Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-31
Expenses Of Municipality for Year
Ending June 80, 1902.
COMMISSIONERS TO ASKFORs9, 900, 900
Increase of $1,5oo,ooo Over Fig
ures of Last Year.
A SSIBLE FICIT

The District Commissioners have COM
pleted the preparation of their estimates of
appropriations for the expenses of the mu-
nicipality during the fiscal year ending
June 50, 1902, and they will be transmitted
to the Secretary of the Treasury for his
consideration and transmission to Congress
as soon as they can be put in formal shape.
This 1t Is expected will be not later
than Friday of this week. Last year the
Commissioners recommended the appro-
priation for general expenses improve
ments, etc, the sum of 1882, 432.31
exclusive of the sum of $685. required for
the water department, which last-men-
toned appropriation is payable from the
water fund. The sum which the Commits
sioners will ask to be appropriated to cover
the general expenses, improvements, etc,
during the coming fiscal year will, it is
TINA ted be about 100000, an increase Of
about 81 800, 600 over their estimates Of last
year. The estimated District revenues for
the fiscal year 1912 are 81, 500, 791.s1.
AS heretofore stated, the estimates just
completed represent an amount believed by
the Commissioners to be absolutely neces-
sary for the maintenance Of the District
government and for the improvement of the
District itself, and no more. Although they
will, as explained above ask considerably
more in the aggregate than they requested
last year, yet they have been obliged by the
probable condition of the District funds
from which half Of the appropriation must
be taken, to defer for the present worthy
projects of Improvement The Commission
ers feel that it is very regrettable that the
surplus of District tax funds which accu-
INFLATED in recent years in the treasury
was taken, in spite of the half and half
principle of the compact of 1878, to pay the
whole of the expense Of projects which it is
believed should have waited until Congress
was ready to appropriate half Of their cost
out of the national treasury. The result of
this is that the Commissioners are now con-
fronted with possible deficit if all the ap-
preparations that are believed by them to
be absolutely necessary should be made at
the coming session of Congress.
Com issiOner Macfarland's Views.
Speaking Of the matter to a reporter OF
The Star today Commissioner Mcfarland,
the president of the board of Commission
ers, said:
I'm the estimates for the next fiscal year
we have been obliged to keep within mar
row bounds, where we ought to have been
able to expand. For example, the plan for
the disposal of the sewage of the District
in a satisfactory manner ought to be car
ried out rapidly by large appropriations
until it is completed. But we are obliged
to ask for a comparatively small appro-
pration, which will simply carry forward
the work at the present slow rate at the
expense of the health Of the District. An
other class of improvements, like the much
needed District building, must wait for
legislation before We can include it in the
estimates, and the legislation is kept wait
ing by the fact that the District surplus
has been taken, against the recommends
other things.
ton of the District Commissioners, for
1T IS not improbable that Congress may
cut down our estimates even in most i'm
portant recommendations, and that we may
get much less than we have asked, because
of our financial situation.
FavOrs Loan.
Personally, l am in favor Of meeting the
needs Of the case boldly by asking Con-
gress to authorize and guarantee a loan
sufficient in amount to cover all the neces-
improvements we need, but only upon con-
dition that the United States, as the owner
of more than half the real estate Of the
District of Columbia, shall pay one-half OF
the principal and interest of the bonds. l
am unalterably opposed to the slightest In
fringement of the half-and-half principle
of our organic act. 1t would be easy to
float such a loan at the lowest rate of in
terest 1t would give us our Improvements
quickly and their cost would be spread over
a number Of years"