Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-31
Final Action Taken Without
Debate-NoW Goes to Presi-
dent for His Signature.
RETAINS HALF-AND- HALF
PLAN OF APPROPRIATION
Bill Carries $12,846. .047. followers
Gas Price to IS Cents and Provides
Many Improvements.

without debate. the Senate took final
action on the District appropriation bill
today. 1t now goes to the President
for his signature.
The outstanding features of the bill
as finally passed. after contest last
ing for weeks between the Senate and
House, are as follows:
The half-and-haf plan of appropri-
ating. for the District is retained in the
law.
A tax of four-tenths of 1 per cent is
imposed on intangible personal prop
erty In the District.
The price Of gas in Washington is
fixed at 10 cents per thousand cubic
feet, instead of IS cents, and the price
of gas in Georgetown is hxed at SIS
cents instead Of 81, as at present
The bill carries sl2,S4G,04Il0. ap
proximately a million dollars more
than it carried as it passed the House.
Provides Many improvements.
The ending of the deadlock on the
District bill will permit the many i'm
provements in public schools and
streets, which were threatened by a
possible failure of the bill to become a
law. 1t will provide an adequate sys-
TEN for the pensioning and retirement
of members Of the police and fire de-
partments of the District.
The Senate won its fight on the main
items in the bill. Including the reten-
ton of the half -and-half plan. which
the House has sought to abolish.
The Senate amendment, known as the
Sterling amendment, providing a tax
on intangible property in the District,
was finally agreed to with amendment
accepted by the House yesterday, and
now reads as follows:
THAT the moneys and credits, inc1ud-
ing moneys loaned and invested. bonds
and shares of stock Except the stock
of banks and other corporations within
the District Of Columbia the taxation
Of which banks and corporations is
firm. association or corporation resident
or engaged in business within said Dis
trict shall be scheduled and appraised
in the manner provided by paragraph
one of said section six for listing and
appraisal of tangible personal property.
and assessed at their fair cash value,
and as taxes on said moneys and credits
there shall be paid to the tax collector
of said District four -tenths of one per
centum Of the value thereof;
Provisions as to Savings.
Providing that savings deposits of
| individuals in a sum not in excess Of
$500 deposited in banks. trust com
panies. building and loan ASSOCIATE
subject to notice of withdrawal and
not subject to check, shall be exempt
| from this tax.
Provided. that joint committee
consisting of the committee on the DIS
<,F
| the committee on the District of CO.
| lumbia of the House Of Representatives
| is hereby appointed to make by sub
committee or otherwise careful and
| exhaustive study of the tax laws of
the District Of Columbia. including
| license taxes. with a view Of recom-
mending such changes in the laws as
| the joint committee may deem fair and
| equitable. report to be made to the
Congress during the next session."
The new rate to be charged for gas
by the Washington and Georgetown
companies goes into effect October l.
1916.
The Senate finally yielded today on
its amendments which would seek to
reimburse Thomas and Alice n Keller
for damages done property held by
| them by the opening of streets, and
which would permit voluntary aid to
| the Fairgrounds to be accepted by the
District.
No Record Votes Taken.
Contrary to expectations of the gal
! leries, the House showed through the
| conference report on the District bill
yesterday without any great amount of
talk Several sharp clashes, more hu-
morous than serious. marked the con-
cnrrence Of the House in the three i'm