Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-19
No Repeal Now of Organic Act.

of Trades fiscal committee. appealing
for equity for Washington.
The Board of Trade petitions for re
peal of the act of 1909. limiting the esti-
mates of the Commissioners to twice
the estimated local revenues. and for
legislation which shall cause any sur
plus of District revenue arising in any
year from the enforcement of the half
and half law TO be held in the Treas
urv as a trust fund for the benefit of
the District to meet its needs in some
future year.
The law of 1909 prevented the Com
missioners this year from submitting
to Congress full information of the CAPT
tails needs. They could not, for exam
pie, propose the Great Falls power
project or high-pressure fire protection
for the business section or other clearly
needed public improvements.
The House committee disapproved of
$S,55o.2S9 of expenditures proposed hy
the Commissioners and refused the
wholesome municipal betterments which
this sum represents. The law of 1909
prevented the Commissioners from sug
costing alternative improvements which
might have been more acceptable to
the House committee. But that commit
tee neither accepted the Commissioners
estimates of needs nor substituted other
needed expenditures in place of the dis
approved items. Automatically sur
plus of unexpended District tax money
results if the existing half and half law
is applied.
This surplus should go into the Treas
the District in some future year The
Board of Trade petition proposes this
procedure. The pending appropriation
bill confscates this surplus for national
uses. a surplus for 1917 under this bill
of about s., 400 900, thus artifcially ere
ated by the 1909 law restricting esti-
mates and the House committees three
and 4 half millions cut in the Commits
sloners inadequate estimates
The pending appropriation bill also
serves as a horrible example to give
force 10 the Board of Trade protests
against repeal Of the half-and half law
by rider on an appropriation bill or by
any method which does not substitute for
the repealed law one establishing a
definite policy of regular and liberal.
appropriations by Congress for capital
maintenance and development and
trict, as recommended by the congress
sionai joint fiscal committee.
The effect OF the proposed rider is
TO repeal the organic act without sub
stituting for IL any definite policy OF
regular and liberal congressional ap
preparation any assurance of fixed
rate an appropriation policy which IS
indefinite. irregular and iiliberal; IL
coniiscate 10 national uses S2.400 600 OF
local revenue under the hal and has
f5W. 10 reduce the national cOnrflDu-
ton, which the joint committee suggests
i now too little. from 30 per cent to 80
per cent and 10 Increase the local con
tribution from 30 per cent TO 20 per
cent
Clearly this form Of repeal violates
every equitable requirement laid down
Il
impossible if full faith and credit are
20 be given TO the conclusions of this
committee.
The repeating rider this year is in
substance the same as that proposed
last year which the Senate peremptorily
and the House finally rejected, though
erroneous statements thought that the
half-and half law was grossly unfair
TO the nation Since that time the joint
congressional committee has found,
after thorough investigation, that the
law is absolutely fair to the nation. and
that under it the nation contributes not
TOO much but too little to capital up
building. Will Congress which rejected
this amendment when many thought or
feared that the half and half arrange
nlent was unfair 70 the nation adoDt
the amendment after the law has been
demonstrated 10 be fair
VIII not those friends of the District,
in or out Of Congress. who would repeal
the half-and half law in order tina: the
nation might do more than at present
for the upbuilding of the capital vigor-
ously oppose repeal which reduces at
once the national contribution by mil
lions and clearly points to the ultimate
withdrawal of that contribution Tn
der the half and half law the nation
would contribute for capital develop
ment under the pending bill about
$4,000 900 The bill. repeating the half
and half law, proposes that the nation
shall contribute only about So 500 900
When the alleged restraint upon ma.
tional beneficence imposed by the half
and half law is removed il is proposed
that the nation, in order to do more
for the capital, shall cut down its nor.
,,,aI contribution nv nearly two and ono