Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-16
HEADS OF DISTRICT
ARE NOT D|SMAYED
Planning to Ask Congress to
Authorize Improvements
in Special Bills.
MEANS A YEARS DELAY
IN CARRYING OUT WORK
Slashing of Estimates in Appropri-
alton Bill Not a Surprise to
Commissioners.

| Cndismayed by the failure of the House
| appropriations subcommittee to include
| in the District budget items for needed
| local improvements. the Commissioners
! today prepared TO adopt a new method
of procedure in urging favorable con-
sideration of the municipalities claims in
Congress.
Bills authorizing practically every i'm
provement provided for in their estimates
Will be rapidly whipped into shape and
| sent to the Senate and House District
committees. Henceforth it will be the
policy of the Commissioners to direc
their efforts toward obtaining legislation
| first and appropriations later.
| This will mean a delay of at least a
year in the carrying out of many of the
projects urged. but 1t is the belief of the
heads of the local government that the
| District committees will approve and OBJ
tain favorable action at this session on
some of the more important Legislative
items recommended in the estimates SO
that appropriations therefore may be
made at the next session of Congress.
Bill Not Surprise.
1t developed today that the Distric,
heads had anticipated just such a bill as
was reported by the appropriations sub
committee yesterday. They were given
notice by Chairman Page early last fall
it was stated, that no items of new legis-
lation would be included in the budget,
as the members of the subcommittee were
not desirous of inviting an attack on the
bill such as was made last year through
the raising of points of order that new
LEGISLATION was involved.
Notwithstanding this notice, the COM
missioners inserted in the estimates
items for new Legislation in the hope
that it might be possible to obtain
both authorization for the improvements
recommended and appropriations there
for at this session.
This was explained by Commissioner
Newman to the members of the sub
committee at the beginning of the hear
ings on the estimates.
In preparing the estimates We realized.
as you have just stated" he said, that
we were a new body and a new regime
and We prepared them also with the
further understanding that there would
be no new legislation and that it was
your feeling and desire about this bill
that there should be no new legislation
IN it. We bore that in mind. At the
same time. however. We have made pro-
vision in the estimates for projects which
viii require new legislation. in, the hope
that we may be able TO get the new
legislation in time TO get the appropria- :
ton this year. and not get the neces-
sary authorizations this year and then
have to wait until next year to get the
money.
Delay to Be Avoided.
Already considerable work has been
done in the preparing of bills to be sent
to the Senate and House District COM
mittees- The measures are being drawn
in the office of the corporation counsel.
and will be turned out with as little de-
lay as possible.
Among the items eliminated from tile
budget are those calling for the construc-
tior of fish wharf and market. S11.,.
$S' reconstruction Of wharves. $50 :
Sio. and preparation Of Plans for new
municipal market. S,,0D.
Need of these iniproy ements will be
considered by the House District commit
tee In connection with a general survey
of the market situation which the COM
mittee proposes to make.
1t is stated upon reliable authority that
the Commissioners will have prepared i'm
mediately bills to provide for the follow
ing improvements which the budget fails
to appropriate for:
Central purchasing and store house sys-
TEN. including warehouse, salaries, etc,
S1sti..A0.
Viaduct and bridge to carry Benning
Bathing beach Potomac Park GS 900.
bathing beach Eastern branch. ST ,:36.
New municipal hospital Sfo.Gn
Municipal lodging house. S-DUU.
Hospital for inebriates. SI3.V0
Patterson tract park, S31JUta.
Physical Valuation Promised,
While the budget failed to appropriate te
for a physical valuation of the public
fir,r iY, ~
trict of Columbia. this omission is not
worrying the District heads. as the Com
nissioners were Informed, it is said, that
the item will be carried in the general
deficiency bill
The Commissioners asked for $4,000
for the purpose stipulating that $4,000
should be available Immediately. as it Is
imperative that valuations Of local public
service corporations be established In ad-
vance of consideration by the public utili-
ties commission of rate questions.
In view OF their plans first to obtain
legislative authority for the various i'm
provements desired. the Commissioners,
| II is considered probable, may not at
tempt 10 have the Senate appropriations
subcommittee write into the District bills
| the items omitted by the House commit
tee. This plan is said to be under con-
sideration, although the Commissioners
have not decided what steps they may
| take outside of preparing number of
| legislative measures to he forwarded to
| the Senate and House District commit
tees
Comment by District Officials.
Comment on the bill by District officials
and others today centered not so much il
It's failure to appropriate for certain rec
commended improvements as in the pro
vision directing that. in the fiscal yea,
! 1915. all District revenues not spent undo,
the appropriation act and other acts shaI
| be covered into the Treasury OF TN,
| United States to the credit of ..rniscnI
| laneous receipts.
! That this provision is intended as m
| indirect amendment of the organic ac,
| cf 1878 under which the federal govern.
/ maintaining the National Capital was TN.
| opinion generally expressed IL was
/ pointed out that the turning of excess
revenues into the Treasury to the credit
of the federal government would mear
that the United States would paw les.
than half of the cost of the upkee, q,
| Washington, while the municip;lit
| would be deprived the fun use of it's owl
| funds for needed improvements
| The commissioners declined 10 express
their opinion Of this attempt Of TN,
/ House subcommittee to tear down IT..
relations existing between the local aue
/ federal governments III is understood
this provision OF the LII came as !
surprise TO the Commissioners and they
have not had an opportunity to officially
] consider it.