Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-12-27
The Large Amount Exceptionally
Expended in Recent Years.
LEGISLATION COMMISSIONERS DESIRE
A Pruning Down of the Local Es-
imates to Fit the Income.
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE

The District Commissioners continue to
give great deal of time and attention to
the financial condition of the District in re-
fation to its needs as they have presented
them to Congress, and have good reason
to believe that they will secure a satis-
factory settlement of the whole matter
What is needed, the Commissioners say, is
legislation to provide money for the ex-
traordinary projects of improvement which
can be repaid so far as the Districts half
Is concerned out of its revenues through
long term of years. This legislation is i'm
mediately necessary because of the extra
ordinary expenditures taken wholly or in
part out of the District revenues in the
past ten years, and the fact that 1t Is i'm
possible to carry on extraordinary i'm
proyements out of the current revenues
here or anywhere else.
But pending action on legislation by the
District committees, II not by the two
houses of Congress, the committee ap-
propriations of the House will only prepare
for appropriations within the amount esti-
mated by the Treasury Department as the
probable revenue of the District of Column
bia for the next fiscal year, namely, s., 1JO,-
coo, together with like amount to be ap-
propriated from the general treasury.
To Scale Down Estimates.
Accordingly. the subcommittee on the
District of Columbia appropriation bill has
asked the Commissioners to indicate what
items shall be omitted or reduced in the
estimates of over s1O,OOOOOO, which they
have submitted, in order to bring them
within the estimates of the Treasury De-
partment.
The Commissioners having asked the
boards and department chiefs of the Dis
trict government to inform them in writing
as to which items in their estimates would
be best omitted reduced If if
sary to do so, met in board session today
to consider the whole matter and prepare
for their appearance before the subcom-
mittee on approprla tons on the Ith of jan
uary. In complying with the request of the
subcommittee on appropriations the Com
missioners are dealing only with the first
stage of the matter, and at the same time
are pressing the consideration of the larger
question of the general provision by legis-
latiOn for the extraordinary expenditures
and projects of Improvement.
Doubtless they will recommend that the
subcommittee on appTOpria tions leave these
larger undertakings to be provided for
later, so that the general operations of the
District government may not be crippled
by the cut that would otherwise have TO be
made in the general regular appropriations.
BY the time the appropriation bill reaches
the Senate it is believed that provision
will have been made for providing the
funds necessary for the extraordinary needs
of the District
Draining the District Revenues.
The way in which the District revenues
have been drained since 1890 is shown by
statement which Commissioner Macfarland
has had prepared by the auditor of the Dis
trict- From this it appears that there has
been paid wholly from District revenues
81 .426T HIP for street extensions and $27,-
$3.50 for miscellaneous purposes, comprising
Northern Liberty Market claims, S134,-
1850; entertainment of Grand Army en-
eampment, 1892. 100000; bathing beach, S3,-
900 1t also appears that in that time the
District has paid. its one-ha1f, the fol-
lowing amounts for extraordinary improve
ments, such as are provided elsewhere by
bond issues: For increasing water supply
S1,es1, I6O. "a; for the sewage disposal pro
tect, 81 120, ,473.04: for the purchase of Rock
Creek Park, S62I 600; for the purchase of
National Geological Park, 100000.
This statement exhibits the striking fact
therefore, that in practically one decade
the District revenues We're diverted from
gneral expenses to extraordinary expendi-
ture in the amount of 50, ,3S3, $50 20 and that
OF this amount 81 ,654 ,353 81 was paid wholly
and exclusively out Of the District reve-
nues. And these revenues for next year are
estimated by the treasury at So 7JO 600
These figures show, it is claimed that there
is no necessity for increasing taxation in
the District Of Columbia in order to meet
the needs of the District