Evening star., 1915-11-13

house, with sidewalks upon both sides
In my case ! would probas-j have te
pay six times as much as my neighbor
although he has an automobile Are
probe bly, uses the sidewalks more thar
/ do"
intangible property stirred up the peo.
pie of the District considerably. aho
Senator Works asked him. why the
people object to such law.
IF you tax our small savings panks
accounts" Mr.. Tucker said, you Will
make a pretty heavy burden Of taxa
tion here"
Senator Chiffon pointed out that the
tax rate of S1.50 is really low compared
70 that in some communities.
I'm West Virginia" he said, we pay
$3.50"
The committee seemed interested In
the subject of legislation on conference
reports. and Representative cooper
went back to that subject. He said:
There is a rule of the House"-nere
Senator Works objected-'and of the
Senate, too. which provides that con-
ferees can only take up matters which
have been considered and on winch
there is disagreement. But 1t is not
adhered to. Sometimes conference re-
ports on matters other than District of
Columbia legislation have contained
surprises such as you mention, Mr.
Tucker. as constituting the night
mares spoken about by former Senator
Blackburn"
Mr. Tucker had previously said that
a fair sample of a nightmare" so far
as the House District committee is con-
cerned, was the conference report on
The Anacostia fats condemnation, which
saddled the taxpayers of the District
with half of that cost of improvement,
while the Potomac flats improvement
mad been paid for by the federal gov
ernment.
In view of all these things" Mr..
Tucker said, Il feel that we ought to
enforce the organic act and live up to
the half-and-haif agreement If We do
so there Will be some hope OF Congress
living up to the moral responsibility
t has served to impose some obliga-
zion upon Congress to treat us justly.
Discusses Surplus Revenues.
Mr.. Tucker went into the question Of
a possible surplus as to District reve-
nues. and he said that notwithstanding
the fact that there has been surplus
Congress would not, or has SO far
tailed, to appropriate for certain I'M
needed in the District,
some of which he instanced. He spoke
of the projected Improvement OF the
Rock Creek valley.
The Rock Creek valley" Mr.. Tucker
said lis an eyesore upon the National
Capital. and ought to have been biotted
out of existence long ago. The gov
engineers have spent time and
money upon it, but nothing has been
begun.
Representative Cooper remarked that
he understood that those in charge OF
nj ha
that they will not have to condemn
as much land as it was at first thougnt
would have to be taken, and that there
is now hope that the proposed I'M
provement will proceed.
while l live on Capitol HILL MT.
Tucker said, far removed from ROCK
Creek, nevertheless, l think that eye
sore ought to be blotted out"
Senator Works said:
Before you go any further. Mr..
Tucker, let US see if it is really true
that the half-and-half plan has been
responsible for the growth of Wash
ington. l live in Los Angeles. and
that city has grown wonderfully, but
the people there have paid for all of
the improvements. Other cities have
paid for these things themselves.
am not one of those who think you
should do it all here, but it certainly
seems to me that there is no tounda-
ton whatever for the claim that
Washington has been improved by
reason OF the half-and-half system,
when Washington is compared with
other cities that have progressed and
which have not had government help"
Mr.. Tucker returned, to the citation
Of needed improvements In Washing
ION which Congress has failed to pro-
vide notwithstanding the existence of
L surplus in the revenues.
Money should be appropriated" he
said, for a new Aqueduct bridge, and
we need a new bridge over Calvert
street, where conditions are said to be
dangerous. We need new high school
n East Washington. We want a truck
company In the northeast and have
oeen asking for it for ten years. The
proposed extension of New York ave-
nue. ought to be carried out, for that
would give highway from Baltimore
directly to the White House
1T appears. then, that If all these
-hIngs have not been done the half
and half plan may be said to be a
failure. eh?' Senator Works asked
Mr.. Tucker astonished the committee
by replying that in his opinion Con-
sress had possibly neglected to provide
Tor the needed improvements SO as to
create surplus and discredit the half
and half arrangement.
AT the request of Herbert ]. Browne
the committee asked Mr.. Tucker if
rents had fallen in his neighborhood as
the result of the agitation in regard to
the half-and half plan, and the witness
replied that they had, and mentioned
instances. adding. in response to a
from Mr.. Gard, that real es-
tate values also had fallen.
Mr.. Brandenburg ON the Stand.
At this point T. c. Brandenburg, pres
ident of the Board of Trade, took the
stand.
Mr.. Brandenburg described the Or
ganization of the Board of Trade and
denied statements which have been
made before the committee to the ef-
feet that it is plutocratic body
Throughout the twenty-five years
of it's life Mr.. Brandenburg said, the
Board of Trade has gone on record
and-half system. The organization
is composed of 1900 business and pro-
fessional men, and it has some labor
ing men in it's ranks. very large
number of it's membership are en-
ployed on salaries.
There are a few wealthy people in
the organization. The only qualifica-
tion for membership is that the ap-
plicant must be gentleman. The dues
are $40 year AID IL is possible for
any one to become member. 1t is
only occasionally that any one is not
elected after he has applied.
THE sole object of the Board Of
Trade Is. the protection Of the inter
ests of the city OF Washington and the
of the National Capital
our various committees we
deal. with different matters affecting
the District. such as streets, roads, uni
versities. public parks and municipal
finance.
THE Board of Trade is a useful or
ganization by reason of the fact that
I'd Of N