60TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 2d Session. REPORTS OF HOSPITAL FOR FOUNDLINGS. FEBRUARY 5, 1909.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed. Mr. KAHN, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 8520.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (S. 8520) requiring reports of the Hospital for Foundlings to be made to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass. The purpose of this act, which is identical with H. R. 26285, is set forth in the following letter of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia transmitting the draft of the House bill: COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRIct of Columbia, Washington, January 14, 1909. SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have the honor to transmit herewith a draft of "A bill requiring reports of the Hospital for Foundlings to be made to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia," and to recommend its enactment. This bill has been prepared and is submitted in pursuance of a recommendation by the Secretary of the Interior in his report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1907, and substantially repeated in his report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1908, as follows: "In the act of June 27, 1906 (34 Stat. L., 512), the Board of Charities of the District of Columbia is authorized to provide for the care and maintenance of children under contract with the Washington Hospital for Foundlings. As this department has nothing whatever to do with the administration of this institution, and as the maintenance of the inmates is provided for by contract made between this institution and the Board of Charities of the District of Columbia, it is recommended that existing law be so changed as to require the annual report of the institution to be made to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia instead of to the Secretary of the Interior." Very respectfully, Hon. S. W. SMITH, HENRY B. F. MACFARLAND, President Board of Commissioners District of Columbia. 60TH CONGRESS, Į HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 2d Session. } CHANGE OF NAME OF WASHINGTON HOSPITAL FOR FOUNDLINGS. FEBRUARY 5, 1909.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed. Mr. KAHN, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 8187.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (S. 8187) to change the name of the Washington Hospital for Foundlings, report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass. This act, which is identical with H. R. 25400, has the approval of the Commissioners of the District. The only change in the name is in the substitution of the word "Home" for "Hospital," as being more expressive of the real character of the institution. The use of the word "hospital" has led to frequent misunderstandings, as it implies illness or disease in the inmates. The institution is in reality a "home," and not a "hospital." The passage of the Senate act is therefore recommended by the committee. 60TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 2d CONGRESS, MILLS AVENUE NE. FEBRUARY 5, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. NYE, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 16747.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 16747) to amend an act approved March 2, 1907, entitled "An act for the opening of Mills avenue NE. from Rhode Island avenue to Twenty-fourth street," report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass. The act of March 2, 1907, in section 4, authorized the Commissioners of the District of Columbia to prepare a new highway plan "for that portion of the District of Columbia lying west of Mills avenue, north of Franklin street, east of Twentieth street, and south of Rhode Island avenue northeast," and this bill proposes to amend said section 4 so as to authorize the preparation of a new highway plan for "that portion of said District lying east of said Mills avenue, north of Franklin street, west of South Dakota avenue, and south of Rhode Island avenue northeast." The commissioners approve the proposed amendment of the act of March 2, 1907, and give the reasons for their approval, as appears by the following communication: OFFICE COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have the honor to submit the following on H. R. 16747, Sixtieth Congress, first session, entitled "A bill to amend an act approved March second, nineteen hundred and seven, entitled 'An act for the opening of Mills avenue northeast from Rhode Island avenue to Twenty-fourth street, ‚”” which you referred to them for report touching the merits of the bill and the propriety of its passage. The bill proposes to amend a section of an act of Congress providing for the opening of Mills avenue, which section authorizes the commissioners to prepare a new highway plan for the District of Columbia in the vicinity of Mills avenue. A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives as H. R. 15851, of this session, upon which the commissioners reported February 10, 1908. The present bill includes the authority granted the commissioners to change the highway plan in this section contained in the act of Congress approved March 2, 1907, and also the authority proposed to be given the commissioners by H. R. 15851. A plat is inclosed showing the section of the District where the proposed change in the highway plans are to be made. In the original measure authorizing the commissioners to make such changes the territory in which the authority was to be exercised was west of Mills avenue. H. R. 15851 provided for certain changes west of what is known as Holman's subdivision, lying east of Mills avenue. The change provided for by this bill was to abandon Girard street and to give in lieu thereof a street running north and south, to be known as Twenty-seventh street. The present bill proposes to include the section now occupied by what is known as the Holman subdivision, shown on the plat. This is an unrecorded subdivision, but almost all of the property is now held by individual owners, with certain areas left to provide rights of way to the various lots. To insist on carrying the street extension plans through the subdivision as shown on dotted lines on the plat would cause unnecessary damage to the owners of these individual parcels and would not be of any benefit to the general public. The proposed bill has been drafted to cover the existing authority of the commissioners as contained in section 4 of the act of March 2, 1907, providing for the opening of Mills avenue; also the legislation proposed in H. R. 15851, and in addition the legislation necessary in order to change the highway plan through Holman's subdivision. Therefore, the passage of this bill will accomplish the result proposed in H. R. 15851 and will make its passage unnecessary. Under the terms of the bill the commissioners will prepare a new high ay plan for this section of the District, after a study of the conditions existing there. They therefore recommend the passage of the bill. Very respectfully, Hon. S. W. SMITH, HENRY B. MACFARLAND, President Board of Commissioners District of Columbia. In reply to a request for information as to their proposed rearrangement of highways in the event of the passage of the bill authorizing the same the commissioners transmitted the following: OFFICE COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Washington, March 30, 1908. SIR: Replying to your letter of March 17, requesting that you be furnished with a plat of the proposed rearrangement of highways in the District of Columbia as provided for under H. R. 15851 and H. R. 16747, with reference to the change of highway plan in the vicinity of Mills avenue NE., the commissioners have the honor to submit herewith a blueprint upon which the proposed changes in the highway plan are indicated. The streets proposed to be abandoned are outlined in blue and the new streets proposed to be substituted are outlined in red. The changes recommended are indicated because buildings already have been constructed within the limits of certain of the streets laid down in the original highway plan and because of the fact that many buildings in this section have been constructed on lines not in conformity with the original highway extension plan. Very respectfully, Hon. S. W. SMITH, HENRY B. F. MACFARLAND, President Board of Commissioners District of Columbia. Chairman Subcommittee on Street Railways, Streets, and Avenues, Committee on the District of Columbia. In reference to the changes in the highway plan for the extension of streets east of Mills avenue, as proposed in H. R. 15851, and approved by the commissioners, but finally superseded by H. R. 16747 above reported, the committee is in receipt of the communication of Glenn E. Husted, of Washington, who is familiar with the circumstances and conditions of the case. He says: 2320 WOODRIDGE STREET, Woodridge, D. C., April 29, 1908. MY DEAR SIR: I had a conversation yesterday with one of your assistants with reference to the early passage of the bill H. R. 15851, which provides for a slight change in the plans of the District for the extension of proposed streets. In brief, the situation is this: I own several acres of land in the District, and discover that it can not be platted into streets and lots for the reason that the commissioners can not accept such plats unless they conform with certain plans for street extensions which were adopted years ago, and for reasons which I explained it has since become impossible to comply with those plans in this particular. The bill simply provides that the commissioners may accept a plat with certain minor changes in those proposed street-extension plans. If it does not pass, a growing section of the District will be retarded, sewers appropriated for can not be put in, and we are not able to plat our property. I understand the commissioners have furnished you with a plat showing the changes and have recommended the passage of the measure. Can you do something for it? Very truly, yours, Hon. SAMUEL W. SMITH, Chairman District Committee. GLENN E. HUSTED. The passage of the bill is therefore recommended by the committee. |