Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-21
Board of Commissioners Pre-
pairing Annual Budget.
FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Largest Individual Amount Will Be
i for Public Schools.
READY EARLIER THAN USUAL
Items Asked for Last Year, Not APP
propriated for by Congress, to
Be Requested Again.

The Board of Commissioners will in q
few days commence the preparation OF
their annual estimates to be submitted to
Congress at its next session, for running
the District government for the next fisca
year. commencing July 1 next. The va.
rious items asked for last year and which
were not Appropriated for by Congress
will be asked for again this year.
The largest individual estimate to be
asked for by the Commissioners will be
for public schools. Last year the total
amount asked by the Commissioners was
$13.o00.OO0 and the amount appropriated
was 50. 100000.
AS the committees Of Congress continue
at the short session, the committees on
appropriations begin their work at or be-
fore the beginning of the session, and
Commissioner Mcfarland has semi-ofh.
cial intimatior that the House committee
on appropriations may begin its work
even earlier than usual.
Therefore the Commissioner has asked
all departments Of the District govern
ment, boards and other agencies whose
estimates are included in the District
budget and who have not already sent in
their estimates to do SO as early as pos
sible before the LIST OF October. SO that
the Commissioners may begin the prepa-
ration Of the budget at the beginning of
next month. In speaking of the matter
today Commissioner Mcfarland said:
1.-THE Commissioners will have the bud
get ready earlier than usual and will be
prepared to meet the subcommittee on
the District of Columbia Of the House
committee on appropriations for its con-
sideration at any time after the LIST OF
November.
Will Renew Recommendations.
II take it that the Commissioners will
renew the recommendations not acted
upon by Congress at the last session. The
largest item in the estimates will I'M
doubtedly be, as usual that for the public
schools, and the Commissioners will
doubtless recommend again all that is
needed for new buildings and the i'm
provement of the old buildings. Last year
we recommended over 100000 for such
buildings. This was necessary because
during the ten years preceding Congress
had failed to appropriate 100000 rec
commended by the Commissioners for that
purpose.
ed each year during that period had been
appropriated, our school buildings would
now be all that could be desired. But
the school buildings estimates, like those
for other current expenditures, were cut
from year TO year ny SOuSEeSS, So tHdI
the District might pay more than it ought
to have paid annually on account of the
extraordinary projects of improvement.
Therefore, 1t Is now necessary to treat
the arrears of school buildings estimates
as an extraordinary project Of improve
could not be met out Of annual revenues.
This Is good illustration of the practical
effects Of the so-called pay as you go
policy. We have always been able to pay
Ill
but no municipality can pay currently
for extraordinary expenditures without
cutting and Gripping its current expendi-
ture.
Projects Of Improvement.
"Other extraordinary projects Of i'm
provement recommended by the Commits
sioners last year which shall favor this
year are the high-pressure flre-protection
service, the necessity for which has been
again shown by object lessons; the be-
ginning Of the improvement OF the Ana
costa basin and the water front Kener-
ally. the beginning Of the improvement of
the water supply. suburban and trunk
sewers and hospital for treatment Of
chronic diseases.
1.-The Commissioners will do every
thing in their power for the various park
projects which do not come in their es-
Inmates. The Commissioners will. OF
course, recommend the necessary increases
in the appropriations for the different
Of the District government
which come under the head Of current
expenditures and provide for the de-
mands Of the different sections Of the
District.
Let me repeat that everybody who is
interested In better schools, better
health. police and fire protection: in
short. in any and all OF the municipal
services, must unite with the Commits
sioners to prevent. If possible, the cut
ting Of the estimates for the current
in the attempt to make US
do what is not done anywhere else-pay
currently for extraordinary municipal
expenditures"
What the District Has Paid.