Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-07
THE DISTRICT APPROPRIATIONS
The House VIII Wait Until All Disersp.
ancies are Romediod.

The House VIII Wait Until All Disersp-
| ancies are Remedied.
| THE STATEMENT CONCERNING PROBABLE DRFrcYI
CAUSES susPkxsx-rHE FIGURES ON wHIcu TIN
COMMITTEES voRxID-NR cLKMxxrs sArs DIS
| rRIcT OFFICIALS AhE At FAuLr.
The statement that Auditor Petty and the
District Commissioners had discovered thai
the District appropriation bill il passed in ID
present form would leave big deficit in the
District revenue caused considerable surprise
today among members of the House familia,
with the history Of District appropriations. The
chances are that no effort will be made to cal
mp the conference report in the House until
the matter has been looked into aud come
| definite information received from the Com.
| missioners. As stated elsewhere, the Commits
sioners today addressed . letter 10 Congress
giving . statement Of the account - they
| figure it. Mr.. McComas, who has charge Of
| the BILL was absent from the House today.
| MR. CLEMENTS FIGURES.
Mr.. Clements, however, was seen By a SfAI
reporter. Mr.. Clements said he had received
| no information directly from the Commission.
ers about the alleged deficit in the District
revenues, and so far as he was concerned the
mHtt6r was Velleu IN mystery.
''The bill ~ passed BY the House, and also
| the one reported by the conference committee
had been Kept within a reasonable distance OF
| the estimated income for the coming year,
continued Mr.. Clements. "Our ideas oil
such income were derived from the
! the total amount which could be appropriated
| for the fiscal year 1891 was including the gov.
ernments share, $5,547, 2OS.44 This naturally
formed the starting point in making
up the bill The Commissioners then,
in their itemized estimate giving
vided for an appropriation OF s5,5l9, 72200. OF
S21 1865 less than the estimated amount
available. The bill which passed the House
appropriated $3.50, 934l5, or s2l4, 27429 less
than the income. The conference repor,
$3.50, oss. 81, being l1,,7i.T less than the
| supposed income. but 6,3l4 50 more than the
Commissioner estimate. This apparent in.
crease over the estimate, however, il more
than covered by an item amounting to
| the request Of the Commissioners. This
| item provided for paving certain streets In
cases where the abutting property owners paid
one-haf the cost. This amount OF $50. 600 must.
therefore. be added to the Commissioners esti.
mate when il will be found that the appropriation
bill as reported from the conference commit
| tee provides for an expenditure less by S32,
6S5. IL than the Commissioner estimates.
WHERE THE DIFFICULTY LIES.
"The difficulty therefore =" said Mr.. Clements,
sis solely at the District building, as from there
came the information on which the bill ID
based"
Mr.. Clements was asked what he would favor
in case through mistake a large deficit would
result from the appropriation bill.
Il should favor" said he, "a revision Of the
bill, as debt should not be incurred to carry
on the running expenses of the District know
OF nothing for which money is being appropri-
| ated just now which is important enough to
warrant the District plunging itself further In
| debt. 1t is. Of course, impossible to say Just
where the cut would come If the bill should be
revised"
WHAT AUDITOR PETTY SAYS.
The matter Of q deficit in the District reve-
nues If the appropriation bill in its present form
should be passed is no new question" said
Auditor Petty to STAR reporter today, "and
| the committees Of Congress cannot plead ig-
norance or lack of information on the subject
Likewise it was impossible to fall back on
| the old book Of estimates to show that the
appropriation bill is under the Com
m mil estm.,ss estimates ,.S.sd the orig
Commissioners as early as December. The
original estimates were made in September
| and seemed to show total revenue Of s5,547,-
zoe. "A, but in Mr.. McComas' report on the bill
u revised estlulate IL maze Wulcn SHOWS an
estimate of only 81, 473 46l 70 income not count.
! ing the governments half.
In April the Secretary OF the Treasury in.
formed Congress that the revenue would be
even less. in his opinion it would be s2l46,-
sc. As, but as early as March the Commissioners
informed the committees that in their opinion
in round numbers s2.600,O 600 could be
counted on as the Districts revenue
for 1891. In March a thorough statement was
made showing that $4,000, 60O.22 could
the coming year. The original House bill
| made the Districts share OF the appropriation
| S2,549. 329.9 80. which only left surplus Of
| S5l .270.23. l informed Mr.. McComas at that
time that unless the provision for the annual
| payment OF portions Of the appropriations
| should be made not one cent should be added
| to the bill. The committee were therefore thor.
oughly we'll informed that any addition to the
bill would cause deficit as an inevitable re.
| suit"
Mr.. Petty will appear before the House com.
mittee on appropriations tomorrow at IL
o'clock 10 explain the question in all its de.
| tails.