The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-10-16
DISTRICT BUDGET
TOTALS $I5.658.O54
Commissioners Ask S., 3OO,-
900 More Than Was APP
priated Last Year.
Continued from First Page1

rent expenditures. With this distinction
made, the estimates come within the
estimated appropriation fund made up
Of the District revenues ana contrlDu-
ton Of the National Government Inc
District revenues are estimated al
s. O96, 40. From this we should deduct
100000 as a reasonable payment win
interest, on the amount advanced 10 Us
from the National Treasury because OF
the extraordinary expenditures for large
works of Improvement, leaving S5.5S6,OU
a. the net available amount, Whlch dOu-
bled by adding the National Govern
mentS contribution, make an estimated
appropriation fund Of $ll,192OOO-
This is needed only for the current
expenditures tthe extraordinary eNpen-
ditureS being provided Tor D. SG an
nual payment OF 500, 00O) and the sink
ing fund payment, $4,000, on the old
bonded debt preceding the present Dis
triCt government These items OF eS-
Inmates for current expenditures and
for the sinking fund amount 70
81 IO. 695.52 which IS covered by the
amount Of the appropriation fund
1T Is unfortunate that we have to in
Clude our estimates for extraordinary
expenditures and our estimates for cur
rent expenditures IN the same budget
because II makes confusion I'm some
minds when the total is compared with
the District revenues or the apprOpria-
tinn fund. For example, this year we
are asking $4.556 $50 for extraordinary
projects of Improvement for which we
propose TO pay at the rate OF 100000 a
year upon advances made by the United
States Treasury, and which il would be
impossible to pay for in any one year
without confiscatory taxation. Those
who advocate the application OF the so
called pay-aS-yOu-gO policy TO eXtraOr-
binary as well as current expenditures
really advocate coniscatory taxation
Permanent Improvements and Taxes.
''No municipality anywhere in the
world pays for extraordinary improve
ments out Of current revenue, because
It would be impossible without confis-
Catory taxation. We want the eXtraOr-
binary improvements. We must have
them in the interest of the health,
safety, beauty, and commercial pros
perity OF the Capital. but we must also
have adequate appropriations for al the
municipal services, including schools,
FIRE and police, health, street lighting,
street cleaning. street and sidewalk i'm
provement, and all the other branches.
Our revenues are ample without any
increase of taxation, to make an ap-
propriate annual payment on account OF
extraordinary projects Of Improvement.
and 10 meet all our estimated current
expenditures besides making the sink
ing fund payment on the bonded debt
Of the cid regime.
Touring the last seven years, we
have spent about 100000 on extra
ordinary improvements including the
filtration plant, new sewage system,
abolition Of grade crossings, and rail
way terminal work, District building.
new bridges, tuberculosis Hospital. and
suburban sewers. The Districts share
was SS,O0O,OOo. which was advanced from
Jhe United States Treasury with inter
est at . per cent, and A.000,O0O Of that
amount has been repaid.
This was too rapid a repayment and
Congress, in requiring il. had to cut
appropriations for current expenditures
10 meet it. This explains why our
schools, health, police, fire, street i'm
provement and cleaning. street light
Ing, and other municipal services have
not been given adequate appropriations.
Park Projects Recommended Again.
The Commissioners will recommend
again all the park projects, but they 90
not appear in the local estimates. be-
cause they ought to be provided out Of
national revenues.
In this consideration OF the reve-
Dues, estimates and appropriations, we
exclude, as always the SeIf-suUpOrtiT e
Water Department. although this year
we recommended an advance from the
general appropriation fund Of $4,000 for
new water mains in the suburbs to be
repaid from the water revenue.
L rcEret that the Commissioners
could not recommend all that they were
asked to recommend, but that was I'M
possible. We had 70 select from many
requests those that were most urgent
and defer others that we desired to
recommend To have recommended all
that was asked would have added 81
100000 at least, to the budget. 1t should
be added that the Commissioners have
asked for q municipal architect at $500
20 have charge Of the planning and con
structOnS Of all municipal buildings in
stead of the school architect at 5000
suggested by the Board Of Education. 10