Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-25
SLASH IN ESTIMATES
Big Cut in District Appropria'
ton Bill.
WORK OF SUBCOMMITTEE
Reduction of Nearly $4,000, 900
From Commissioners Figures.
LESS THAN FOR CURRENT YEAR
Members Have Carefully Considered
All Items and Regret They
Cannot Grant More.

When the total Of the District of Col
practically completed by the approprta-
ton subcommittee, of which Represen-
tative Gardner of Michigan is chairman,
is made public. the district will be much
disappointed For the subcommittee has
cut nearly 100000 from the estimates
submitted by the District Commissioners
and has framed a bill nearly a million
dollars smaller than the amount allowed
the District by Congress for the present
fiscal year.
The biggest item which appeared in last
years bill. and which does not appear in
this. Is "A legitimate omission. being the
half-million-dollar appropriation for the
completion of the District building. But
although that Is the biggest cut. there are
number of other reductions which will
disappoint the District Commissioners
acutely.
The estimates submitted by the Commits
sioners for the fiscal year ending June
30. 1909, amounted to sl3. 7SS. OO0. The
amount of the appropriation for the pres
ent fiscal year Is so. 10000. The District
will be lucky to get a trif1e more than
s9.5O0.O0O for the fiscal year 1909.
Painstaking Work.
The subcommittee did not do it's reduc-
ton work carelessly or without thought
AS matter of fact it is probable that
the subcommittee Of which Mr. Gardner
is chairman has given more attention to
the preparation of the District appropria
ton bill than was ever given to a local
money bill before. The subcommittee
not one member or two members of it, bu,
every member-has visited in person every
street for which the Commissioners rec
commended an appropriation, whether for
grading or paving or lighting.
The committee even went down and
looked over the almshouse in connection
with the recommendation for the appro-
priation there for the purpose of erecting
additional quarters. In fact on no propo-
sltlon OF whatever nature did the com
mlttee trust to mere recommendations OF
to secondhand descriptions of needs and
necessities. 1t has become a standing
joke around the appropriations commit.
tee room that for the past few weeks the
subcommittee has almost lived in sewe,
wagons and ash wagons and other va
rieties of vehicles furnished by the Dis.
trict government to take the members OF
the subcommittee wherever they wanted
to go around the city in their search 70,
light upon the appropriations recon-
mended by the Commissioners for inclu
sion In the local appropriation bill.
What the Members Say.
The members of the subcommittee sa,
frankly that the District bill this yeal
is very conservative measure. They
say too that they would have been happy
to do little better by the District in the
way Of money for one or more of the
various meritorious propositions advocated
by the District Commissioners, but that
the f1nalcial condition of the country. the
cash balance in the treasury and all the
other financial reasons OF the day for
babe them doing for this government
reservation more than they have done in
the bill just completed.
The members appreciate the fact that
when the figures are made public there
is going to be a great protest from the
District building. the local press and the
citizens of the national capital. But they
say they did the best they could and II
the people of this city will look upon i,
in that light. they will be satisfied
The bill will probably be reported to the
full committee either Saturday or Mon.
day next. but it will be several weeks
before the House considers it, The tota
appropriation when 1t becomes a law viii
probably be somewhat higher than the
amount as reported from the District
subcommittee Of appropriations, because
the Senate always puts on lot of money
to send the bill into conference in the
hope that some of it will stick. And the
hope Is usually justified to the extent OF
half a million or more.