FREE EVENING LECTURES.

JANUARY 25, 1907.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed.

Mr. OLCOTT, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 24746.]

The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 24746) for free lectures, report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass.

NATIONAL SAVINGS AND TRUST COMPANY.

JANUARY 25, 1907.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed.

Mr. KLINE, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 24841.]

The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 24841) to authorize the National Safe Deposit, Savings and Trust Company of the District of Columbia to change its corporate name, report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass.

The purpose of the proposed legislation is to permit "The National Safe Deposit, Savings and Trust Company of the District of Columbia" to change its corporate name to "National Savings and Trust Company."

Your committee believes, in view of the reasons advanced by this corporation in their letter, which appears below, that Congress should grant the desired relief:

WASHINGTON, D. C., January 23, 1907.

DEAR SIR: In reference to the bill to authorize "The National Safe Deposit, Savings, and Trust Company of the District of Columbia" to change its corporate name, we wish to state in brief the reasons that lead us to request the change from such name to "National Savings and Trust Company.'

This company, which operates under the act of October 1, 1890, has found on numerous occasions that on account of the great length of its corporate name much difficulty has arisen in the transaction of its business, especially in the matter of drawing checks and in having its name incorrectly written in drafts or other commercial paper drawn to its order, and in paper writings of a testamentary or trust character. For this reason the stockholders of the company, in annual meeting held on January 21, 1907, voted unanimously to petition the Congress of the United States to authorize and empower it to change its name to that of "National Savings and Trust Company.' It is respectfully submitted that there is no other company in this District bearing this name and that the change will do injury to no one and affect no vested right. We deem it proper to add that the Comptroller of the Currency has no objection whatever to the proposed change in name.

This application to Congress is made for the reason that under the Code of the District of Columbia no provision whatever is made by which a trust company may change its name.

Very respectfully,

Hon. J. W. BABCOCK,

THE NATIONAL SAFE DEPOSIT, SAVINGS, AND TRUST
COMPANY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

By THOMAS R. JONES, President.

EXTENSION OF SCHOOL STREET NORTHWEST.

JANUARY 25, 1907.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed.

Mr. ALLEN, of Maine, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 24932.]

The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12074) to extend School street to Columbia road and connect School street thus extended with Fourteenth street, and to establish a park at Fourteenth street and Columbia road, and the bill (H. R. 14517) to extend School street to Columbia road and connect School street thus extended with Fourteenth street, having had the same under consideration, report herewith a substitute bill (H. R. 24932) in lieu of the same and recommend that it do pass.

H. R. 12074 provides for the extension of School street southwardly from its present terminus to Columbia road with a width of 50 feet, the opening of a street running eastwardly to School street extended to Fourteenth street, and the establishment of a park which, if the bill were enacted into law, would be bounded by the two new streets proposed and by Fourteenth street and Columbia road, which are now public highways. The Commissioners' report on this measure will appear hereafter in this report.

H. R. 14517 provides for the extension of School street to Columbia road and to connect School street thus extended with Fourteenth street. In reporting on this measure the Commissioners state that the extension proposed, except the extension of School street southwardly to Irving street, is not necessary unless a park were established in that locality as contemplated in H. R. 12074.

In view of the suggestion of the Commissioners that the extension of School street southwardly to Irving street is desirable independently of the establishment of a park, your committee recommends such extension in the substitute bill herewith reported, eliminating the park feature as well as the extension of School street from Irving street to Columbia road and the extension of a new street to Fourteenth street.

The bill as reported by your committee makes provision for the assessment by the jury, as benefits, of a sufficient sum to cover the

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amount awarded as damages for land taken, as well as for the costs and expenses of the condemnation proceedings, which amount will be returned to the District revenues, as it will be assessed as benefits, and the District of Columbia will ultimately bear no expense for this improvement. The benefit to be derived by the extension of this street will be local, and your committee therefore believes that the entire expense should be borne by property in that vicinity which will derive the benefit.

The extension of School street is necessary and important. As it exists now it is a street with no outlet at its southern end, and its extension will make the public school now located at the corner of School and Lamont streets more accessible for children living in the section of the city south of Irving street, who are now obliged to take a roundabout route in order to reach this school. The Commissioners state that action for the opening of School street should be taken at once, as it is probable that the lots now vacant will soon be built

upon.

Commissioners' report of H. R. 12074:

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 24, 1906.

DEAR SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have the honor to submit the following on H. R. 14517, Fifty-ninth Congress, first session, "to extend School street to Columbia road and connect School street thus extended with Fourteenth street," which you referred to them for examination and report.

A plat is inclosed, showing in red the extension proposed and in green a park proposed by H. R. 14516. The estimated cost of extending the streets is $63,000. The extension of School street to Columbia road and of the new street from School street extended eastwardly to Fourteenth street would only be necessary providing a park were established at this locality. The extension of School street southwardly to Irving street, however, is desirable independently of the establishment of the park. This portion of the extension is estimated to cost $22,000. The bill contains a proviso for assessing such proportion of the benefits, not less than one-half, as the jury may determine. The general policy of Congress and the recommendation of the Commissioners has been that in local improvements the total cost of street extension should be borne by the property owners. This extension is of local importance, except that the school located at the blind end of School street makes the question of more or less general importance on account of the large number of pupils attending the school. This schoo! occupies a lot which, if it were private property, would naturally be liable for a considerable portion of the assessment for benefits.

In House bill 12074 and Senate bill 3528, providing for opening these streets and establishing a park at Fourteenth street and Columbia road, for which bills this bill is in part a substitute, the Commissioners recommended that the total cost of the extensions should be assessed against property benefited. This assessment would be heavy because of the high value of the property proposed to be taken. On account of the elimination from assessment of the area contained in the school lot and the proposed park and the streets surrounding same, the improvements contemplated by these different bills would be of more public benefit than the ordinary street extension, and forthat reason the provisions of the present bill regarding assessment for benefits are, after further consideration by the Commissioners, believed to be equitable and are recommended by them. The extension of the street is desirable, however, even if the entire cost should be assessed against private property benefited. If the whole cost is to be assessed against the property, the word "of" in line 5 of page 2 of the bill should be stricken out and the word "all" should be inserted in lieu thereof, and the following words in lines 7, 8, and 9 on page 2 should also be stricken out: "such amount thereof shall be assessed by the jury hereinafter provided for as benefits, and to the extent of such benefits," and in lieu thereof the following words be inserted: "shall be assessed as benefits." The proviso in said section after the word "aforesaid" in line 19 should also be stricken out.

The Commissioners believe that the streets as proposed by the bill should not be extended, except the extension of School street to Irving street, unless a bill is passed providing for the establishment of the park referred to. They therefore recommend the following amendments: