Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-01
DISTRICT MEASURE,
0NHALF-AND-RALF
BASIS, MADE LAW
President Signs Bill, Which
Carries Total Appropria.
ton of SIS, O46, 1886.
GIVES HIGHER SALARIES
TO MANY FROM TODAY
Further Legislation Necessary if
Employees Are to Get Benefit of
Increases From July /.

AASASoSSS = ASAAA ~ -
Carrying the usual provision for
making expenditures for the District
; Of Columbia, onc-half to be paid out
of the revenues of the District and
the other out of the federal Treasury,
the District appropriation bill was
finally passed by the Senate and
House late yesterday afternoon. 1t
was signed by the Speaker and by
Vice President Marshall and imme-
diately sent to the White House for
the approval of the President.
The President signed the bin soon
after it reached him, and it is now
a law.
Thousands Will Get Increase.
The bill, which had been in confer
ence for more than two months. car
ries a total of s15,046.16S66. 1t pro-
Vides increases in salaries for thou
sands of the District employees. includ-
ing school teachers and members OF
the police force. 1t provides also pay
for an increase of IA firemen to es-
tablish two-platoon system.
Beginning today, the employees OF
the District will get the increased
salaries intended for them. They will
not, however, get the increases for
legislation is enacted by Congress
authorizing the payment of the money
they have failed to receive.
1t was confidently predicted at the
Capitol yesterday that the next de-
ficency appropriation bill. following
make provision for paying the en-
ployes the increases for the months
Of July and August. 1t was the in
tention CT Congress that the employees
should have the increases, beginning
with the fiscal year duly 1, and MEM
would be unfair to make the employees
lose the increases for the last two
months because of the deadlock over
the bill i'll conference.
What Caused Deadlock.
The deadlock between the two houses
was over the half-and-half plan of ap-
House sought to kill by means of the
Gard amendment, the Keller claim
amendment added by the Senate and a
House provision that the expenses of
Inc pubic Fairgrounds SIlOuIu De pdlO
entirely out of the District moneys.
which the Senate changed, substituting
the half-and-half plan.
The House yielded on the half-and-
half plan, which remains as in the old
law. and the Senate then yielded on the
other two matters at issue.
The conferees on the bill met yester-
day afternoon and speedily reached an
agreement. Their report was submitted
first to the House by Chairman SisSon of
the subcommittee District =
tons. 1t was adopted promptly and
then sent to the Senate.
Senator Lodge of MaSsa chusetts, when
Senator John Walter Smith of Mary
land made the report, asked if the KEEL
1cr claim amendment had been retained
in the bill. Senator Smith replied it
had not. Senator Lodge said that the
heller claim was just and that he re-
had yielded on the matter. He sought
Ia have the conference report rejected
that the Senate might further insist
upon this provision.
Considers Keller Claim Just.
Senator Robinson of Arkansas, one
Of the conferees, explained that the
House had refused to yield on this
amendment. and that the joint resolu-
ton continuing the appropriations of
last year for the District of Columbia
would expire tonight. The District, he
SAID. would be placed in an embar-
RAISING position if no funds were pro-
vided Immediately for the District
government The House, he said, had
refused to pass resolution further
continuing the old appropriations.
Senator Robinson also said that he
considered the Keller claim, which
was for damages caused to property
owned by Thomas W. and Alice n.
Keller through street extensions was
p just claim and that he regretted
very much that the Senate had to
abandon it,
| The long fight over the District ap-
preparation bill was due in large part
Y insisting that it be retained in the
bill. The House, it is learned. was
sreay to yield. before the summer re-
cess began, on the half-and- half plan
but was not willing to yield on the
< Keller amendment
Delay Costly to District.
The delay in the passage Of the Dis
trict bill will cost the District and the
federal government, half and half
bout quarter Of a million dollars, il
WAS learned yesterday. This is due tc
the fact that bids Cor material and
work under the new appropriation
hill, which were called for last March
ma April, ana "nlcn ordinarily woulC
have been signed as soon as the new
Ahin became a law, had, perforce. t
Ginger along until they lapsed. Tht
commissioners had no authority OF
law to sign these contracts. Now it is
necessary to get new bids. and in the
last few months prices of materials
and wages have increased so great,
that it is estimated it will take abou,
S250,oo0 more to let these contract.
than 1t would have done had the Dis.
1rict bill been disposed of promptly
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