Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-08
IS GIVEN APPROVAL
Board of Trade Endorses Jud-
son Plan of Finance.
PASSES VOTE OF THANKS
Review of District Conditions Made
by Col. Truesdell.
TEXT OF BILL BEFORE CONGRESS
Directors of Board Meet and Discuss
Business-195 New Members
Enrolled.
PASSES VOTE OF THANKS
TEXT OF BILL BEFORE CONGRESS

Mai. Judsou'S plan FOR arranging the
| finances of the District of Columbia. as
| set forth in identical bills now being
| considered by the House and Senate
committees on tho District OF Columbia,
was given unauaifie and unanimous ap-
prevail at the meeting of the Washington
Board of Trade last night in the New
Willard Hotel. The Engineer Commits
sioner was present at the invitation of
the board. and made a brief address on
the proposed scheme. The Endorsement
of the board was by unanimous vote.
upon motion made by John l.. Weaver,
who for time, led the slight opposition
that there was to the Judson proposition.
The board showed its appreciation of
| the Judson plan by giving a rising vote
of thanks to its author. William r. Mat
tingly, in proposing the vote of thanks.
declared that the plan of Maj. Judson
was not only fine example of engineer
ing ability. hut amounted to a stroke of
financial genius.
Committees Report Favorable.
The Endorsement of the Judson bill was
contained in the special report ofsthe
committee on municipal finance, which
was made by Col George Truesdell. The
meeting last evening was called for the
special purpose of giving careful consid-
Grafton to the report of this committee.
For more than an hour Col Truesdell
discussed the finances of the District in
a manner which held the closest attention
of his audience.
He reviewed financial history since the
passage of the organic act: discussed the
origin and value of the half-and-half
principle: outlined what might be rea-
sonably looked for in the immediate fu-
ture in the matter of the DISTRICTS n
nances, and pointed out how. in view of
all the circumstances. the Judson hiil
met the demands of the situation in the
most feasible manner. He declared that
the question of a bond issue was not TO
be considered. and stated that by the
enactment into law of the ideas of Maj.
Judson' the District would be given
reasonable system of raising revenue and
meeting it's obligations, and would dis
continue its present method of merely
drifting along.
COL Truesdelrs review of the financial
situation of the District was greeted with
much applause and after the report OF
his committee was adopted unanimously
the board gave him a vote of thanks
for his able address on the subject of
District finances
Payment of Debt in Twelve Years.
According to the Judson plan the entire
funded and floating debt of the District
will be paid within the next twelve years
by small installments, while at the same
time funds will be provided for current
needs as well as a substantial amount
| each year for extra ordinary improve
ments. Col. Truesdell gave statistics,
Analysing the revenues Of the District for
the last twelve years. and demonstrated
that the extraordinary improvements
could be taken care Of each year by the
natural increase in the current revenues.
In discussing the half and half principle
he read statement showing the appro-
priatfons, made since 1873, that were
charged wholly to the revenues of the
District of Columbia. He showed that the
tax revenues of the District increase ap-
proximately $3OS, 900 each year.
Several amendments to the report of
the committee and the bills now before
Congress were onered, but were not car
ried.
Anacostia Improvement.
| Theodore w. Moves renewed a sugges-
| ton made earlier in the evening by M. I.
| Weller that the report and bill put the
board in an attitude injurious to the COM
munity and hostile to the boards own
policies in respect to the improvement of
| the Anacostia river and flats and urged
| that the board by some positive affirma-
| tive action correct this attitude. The
first item of extraordinary improvements
! specified in the bill TO be completed on
| the half and-half basis under District ap-
| preparation bills is the reclamation of
| the AnacOstia ats.
| In an appendix to the municipal finance
! committees report. under the head, Rec
| lamation of the Anacostia Flats the
| items of this reclamation TO be done on
the half-and-half basis are stated as fol-
| Navy Yard bridge, sl,21s,525. Section 2
Navy Yard bridge 10 Benning bridge,
| x916,1 Section 3. Benning bridge to
| District line. S644.6OO." The effect Of this
| portion of the report was, IL was sug-
/ gested, to construe the Anacostia flats
| to be reclaimed, one-half at the District S
4 expense. extending from the mouth of
| the river to the District line, and includ-
4 ing section j, from the mouth OF the river
4 to Navy Yard bridge, which section has
already been improved and reclaimed in
part, like the Potomac river Improvement
/ by an appropriation on the river and har-
/ Dor bill, solely at national expense; that
1 PROPOSITIONS to continue the work on a
| liberal scale and on the same basis were
| now pending in Congress, and that no.
| body at the Capitol was contending that
I the work on section 1 should be COM
pleted on any other basis.
! 1t was pointed out that the bill and re-
port on this point apparently offered I'M
! necessarily to spend $1.21s. 525 of the Dis
trict's available revenues on an improve
ment which was in progress and would
| justly be completed entirely at the ma
tional expense
| Mai Judson stated that the Commits
sioners had corrected the matter in their
presentation of the case to Congress. that
| they were now constituting the words
| .'Anacostia fats I'm the bill as applying
| only to the sections above the Navy Yard
bridge. the work below that bridge being
viewed not as reclamation of the flats,
| but as Improvement of the Anacostia
river under the river and harbor bill
| To conform the attitude of the board to
| that of the Commissioners il was first
proposed to insert In the bill after the
| words ''Anacostia flats the words ''above
the Navy Yard bridge" But the board
rejected this amendment. preferring to
make the correction by amending the re-
port rather than by proposing to Congress
an amendment of the bill.
| On motion, at the suggestion of Mai.
| Judson. there was stricken from the re-
| port the item, Section I. Mouth of river
| to Navy Yard bridge $1.21S525.' With