Evening star., 1901-12-16
No Warrant for Increasing the Dis
trict's Levy.
SURPLUS UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS
Old Rates Sufficed When the
Law Was Observed.
EXTRAORDINARY BURDENS

The District Commissioners are said to
view with opposition any measure looking
toward an increase Of taxation as a solu-
tion to the financial difficulties into which
the District of Columbia has been plunged
This course has been suggested by some
members Of Congress, but In the confer
ences which have been had on the subject
the Commissioners have maintained before
the subcommittee on appropriations that an
increase Is entirely unnecessary. Further
more, they declare 1t Is not justified by the
situation.
1t is said that the senator's and represen-
tatiyes who are interested in District af-
fairs have not in contemplation an increase
in the $1.50 tax rate on realty, but have in
mind an act which will effectively impose
a personal property tax. While the Com
missioners are not at present in a position
to comment on this proposition It is under
stood that they have expressed indirect dis
approval of it in the statement that gen.
eral increase in taxation would not be the
proper means Of meeting the deficit in the
District account.
Scaling the Estimates.
The Commissioners are at present en-
gagged in going over their estimates to scale
down wherever possible the increases which
have been urged for the general expenses
of the District They are doing this in
compliance with the request Of Representa-
tive ]. T. McCleary chairman of the House
subcommittee on appropriations, before
which the local authorities will have a
hearing the morning of January Z. The
Commissioners will maintain their posi-
ton, however, that the important projects
of public improvement which they recon-
mend in their estimates should be under
taken at once, despite the apparent deficit.
The Commissioners point out that such i'm
provements as street extensions are a per-
manent work, being for the benefit of fu-
ture generations well the present.
They maintain, therefore, that the cost of
such improvements should be distributed
over number Of years. Instead Of being
met out of the revenues Of the year in
which the work is done. In other cities,
it Is stated, the cost of extraordinary i'm
provements are met by bond issues, pay
able in twenty to thirty years or more.
Here it Is pointed out the expenses might
be met through longtime loans from the
treasury of the United States, to be paid
back in installments and carrying a low
rate of interest, preferably no interest at
ALL
Distrfct's Revenues Sufficient.
The Commissioners are we'll fortified in
their stand against an increase in taxation
by the revenue figures Of the District for
the past ten years. These figures show
that up to the fiscal year of 1901, under
tax collections, deficit was almost un-
known. With the year 1901 the increasing
burden of street extension expenses, to-
gether with the imposition Of the entire
debt of the Lydecker tunnel, ate so deeply
into the District revenues as to bring about
an actual deficit of $500 1S2.57 and pros
pective deficit Of $716, 5.3S, when all the
appropriations made for the year shall
have been expended. The Commissioners
say that If these unusual burdens of the
water debt, the total cost Of street extern
sions. the depot projects and the highway
bridge across the Potomac were not placed
upon the District. or even If the District
should be granted a long-term loan in
which to meet such extraordinary expendi-
lures. why the present rate Of taxation
would prove more than sufficient.
A Surplus Nearly Every Year.
That the 81. so tax rate has been ample up
to the present time is shown by the follow
ing interest table of surplus balances since
1890: