anddiphtheria. Its work, therefore, is now al¬most entirely educational in character andnot conducive to the best results. Unlessamendments to the existing law are securedor a new law passed, no action can le takenlooking toward the limitation of the spreadof these diseases.

( untnuioim DlKeanea.The delay which necessarily took place in

constructing buildings for the treatment ofminor contagious diseases, as provided forby the act of March 3. 1K»7, though it wasat the time a matter of regret and disap¬pointment, has resulted to the best inter¬est of the community. Instead of theamount then appropriated.gtfMiuO for twowards.provision has been made by thesundry civil act of July 1, of Srt2,<ioofor the construction of such buildings onthe grounds of Providence Hospital, and^^3,000 for those to be connected with Gar¬field Memorial Hospital. This seems tosettle satisfactorily a matter which hasbeen the source of much embarrassment tothe Commissioners and a hindrance to thework of the health department.The generous action of Providence Hospi¬

tal in consenting to the use of a part of itsgrounds for one of the buildings providedfor in the appropriation first mentioneddeserves recognition. So. also, does thefact that this institution has voluntarily re¬ceived and treated during the year fourcases of scarlet fever and thirty-five casesof diphtheria, without any prospect of com¬pensation therefor, and for which substan¬tially no *>ther hospital accommodationscould have been secured. In no Instancehas there been any spread of diseases fromany of these cases after they were admit¬ted to the hospital, demonstrating the prac¬tical absence of danger from institutionsfor the treatment of such maladies.

Deteatloa BsiUlsg.The need for a building separate from the

smallpox hospital, in which cases suspectedof being smallpox can be held pendingdiagnosis, ^hioh was so urgently demon-