Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-13
Committee Disapproves High
er Pay for District Heads.
NO CHANGE IN SALARY
Local Appropriation Bill to Be Re-
ported Tomorrow.
OMITS NEW FINANCIAL PLAN
Suggestion to Cover Cost of Extraor-
binary Improvements-Ne
Form of Budget.

board of Commissioners of the District
of Columbia that hereafter the civil
Commissioners he paid $500 a year and
the Engineer Commissioner the difference
between his salary as. an army officer
and the amount named. has been ignored
by the District subcommittee of the
House committee on appropriations.
1t was thought that inasmuch as Henry
l.. West and enry b. +. Mcfarland
have both resigned and are about to go
out of office. it was in good taste for
them to recommend that their success
sors receive this increased compensation.
Moreover, there were those who believed
the appropriations committee would APP
preciate the fact that the manifold duties
of the three Commissioners make such
increased pay only right and just, and
that the committee would indorse the
recommendation of the Commissioners
But they haven't. and the District heads
go into the bill at the same old salary
of 5000 a year.
Will Go in Tomorrow.
The District bill is finished and could
have been reported to the House of Rep
resentatives today had that body been in
session. AS it is. it will go in tomorrow.
Although 1T is not the custom of the
members of the appropriations commit
tee to discuss appropriation measures be-
fore they are reported to the House. it
is understood that despite the cut of the
estimates by the Commissioners, millions
below those of last year, the District sub
committee of the appropriations commit
tee has made still further decreases.
1T Is also understood that the committee
la1 y
that the Commissioners new financial
plan be adopted, beginning with the fiscal
year 1910-1911. The committee concluded
that it could not frame any legislation on
that subject because the provision would
be ruled out in the House on a point of
order as new legislation. The House
committee on appropriations therefore
will leave the matter to the House COM
mittee on the District, which is consider
ing the matter in the form of separate
bill.
Plan CT the Commissioners.
The plan of the Commissioners recon-
mends the postpOnement of the pay
ment of $4,000, 600, the balance remain
ing due to the Treasury for advances
made to the District to finance its share
of the cost of the extraordinary projects
of improvement executed since 1900 at Il
total cost of over So30pD,WHt. and fur
Their provided that from 1872 ii stated
sum should be set apart yearly for eX-
traordinary projects of improvement
which would amount to $20,000,000 by
1923.
Auditor Tweedale's proposed new
form of budget, backed by municipal
experts all over the country, will prob
year as far as the House committee on
appropriations is concerned. The com
mittee made that very plain to the
Commissioners.
Of h,I6o g r.
ranged according to the classification for
municipal expenditures as adoIted by the
census bureau. The goal which Auditor
Tweedae and every other up-to-date
municipal expert is said TO be working
toward is to have municipal budgets
adopted under the same classifications as
the expenditures are arranged, thus maxi
ing it possible for one municipality to
compare expenses with another with some
degree of intelligence.
In the old District budget salaries are
all under one head. The proposed form,
changes all the classifications SO that
they are arranged according to the func~
tional activities of the city. Thus the
be found under Streets and Highways"
and the health officers salary will be
found under Sanitation" etc.
Departure From Old Form.
This is a departure from the old form
of budget-a form which the modern
municipal experts term antiauated. 1t
is the opinion of the members of the Ma
tonal Association of Controllers and Ac-
counting Officers, of which Mr.. TWeedale
is member, that once the proposed form
of budget is adopted it will be much cas-
Ter in the following years for Congress
to know exactly what every dollar Is APP
propr.ated for. The National Municipal
League recently adopted esoluton ask
ing Congress to pass the budget in the
form suggested by the Commissioners.
This does not kill the new budget
scheme. Auditor Tweedale said today
he would resuscitate 1T after It's plunge
into cold water, and keep al Congress
until the form is adopted.