Evening star., 1921-12-05
Larger Salary Scale
Is Recommended
for Employees.
URGE BORLANDL
TO BE LESS DRASTIC
Favor Immediate Repeal
of Measure Restricting
Annual Estimates.


Three important recommendations
are contained in the annual report
of the District Commissioners. trans
mitted to Congress today. They are:
That the Borland law, which re-
qUires abutting property owners to
pay half the cost of street improve
ments. be modified to make it less
drastic.
That the law be repealed which
restricts the annual estimates of the
Commissioners to twice the revenue
the city expects to collect during the
fiscal year.
That District employees. including
the Commi ssioners, be given higher
salaries.
Larger Salaries Approved.
In recommending an increase IN
salary for the Office of Commissioner
the city heads make it plain to Con-
gress. however, that it is not their
intention to have the increase apply
to the present members of the board.
On the question of salaries the re-
port reads as follows:
"In their estimates to Congress the
Commissioners have recommended an
in crease Of salaries of District en-
ployes.. In recommending these in
creases the object is to enable the
municipal government to retain and
obtain efficient service and to pro-
vide adequate compensation for the
services rendered. The Commission
ers have included an increase in the
<t,1
District of Columbia, but in doing
so they have no intention of urging
that this increase apply during the
term of Office of present incumbents.
They do. however. desire to place
themselves on record as earnestly
recommending the increase of the
salaries of their successors in this
office. in order that the city may Sc
cure the services of persons capable
to fulfill the duties of Commissioners
efficiently and without personal finan-
cial sacrifice"
Ask Removal Of Estimate Limit.
In asking for removal Of the limit
on the estimates, the Commissioners
have this to say:
"The Commissioners renew their
recommendation heretofore made to
Congress that the law which now pre-
vents them from submitting estimates
more than double the estimated rev.
enues of the District be repealed, and
that they be permitted to submit esti-
mates covering all the needs for the
fiscal year for which such estimates
are submitted"
In asking Congress to reconsider the
Borland act, the Commissioners have
the support of nearly all of the citi-
i
bodies.
In explaining to the lawmakers how
the Borland law has worked injustice
to some property owners, the Com
missioners say:
Under existing law whenever the
roadway.o any street, avenue or road
in the District Of Columbia is paved
with sheet asphalt. asphalt block.
granite block, vitrified block. cement
bituminous cement. macadam or other
form of pavement. half the cost
thereof. to the width of forty feet. is
assessed against the abutting proper
ty This law was enacted in an ap-
preparation act for the fiscal year
1915, approved July 81. 1914. and was
amended by a provision in the Dis
trict appropriation act for the fiscal
year 1917, approved September /, 1916
Prior to 1914 the cost of laying new
roadway pavements and resurfacing
pense of the District of Columbia in
the same manner as other expenses
These expenses were met by annual
| appropriation acts, the amounts OF
the appropriations being payable on
| the half-and-half basis. In the last
two years they have been payable on
| the basis Of go per cent from the
| revenues of the District of Columbia
and 40 per cent from the United States
( Treasury, although the basis of as
sessment of half cost has not been
changed.
Adopted without Hearing.
This legislation, which is known
as the Borland amendment. was no,
! recommended by the Commissioners
! of the District of Columbia. and was
| adopted by Congress without any
| hearing on it's merits. 1t has never
| received the official approval of the
Commissioners of the District of Co.
| lumbia. and has been very objec.
| tionable to the citizens of the District
Recently it's legality was called into
question in a case before the court.
| of the District of Columbia, and ar
! assessment against certain outlying
| property located on main thorough.
| fare leading out of the District OF
| Columbia was quashed. No writer
/ opinion was rendered in the matter
| but it was understood that the court
| in passing on the case held that the
act intended to apply to the built.
up- portions of the city and not t
suburban roads
with the advent of the automo.
| bile. the streets, avenues and high.
| ways of the District of Columbia are
much more used by the travelling
| public than formerly. While the
! paving Of a roadway in front of pri.
! yate property undoubtedly tends te
| enhance the value of that property
I! it is questionable whether it does
i enhance it to the extent of so pei
cent of the cost. In the District OF
| Columbia, with its broad highways
| the cost of paving streets is greater
| than in other municipalities with
/ narrower roadways. In the adjoining
counties of Maryland, where high.
ways are improved, the cost is MOI
! assessed as special benefits, but tn.
! improvements are. covered by road
way taxes which apply generally
| over a large territory. In the case
of property owners living on either
side Of the boundary line between the
District of Columbia and MARYLAND
the property owner in the Distric
Of Columbia is now required by Law
to pay half the cost of paving tn,
highway in front Of his premises
while his abutting neighbor in Mary
land does not pay more than a small
[ proportion OF the cost OF the roadway
in front Of his property, the COS
being distributed over the who'll
| county.
! "While the principle of the Law
! ISs.,,lI.ue,. ON Page 4. Column l.,