Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-20


pfoVement and an enlargement of MI
nlclpal expenditures TO meet the needs
OF growing community.
me actual figures i'm connection with
"hat mas been done in the financial man
agement Of this city are remarkable in
the history of municipal government i'm
ms country and naturally cannot he
uupncated for the reason that in no
olher city In the country or in the world
IS IL possible that such largo percent
age of every dollar contributed bv cifi-
ZenS Tor public purposes in the shane
OF taxes Is spent for the public benen.
DIS Is the experience in this city.
Still in the Minority.
A summary Of the financial course ~
'he city for the past nine years was
gwen by Representative Gardner of
.hichlgan last year in the course OF a
speech in the House on the District an
preparation bill. The policy advocated by
MI. Gardner 10 continue the system OF
ne past few years by paving for the
sAti aordihary charges from current reva-
i,ues and in consequence cutting down
the provision for current needs In order
10 get the money to do II is not Thought
me pest and wisest course by MANY
DOM inside and outside OF Congress. bur
up to this time the latter have not been
round to be in the majority
az any rate the record of the District
nnances Tor the past eight years shows
lral on current yearly revenue in
cIuding the share of the United States
or eight or nine millions of dollars TIE
Dlstrlct has expended for extraordinary
improvements the enormous sum of SIT
100000
Debt of the District.
Yet in doing that a floating debt
amounting 10 only about three millions Of
dollars has been incurred The funded
dept OF the District has not been increased
since 1t was created during the period OF
the territorial form of government over
'hirty years ago, and it has been grad
ually reduced under the sinking fund
system until now it is half of what it wa
originally. Instead of being SolOooOoO
that Indebtedness is now S11,OnOOo.
IL is regarded as a great record In rnu-
nicipai government the one that was de-
scribed by Mr.. Gardner. and it is some
thing to be able TO say that such public
undertakings the completion of the
sewage system. the building of filtration
plant. the erection of municipal building
the completion of the Police Court build
sis hospital. providing spacious grounds
and a building for home for the
aged and infrm. to say nothing of the
erection of such structures the Con
necticut Avenue bridge, the Massachu-
sets Avenue bridge. the Anacostia bridge
and the Piney Branch bridge are among
the extraordinary charges made on the
current revenue.
Showing Is Creditable.
In any other city such a record of ma
terial achievement in such period OF
time would have been written large in
bond issues. but here. after spending sew
enteen millions In such ways there is
only an indebtedness OF three millions
represented by the floating debt and which
is so Insignificant in comparison with the
total that it seems hardly worth mention
ing. This result, however. has not been
reached without sacrifice and perhaps &C
tual loss to the community, for il is
claimed that in keeping down the annual
expenditures in order to meet these eN-
traordinary charges that the needs of the
population, growing a A rapid rate, have
not been met and that the schools. for
example. have suffered from overcrowd-
ing and their efficiency has been impaired.