Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-12-15
PUTS ON CONGRESS
GREATER BURDENS
IN D. c. FINANCING
Measure Passed by Senate,
AboIishing Ratio Method,
Is So Interpreted.
FAVORABLE TO DISTRICT
PEOPLE, SAY SENATORS
Most Important Feature of Bill Is
Releasing of $4,0o0,0o0 Fund,
Curtis States.

GURUS StdteS.
Responsibility for properly and ad-
equately providing for the support of
the District of Columbia is placed
more heavily and directly on the
shoulders of Congress by the bill
which passed the Senate yesterday
and now goes to the House, providing
for the abolition of the ratio method
of dividing the expenses between the
District and the federal government
This was the opinion of Senator
Curtis of Kansas, a strong friend OF
the District in the Senate and former
chairman of the subcommittee of the
Senate appropriations committee
which handles District appropriations
Both Senator Jones of Washington
and Senator Ball of Delaware. chair
man of the Senate committee on DIS
trict of Columbia, expressed the
opinion :oday that the measure as
passed by the upper house was de-
cidedly favorable to the people OF the
District.
.FavorabIe to People"
Senator Jones said that the measure
absolutely determines who shall pas
the expenses Of the District of Column
bia. He said il was, in MS opinion
very distinctly in favor of the people
of this city. 1t provides that all OF the
expenses of the District shall be met
by the Treasury Of the United STATES
without any regard whatever as TO the
amount of revenue raised py tdAes AZ
the District.
He said further that the bill would
prevent the long discussions which usu-
ally accompany District appropriation
bills when under consideration anu .ne
matter of what ratio of the expenses
the District and federal governments
should pay.
Just what the District will gain by
the Senate measure viii nave 10 ne
seen when the appropriations bills are
taken UP for consideration. in the
opinion of Senator Curtis. III Con-
gress provides adequately FOR Inc
needs of the District in the annual
/ appropriation the measure VIII WORK
all right. But If there is an incilna-
| ton TO be niggardly in any way the
bill will have availed little. But Inc
measure does put the matter OF pro
viding for the District more stronS!
up to Congress than ever before.
The most important feature OF the
bill Senator Curtis said, was that re-
leasing the million- dollar iuho
now in the Treasury TO the creolt oi
the District of Columbia and repre-
senting the surplus taxes which were
not needed to meet the expenses OF
the District at the time they were col
lected. He thought that this was vast
ly more important even than the ratio
feature and was sufficient TO caii 10
support OF the measure asiue avn
anything else.
Tax Rate Settlement.
ora noint in particular which Sena-
tor Rail said was important ~as IN"
settlement of the matter OF the tax
rate here The people of tins CITY
can be certain, provided the measure
nasses the House. of a stipulated TAX
rate. fixed in the bill as passed oy the
Senate, at s1.75 per sloo.
All of the expenses of the district,
he pointed out further. now viii be
mai by the federal government wlth-
out regard to the amount OF reaenue s
collected in taxes from the people
here. This will settle the annual con-
troyersy over the ratio OF expenses
! which should be born each oy the
federal and District governments. -,
If accepted by the House, the Dill
also settles the controversy which has
arisen as 10 the use of the S4.ooo,ooo
surplus now in the Treasury. IL gives
authority for the use OF inns nlohe!
which, Senator Ball SAID, beiones ~
the people of this District and shouu
be spent only for them. This money
| under the terms of the bill, caiino,
now be appropriated for any proJect
| for the District, and the suggestion Is
made that it might be used In provo,
| ing for the much-needed additional
| school buildings. 1t WAS explained also
/ that in appropriating this fund, IL
would be matched dollar for dollar by
the federal government as under the
present half-and-half system.
/ VIII Prevent Delays.
! If is the belief of Senator Ball that
The measure as passed by the Senate
will preclude any possibility OF long
delays on the District appropriation
hill over the matter as to what pro-
norton of expenses Will be paid by
| the federal government and what
proportion by the District govern
ment ,,, :.
| is believed, will be allowed to stand
| for several years at least, to ascer-
| tain how the proposed new system
will work. The opponents OF the
I measure laid most OF their objection
ON the assertion that the taxes here
were too low and suggested that the
| bill should go back to the committee
until a thorough investigation OF the
taxes should he made. and that the
! District should pay a tax as high as
an average of others SHOWN IN c1tles
! of comparative size.
/ Senator Ball said that he did not
believe that there would be any fur
| ther move on the Senate side to pro-
vide for a survey of the tax system.
at least until there was trial of
! the plain as provided in the bill.
| The real intent of the bill as origi-
nalIy introduced and providing for the
/ restoration of the half-and-half plan
| to replace the 6O-40 plan as provided
! in the last appropriation bill was 10
| have the ways clear when the District
/ appropriation bill comes up this year
and to prevent any delays through
| debate on the question of the pro-
, pcrtionate expenses to be paid by
each. The original measure had the
| further intent of releasing the sur
/ -TContjnIed T,n PAGE . Column n