Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-28
THE DISTRICT BUDGET
Total of SlO,875,652 for
Next Year.
CONDITIONS EXPLAINED
PRESIDENT MACFARLAND EPIT-
oMIZES LOCAL SITUATION.
Filtration Plant, Sewerage System,
District Building, Municipal
Hospital and Other Items.

The District Commissioners today COM
| pleted their estimates of the appropriations
needed for the District government during
the fiscal year beginning July / next. The
| Commissioners ask for a total of slo,S75,652.
| For the current fiscal year the authorities
| requested the sum of sl0.4+1, ,4S191. Con-
gress cut down this amount in the regular
| appropriation act to about 100 900, out
| made additional appropriations which
| brought the total up to s9.620. .3o4.16. The
estimates are to be forwarded by the Com
| missioners to the Secretary Of the Treas
| ury and by him transmitted to Congress
with such recommendations as he may
| deem fit to make. Last year the Secretary
| recommended quite large cut owing TO
| apparently deficient revenues. Through
the increased assessment of realty and the
| enactment of personal tax law the reve-
| nues have this year been largely increased.
| In giving out the estimates this after
| noon Mr. Macfarland, president of tn Dis
| trict board, made a statement which epito-
mizes the situation He said:
The Commissioners have prepared the
| estimates of the appropriations for the
District of Columbia for the next fiscal
| year in accordance with the actual needs
of the District, with reference to the prob
|
| adopted by the Commissioners two years
ago that extraordinary Improvements
! should be provided for, as elsewhere, by
| sinking fund rather than out OF current
| revenues. We have recommended for two
years that Congress provide for such pro-
jects as the filtration plant, the sewage dis
posal system, the District building. the
| municipal hospital, bridges and the
! Districts obligations under legislation for
| abolition of grade crossings and construc-
| tion of new railway terminals, by advances
! from the United States treasury, so far as
| the Districts one-half of the cost is con-
cerned, to be repaid in a suitable term of
years, with interest, by annual appro-
| priation from the current revenues to
| sinking fund
Heavy Demands Of Great Projects.
| 1--WE cannot meet the heavy demands of
| such great projects, most of which have
| been already authorized by Congress, out
! Of current revenues without crippling
| the ordinary operations of the District
government by cutting its necessary ex-
penditures as to absolutely disable 1t. The
Districts needs grow with Its growth. It's
| current needs must be met by increased ap-
! preparations. But instead of this the ap-
| preparations for all the municipal services
must be cut down If the cost of the ex-
| traordinary projects of Improvement, all OF
| them also necessary, is to be taken cur
rently out of the regular revenues. Already
| the appropra ton of current revenues of the
money for the work already done on the
| filtration plant, the sewage disposal sys-
! tenn, the District building. taken with the
| appropriation of District revenues for the
| entire cost of street extensions, has pro-
| duced an apparent deficiency in District
revenues Congress has recognized the prin-
ciples advocated by the Commissioners to
| the extent of making appropriations for
the current needs of the District and for
| the extraordinary projects to an amount
| larger than the net revenues and providing
! for the deficiency each year by authorizing
advances from the treasury on account OF
| general expenses of the District or Co
| lumbia. 1t has not formally separated the
| extraordinary projects from the current
| expenditures, we hope it may do at the
| coming session. 1t has also required that
| the advances made up to the 1st of July
next shall be paid within three years. AS
it is estimated that by that date those ad-
| vances will amount to S1,901, I25 10. this
would mean that if no further advances
were made and extension granted we
would have to pay beginning July 1 next,
S633, 90S.71 annually. Now, while we nave
no official estimate of the District receipts
for the next fiscal year. We have unofficial
estimates indicating that they will amount
to something over $5.OO0,000. perhaps
So, 400. coo. If it should be the latter amount,
and the Congress should appropriate. dol
lar for dollar. from the national treasury,
according to the obligations of the organic
act, the available amount Tor all purposes
would be S10,SOO,ooO.
Searching and Thorough Revision.
I'VE have made up our estimates, after
searching and thorough revision from over
s12 600 GOO on the principles indicated. and
! therefore ask for s1O.s75. $50, in spite of the
| fact that if S633 90S.71 are to be deducted
| on the 1st of July next on account of one
| third of the advances already made from
| the United States treasury there would
not be enough money left to meet the es-
| Inmates. We propose to ask Congress TO
| treat at least four items in this years es-
| Inmates as belonging properly TO separate
! account for extraordinary improvements,
| to be met by advances from the treasury
| and to be repaid with interest by sink
| ing fund They are: 81 .46S, 400 for Ultra
| ton plant; $3.50 0o0 for continuing the sew
age disposal system; S230,Goo for beglnnlng
! the municipal hospital, and SlJo.ooo Tor the
| Connecticut avenue bridge. amounting in
| all to So. .433. .405. Besides these items, SINH
| lar provision should be made for our obi
cations under the railway terminal !egis-
| lation and for the District building which
cannot now be estimated
Revenues Will Be Ample.
"If this is done the current revenues will
he annie to meet all current expenditures
and to provide large sum for the sinking
fund to repay the advances from the treas
ury on account of extraordinary projects.
The estimates are economical In every
sense. After the Commissioners had made
one careful revision Of them they made
another and deferred some things which
they will ask next year. Two items ought
to be especially mentioned. The Commits
sioners ask only for the site for the addi-
ton to the Armstrong Manual Training
School, because they believe from the in
forma ton furnished tnat the request Tor
the addition to the building might be de-
ferred They omitted the item for the paw
ing of street near the Baltimore and Ohio
station because of the uncertainty as 10
where the union terminal station would be
placed
Matter Of Salaries.
The Commissioners do no; ask for any
a6ditional salaries In the executive Office.
The two civil Commissioners are to receive
e OOO a year each, and the sum of S94 is
requested to bring Col. Bddle's army sal
ary up to the 5000 allowed the Engineer
Commissioner In connection with the engi-
neer department the Commissioners request
items OF $500 for each of the two army
ca tains assigned as assistants to the Engt-
T~h hat