Evening star., 1894-04-04
LOCAL ECON 0 M Y
The Injustice Of Reductions in the
District Appropriation Bill.
FACTS BEFORE THE BOARD OF TRADE
An Appeal to Be Made to Right
This Wrong.
A MORE RATIONAL PLAN

A MORE RATIONAL PLAN
An excellent statement Of the character
and effect Of the proposed reduction in
the District appropriation was made in a
report submitted last evening to the board
of trade by Mr.. T. A. Lambert. the chair
man Of the special committee on appro-
priations The report was adopted. and Is
printed in full as follows:
Your special committee on District appro-
priations for the fiscal year ending June 80
1895, respectfully reports as follows: I'M
mediately after the designation Of its men,
bers a conference was sought and obtained
with the Commissioners Of the District
OF Columbia, who expressed qualification
at the cooperation thus afforded them by
the board of trade in their efforts to Sc
cure. ultimately, the allowance in full by
Congress Of the estimates Of appropria-
ton heretofore submitted by them to that
body. To the end that the committee
might be thoroughly advised upon the SUBJ
tect the Commissioners placed at the dis
posal OF its chairman their book of esti-
| mates, with accompanying recommenda-
tions, together with copy Of the bill as
1t had been reported to the House of Rep
resentatives and the attendant report SUBJ
mitted by Mr.. Compton January 27th ul-
timo from the committee on appropria-
tions.
THE Commissioners estimates have
been prepared with great care and with
evident regard to the growing necessities
of the rapidly increasing population of the
District, on the one hand, and to considera-
tions of economy suggested by a depleted
| national treasury and the prevailing finan-
cial depression, on the ether. They exhibit
in tabulated form comparative statements
of the estimates and appropriations for the
several departments of the municipality
in preceding years. and careful examina-
ton of their constituent items fails to
disclose wherein they can be diminished
in any, the remotest, degree with Justice
to the people whose wants they are in
tended to supply.
A Heavy Reduction.
Exclusive of the water department
(Which is self -sustaining) the estimates
submitted by the Commissioners for the
year ending June 80, 1895. are So. 70l .o7O. %.
exhibiting necessary increase Of S1,552.-
26 over the amount appropriated for
| the current year. The amount recon-
mended for appropriation for the year end
ing June 80. 1895. by the committee on ap-
propriations. exclusive of the water de-
partment, is S4.927, l9497, or H,1I3. SS4 ~
| less than the estimates submitted by the
| Commissioners. In it's passage through
| the House very few items were in
| creased.
.The committee on appropriations in the
course of it's attendant report takes credit
to itself for having reduced the aggregate
| of its appropriations S22l.4t2 below the
| amount appropriated fon the general ex-
penses of the District of Columbia for the
| current year which terminates June 80
proximo. This it has the complacency to
| do, notwithstanding the various appeals
made by deficiency items in the book of
estimates. to the exercise by it of more dis
eliminating Judgment. If 1t is difficult to
excuse the committee for not taking ac-
count of these deficiencies In needed items
| OF expenditure. what is to be said in eX-
| tenuation of it's refusal to recognize the
steady increase in the population of the
District and the consequent enlargement
OF it's demands for additional police, school,
| fire. drainage street, highway and other
facilities, not to mention the current and
expanding requirements of the standard
charities? In this connection it Is observ-
able that the appropriation by the con-
gressional committee is actually SOD, 442
less than the appropriation for the current
year! Is it possible to doubt in view of the
considerations just mentioned, the truth of
! the observation made by a member of Con-
gress in the course of the discussion upon
this measure, that We are cutting without
regard to the revenues and without regard
to the necessities Of the District
Even the Water Department..
although the amount appropriated for
the water department is payable out of it's
revenues, the committee on appropriations
points with evident pride to the fact that
1t has appropriated therefor sS9. .OS.34 less
than was appropriated for the like purpose
for the current fiscal year. This involves a
reduction Of $34, 7O5.33 below the estimate
submitted therefor by the Commissioners,
and. as in the case of other reductions. is
made without ass!gned-and, it may be
added, without DISQUALIFICATION. The
Of thA tAsa N tom NO.
the estimates submitted by the Commis-
sioners is made more remarkable by the
admission that the estimated water rev.
enues for the fiscal year 1895 will amount
to $685.. 3.OOO.' or slO2.621.4O in excess of the
appropriation, which is 23O,37S.60.
THE sweeping and unexplained reduc-
| tions made by the committee on appropria-
| tions becomes the more inexplcable when
| Of the District of Columbia for :he fiscal
year 1895 are correctly assumed by the COM
mittee to be 50 469 14O.51. or $119. zoo. 80 more
than will be required to enable it to meet
and defray it's moiety Of expenditure on the
basis Of the entire estimates made and sub
mitted by the Commissioners. Or to use
the language of the report Of the committee
on appropriations, a surplus of $50, 933. W,
after meeting the appropriations proposed
by the accompanying bill, together with the
| obligations ESTIMATED at $2O221O) imposed
| upon the District by the acts Of March =,
1889, and September q, 1880, esta ablishing
the National Geological Park and the Rock
Creek Park, and for one-half the expenses
of the Court Of Appeals and Supreme Court
Of the District Food for reflection is af-
| forded by the succeeding paragraph Of the
report, which is as follows:
That Hole in the Ground.
"This surplus will be applied under the
| operation of section 3 of the District Of Co
| lumbia appropriation act for the fiscal year
| 1898, so far may be necessary to the
| satisfaction of the Indebtedness Of the Dis
trict to the United States, on account of
| the cost of the increased water supply OF
| the city of Washington, under acts approved
| July 15, 1882, and March 3, 1891. Surely, the
| more than questionable claims arising from
| the abandoned tunnel project may be justly
| postponed to the current needs and require
| ments of population who were in no way
concerned with the fraud and incompetence
which made those claims possible, but Who'll
| ly indefensible.
"These reductions have been made with
no apparent discrimination. If called upon
| to particularize wherein they are especially
| Objectionable, We might indicate such OBJ