The Washington herald., 1906-12-04

The Secretary OF the Treasury, being uhaule 70 IA
dcate the several items Of the estimates for the
expenses Of the government of the District OF Co
lumbia in which changes should be made. dsap-
proves Of the total amount submitted by the Con-
missioners, and recommends reduction therein oi
$50 1865 to bring the total to the estimated reEe
unes.
The foregoing note at the end OF many
long columns of estimated District ex-
penditures as set forth in the appro-
priation budget for 1907. made public yes
terday. was cause for several bad hours
among District officials. The grand total
of the District budget as submitted by
Commissioner MacFarland was 11,l9S.5lS
This amount Secretary Shaw cut in gross,
without specification of items. to $ll,5eS,-
222 The amount appropriated last year
for the District was s., ,40S, COZ.
Notwithstanding this action of Secre-
tary Shaw, the commissioners are de-
termlned to make every effort to secure
the entire amount of the estimates.
According to Secretary Shaw, the re-
duction is based upon the estimated reve-
nues of the District for that period. While
granting that the estimate Of the COM
missioners are just and deserving, the
/ Secretary said yesterday that the action
was taken in accordance with the law.
and that it was for Congress and not
the Treasury Department to determine
whether the appropriations shall exceed
the estimated District revenues.
MncfnrInnd Protests.
I'VE shall ask Congress for the full
amount of the estimates said Com
missioner Macfarland yesterday The
District revenues are ample to meet our
share. In our letter to the Secretary OF
the Treasury We showed that there was
no need Of cutting the estimates. believ-
ing that Congress would make the ar
rangement OF our financial relations with
the United States which the commits
sioners have recommended. and which is
the business-like way Of dealing with
this matter. Neither the estimates for
the extraordinary Improvements, nor
those for the current municipal expenses
can be cut without detriment TO the Dis
trict's interests. Il is unfortunate that
a permanent arrangement of our financial
relations has not been made so that there
would be no occasion for any such action
as that which seemed necessary to the
Secretary Of the Treasury upon the face
of the estimates"
In q letter of October 26, requesting
that no reduction be recommended in the
Commissioners estimates, Commissioner
Macfarland said:
IF no extraordinary projects of i'm
prOvements were being carried on or rec
commended for the next fiscal year. the
amount OF the estimates would be far
within the probable appropriation fund.
which estimating the Districts revenues
at s.. SOB will be 81. Al. .e06. But in the
preparation of the estimates the Commits
sioners were obliged to recommend for ex-
traOrdinary projects of improvements
81, ,S75. 500; the items comprising the District
Building, S550,oO0; high pressure fire pro-
lection service, $50, 600; suburban sewers.
ti00,C00; municipal hospital for chronic
cases, s10O,900i railway terminal work,
S75.O 900.
Therefore, while the total amount rec
commended for the current expenditures
Of the different municipal services and
payment to the sinking fund of the bonded
debt is only $9.9O6102, the aggregate OF the
estimates for extraordinary projects and
the estimates for current expenditures.
namely. S11, ,7S1 ,902 So is larger than the ap-
preparation fund"