Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-09
URCESAF|XEDPLAN
FORF|NANC|NCD D. c.
Senator Curtis Says Uncer-
tainty Over Annual Appropri-
ati0nS Should End.

ati0nS Should End.
Hope that the Senate and House
would proceed without further de-
lay to enact legislation definitely fix
ing plan of appropriating for the
District of Columbia was expressed
today by Senator Curtis of Kansas
chairman of the Senate appropriations
subcommittee which handles the ap-
preparation bills for the District. Sen
ator Curtis WAS Reelected by an over
whelming majority last Tuesday.
The people of the District should
not be compelled to remain year after
year in uncertainty as to what pro-
portion of expenditure of the National
Capital they must provide" said Sena-
tor Curtis. He has been friend OF
tthe half-and-half plan of appropriat-
ing for the District. as provided un-
der the organic act of the District
passed in 1878. Under a compromise
the appropriation for the present fis-
cal year was so arranged that the
District was to provide 60 per cent
and the federal government 40 per
cent of the amount appropriated.
Fight Over Change.
The House at the last session pass
ed the so-called Mapes bill, doing
away with the half and half plan and
District shall be used. and then any
thing that might be needed further
should be supplied from the federal
funds. This indefinite plan of caring
for the District of Columbia advo-
Gated by the House has been vigor-
oUsly fought by the Senate. The SEN
ate District committee added the
H. - h. hi
restoring the half-and-half plan
providing for the use of any surplus
in funds that may have accrued or
that may accrue in the future under
the half -and-half plan. and also doing
away with the law which limits the
District Commissioners in submitting
their estimtes for District appropria-
tions to an amount not more thar
twice the sum of the estimated reye-
nues of the District.
Nothing Ever Done.
This measure was sent to conferenc.
between the houses. but nothing evel
was done with it. There is no reason
however. when Congress meets that II
should not be taken up and disposed
of, in the opinion of Senator Curtis
thus finally ending the controversy
which has ragged for a number OF
years The conferees appointed by the
Senate are Senators Dillingham;. Jones
of Washington and King. The con-
ferees on the part of the House are
Representative Mapes. Focht and
Johnson Of Kentucky. The language
of the Mapes bill was inserted in the
District appropriation bill when that
measure passed the House last spring
and in the Senate the language of the
Jones amendment thereto was sub
stituted The 60-40 proposition now in
-
between the two houses to bring
about the passage of the bill.
Would Revise Tax Laws.
Senator Curtis is the republican
whip of the Senate. He said today
that he believed the republicans
should undertake Immediately the re-
vision of the tax laws and a reduc-
ton in government expenditures.
If the republicans do not properly
attend to this government business.
he said. the democrats two years
from NOW will do to the republicans
just what the republicans did to the
these matters to drag along it will
be bad for the party"
Senator Curtis said he would advo-
cate calling an extra session of Con-
eress by the middle of next March. so
that this work could be taken up
without delay. In the coming session.
he said. committees of the Senate and
House should get to work on a re-
vision of the tax laws, SO as to have
everything as far advanced as pos
sible for the new Congress when it
meets.
Would Curtail Employees.
There should be an immediate cut
in the number of government en-
ployes," said Senator Curtis. I'VE do
not need so many. / understand there
are about 742, 900 civil employees of the
government. throughout the country
and some 10000 in the District of CO.
Iumbia Before the war the govern
ment got along with about 100000 en-
ployes and between 10000 and 10000
in the District of Columbia. / know
that since the war there have been
added activities which require more
employees, but not such a number as
insurance, of course, requires admins
trative officers and clerks. The audi
tors office for the War Department and
that for the Navy Department require
additional employees to settle up the war
accounts of the government. But lets
curtail where We can"
Senator Curtis said that he had not
made up his mind as to what form the
tax revision should take. except that
the tariff duties should be increased.
He said that at least Sl,Oou,0uO 600 In
revenue should be derived from tariff
duties instead OF the $500, o,0OO. 900 OBJ
tanned under the democratic tariff law
The farmers, he said. are demanding
protection for the articles which they
produce, just as the manufacturers are
asking for a protective tariff. The i'm
ports amount to some five to five and a
half billion dollars a year. he said. and
the return from the tariff duties now
averages only about 514 or 6 per cent.
This is too low. he said.
silent on Gross Sales Tax.
The Kansas senator is not ready yet,
however, to commit himself to a con-
sumption or gross sales tax as a sub
stitute for present tax laws. He said
that the republican Congress should
pass an income tax law which will make
Il possible for a farmer or business
man to fill out his income tax returns
without calling in a lawyer to
10 it for him. as many of them now have
10 do for fear that theyswill unwittingly
violate the law. A simplified form, he
said, would make it possible to do away
with lot of the employees of the inter-
nal revenue bureau, too.