Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-03
Shs Eveniag Star Newspaper Company
- fith st. and Pennsylvania Avenue.
The District Budget.


"a Limited by law to an estimate of Dis
:triet necessities strictly. bounded by
%prospectiye revenues, the Commission
ers have this year submitted a budget
sef $1S,4l1 ,124.99, inclusive of the water
department, the largest recommendation
for local expenditures ever made. After
eliminating the water department, which
yRasssfor itself, and including the items
$nrried in other than District appro-
spriation bills, the Commissioners .haye
ESTIMATED for an expenditure which will
ebsorb all of the prospective revenues
hess $S,6o1.O1 Thus if the estimates are
respected and the bill is written in ac-
seordaRce with the needs as presented
sNy the Commissioners. there viii be vir-
kuaaiy no surplus and no deficit.
,EAere would be neither surplus nor
deficit under strict following of the
! system established by the organic act
~. 1878. In practice there have been
both SURPRISES and deficits. For some
years, while the District was being COM
elled by Congress to pay on "a cash
Iasis for permanent improvements, def
tcits were incurred, the United States
advancing the necessary funds to, the
District at interest. Later, when this
hoating debt was paid off out Of cur
rent revenues on a very short-term basis,
Congress failed to appropriate to the
limit of the revenues and SURPRISES be-
BAN to show. At the close. of the last
fiscal year, according to the Commits
Nioners, the net surplus Of District
money in the Treasury, free of all
shatees and appropriations. was $685.
g52.67. That surplus is not now apph-
cable to District needs by appropria.-
tlaf fkodsh it is District tax money col
iected for local maintenance and denied
expenditure, despite the fact that the
pistriet has long arrears Of needs de-
qaSdag attention.
The Commissioners have estimated to
this high figure. Of $ls,41,124.e9 with
out including any projects Of large per
fhnent Improvement save the purchase
Of the Klingle valley tract for addition
10 the park system. The increases over
the current appropriation are all in the
way Of a more adequate provision fol-
current needs. This big budget is. 4.
representation Of a largely increased
Population and q pressure for municipal
service greater than ever.
This requisition, great as it is, should
Be honored by full appropriation Moth
ing can be omitted without injury to
the Districts welfare. II, however, ex-
ception should be takensto any particu-
lar items others are held in allegiance
by the Commissioners, under the law
limiting the estimates, which can be
properly substituted. These estimates
DO not represent the maximum of smain-
tenanee needs by any means, The Com
nissioners have been obliged to prune
and pare to keep the budget within the
H8SbActiye revenues They could prop
cry have brought forward recommended
tions sufficient to absorb in addition the
District surplus money now held by the
Asdfy, matched by federal dollars.
<fTaD largest increase in the estimates
i.znxethe maintenance of the schools,
@Fwhich $5,074,75s is asked, an
Increase of 81 ,516,22s over<the current
ysaxT OF this increase $s62,os3 is for
new buildings, while LAT more teachers
are called for This increase is a re-
Fiction of the rapid growth of the Dis
fIifiAi the past few years. It SHOULD
be granted without difninution. If it is
curtailed the arrears will be increased
ed problem of providing properly
foHsthe. public school system will be
rendered more difficult than before.
Both in point of salaries and new build
ings, the budget demands full considera-
ton the public schools Of the District
ara to be maintained at standard. =