Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-24
TO HOLD LAST MEETING
OF SEASON TOMORROW
Board of Trade Will Consider An
nual Reports From the Several
Standing Committees.
President Brandenburg Says Organ
ization Must Reafarm Its Stand
on Half-and-Half System.

| A report from the committee on i'm
mediate fiscal legislation for the Dis
trict of Columbia, annual reports from
the committees on water supply. public
health, membership, national forest and
park reserve law. protecting the ma
tons flag and history of the District
of Columbia and special reports from
the committee on public transportation
and charities and corrections are sched
uled to be considered at a meeting Of
| the Washington Board of Trade. to be
held tomorrow night at the New Will
lard Hotel. The meeting will be the
| last before the summer recess.
The report to be submitted by the
| special committee on immediate fiscal
legislation for the District of Columbia
| recently was considered by the board
of directors and unanimously approved.
| 1t embodies petition and protest to
Congress. The petition is for the re-
peal of the law of 1909. which restricts
| the amount of the Districts estimated
revenues, and for legislation which
shall cause any surplus of District rev.
| enue arising in any year from the en-
| forcement of the half-and-half law to
| be held in the Treasury as a trust fund
| for the benefit of the District to meet
| its needs in some future year.
Protest Against Repeal.
| The report contains a protest against
the repeal at this time of the half-and-
half law. which the joint congressional
committee has in effect declared to be
fair. and against such repeal by rider
on an appropriation bill. OF in such
form as to be retroactive. or by any
method which does not secure for the
proposed legislation thorough prelim-
mary consideration by the District
| committees and by Congress, and 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does not substitute for the repealed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 fixed and GER
tain tax burden for the District of CO.
lumbia.
There is further protest against the
appropriation by this years District
appropriation bill of any amount less
than twice the Districts estimated rev.
enues in accordance with existing law,
unless the resulting surplus of District
tax money is declared to be held in
trust In the Treasury for the benefit of
the District to meet in part its needs,
outside of current routine expendi-
lures, in future years.
Board Must Reafirm Stand.
TT Is now up to the members of the
Washington Board of Trade to indorse
| and strongly reafirm the stand hitherto
| taken by the organization on this mat
ter of fiscal legislation for the District"
is the statement made today by Edwin
c. Brandenburg, president of the board.
The critical situation that now con-
fronts the District" continued Mr.
Brandenburg, lis largely the result of
the inrerjection into the District ap-
| preparation bill of so-called riders
calling for legislation which should be
separately and carefully considered and
which have no place in such bill
From the viewpoint Of some it is not
fair to the District that they should
be there instead of being the subject
of consideration apart from a bill an
done fairly to the District where the
House is operating under a rule as it
is at the present time.
Should Consider the Report.
"On the subject of fiscal legislation
for the District it would seem that
| one of the first things in order logical
ly should be the consideration by the
District committees and by Congress of
the report of its joint select commit
d,
pare and submit to Congress a state
ment of the proper proportion of the
expenses Of the government of the
District or any branch thereof. includ-
ing interest on the funded debt. which
shall be borne by said District and
the United States respectively
That report has been made and by
resolution of the United States Senate
of January 10, 1915, was ordered to be
printed.
fore. for legislation by means of So
called riders" III the District of Co
lumbia appropriation bill. especially
when their effect. If passed, would be
a virtual repeal of the provisions of
the act of June IL. 1887, called the
"organic act" and which is still the
law"
This whole subject being OF such vital
Importance to the taxpayers of the
District. a large attendance is expected
at the Board of Trade meeting at the
New Willard Hotel tomorrow evening