The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-10-05
CONGRESS WILL Be
BROAD AND LIBERAL
TOWARD>CAP|TAL
Burleson Says There Is No
Justification For Other
j.; Conclusion.
Continued from First Page

increasing population and area-the
rates actually did not pay operating
expenses No city is entitled to expect
water at such rates. If justice and or
rates would be high enough to pay
operating expenses depreciation, main
tenance, and eXtension-and beyond that,
a reasonable rate on the Investment.
ne new rates do not go so far as to
cover all this, yet there is a determined
protest, a bitter attack on the Com
missoiners for the small increase they
ordered. That sort of thing is unfor-
tunate for Washington; 1t impresses on
Congress the unethical condition pre-
Vailing here, the reaching out for some
thing whether it is needed or not, the
demand for plenty of expenditures SO
as to assure that there VIII be plenty
of appropriations"
Won't Suggest Alternative.
Asked what alternative might be ex-
pected. if the Judson plan of fiscal re-
organization is not pressed next winter,
Mr.. Burleson was unwilling to commit
himself. He made it clear. however,
that he believed the Judson plan ought
TO have been adopted. and that the
people ought 70 be glad to get it. He
expressed entire Endorsement of the
statement Of that plan, which Major
Judson made in The Times on Monday.
In that statement. Major Jddson point
ed out that it was proposed only to re-
quire. each year for twelve years, an
expenditure averaging about s. COX, 900,
from the revenues jointly raised by the
people here and contributed by Con-
gress. fer those extraordinary public
works which represent the effort to de-
Velor the city along the broad, effective,
national lines that capital should
present 1t proposed in short to assure
that something should be done every
a M
CITY: that the national aspect should not
he neglected, and the Federal contri-
button used merely to maintain the or
binary municipal administration, as in
any other city
Should that plan be dropped. as Mr.
Burlesnn relieves it now will be, then
there are three possible choices. Con-
T"rcSS may 40 as now. with no change
what ever. Or. it may go to the other
extreme. adopt the plan of Chairman
johnson. end the half-and-half ar
rangenent. and contribute say 5000. 900
of Federal cash to supplement the
amounts contributed by the city.
That plan, II can be said, is entirely
unlikely to carry, at least so far as
concerns limiting the Federal contri-
button to s2,OO0,000 year. With a much
larger Federal contribution, it might
ultimately receive the approval of Con-
gress.
The Third Plan.
The third plan is TO have Congress
each year prepare its budget for the
District, determine just how much
should be spent. and for what purposes;
then determine how much Of this should
be raised by local taxation, and there
after give from the National Treasury
enough money to make up the balance.
Under that plan," said Mr.. Burleson,
'ff Congress fixed a certain amount to
be expended, and then required the city
TO raise fixed amount by taxation, the
Government would put up the rest. If
the Government agreed to assume more
than half the amount, fortunate for the
city; II less, then there would be a
saving to the Federal Treasury repre-
scented by the difference between the
amount now contributed, and the
"a mount that would be given under this
plan"
Repeats Assurance.
While unable even to guess what
might finally come of the present eff
fort to reorganize fiscal affairs, Mr.
Burleson concluded, as he had begun,
with the assurance that no plan would
be tkane up by Congress which would
do injstice to Washington, injure its
business. blight its prospects, discour-
age growth or impose undue burdens
on property or people. He wanted the
people Of Washington to be fully as
sured that they had no occasion for
to do anything calculated to discourage
Investment or development here.
To the. contrary. like Commissioner