The Washington times., 1911-03-17
STRUGGLING WITH
DISTRICTS AUDIT
Tacking Appropriations Onto
Several Bills Is Com
plicating.
ONLY A SEMBLANCE
OF CLASSIFICATION
Arguments for Universal Budget"
Plan and for Adopting
JudSon Bill.

Once more the District Auditor and
the Comptroller of the Treasury are en-
gagged in their annual struggle to make
head or tail of the appropriations for
the District of Columbia at the last ses-
sion of Congress. AS usual, they are
having delightful experience.
Because of the hit-or- miss, haphaZard
system OF tacking District appropria-
tions onto any old bill that comes along,
and because only a semblance of classi-
tication of District items is made, the
Auditor and Comptroller find them
selves in an almost hopeless situation.
They will never be able to eXtricate
themselves completely from the tangle
of figures in which they are working,
but they hope ultimately to be able to
make an approximately accurate state
ment showing how much the District
Is supposed to spend in the coming
year, how much its Indebtedness will be
reduced, and how much it will still owe
the Government at the beginning of the
next fiscal period.
Universal Budget Argument.
The complications resulting this year
from providino District appropriations
in different bills is an excellent argu-
IuGlll lOI -AuullOI "GGuCllC IAOpOoVh
universal budget" This budget, by
the by, has been proposed" for sew
eral years. That's as far as it ever has
travelled toward actual use. Everybody
recognizes the desirability of using it,
but Congress keeps right on making ap-
propriations in the same old way.
The budget contains ten Classifica-
tions. Mr.. Tweedale's proposition is
oil tiDnG no
riedsi in it, every item being set down in
one of the ten columns. and that the
same system be followed from year 20
year, in order that comparisons of ap-
preparations and expenditures can be ac,
curately and easily made. He would
have Congress refrain from making any
appropriation except in the budget
which would be a combination appro-
priation bill for the District
Carried in Various Bills.
This year District appropriations are
carried in the District appropriation
bill, the sundry civil BIZ. and the leg
isIattve. executive and judicial bill.
Sometimes District items are carried in
the public buildings bill. The Auditor
and Comptroller have not yet been able
10 figure out the amount of the appro-
priations except in the District bill
The items IN the District bill total
slISZi, L0loO. Inc lOtdl VI m -
bill passed at the previous session, for
the year ending June 80 next, was &c
Az, ,6i09 49, Appropriations for the Dis
trict in other bills a year ago totaled
$50, ass, making the total appropriations
for the District for the current fiscal
year, $685., ,095.99
II is estimated the District appropria-
tions in other bills passed at the last
session amount to S4G4,3lO. Adding this
to the total of the appropriation Elll
makes the total appropriation for the
District for the next fiscal year Sl2,&l.-
Rl.5o This means that the District has
been authorized to spend : 81, ,4O3, 1881
more next year than it will have spent
this year.
District appropriation bill for the fiscal
year 1912 are greater than they were In
the bill for the fiscal year 1911. Follow
ing is a comparison of the principal
items: 49,