Evening star., 1921-04-28
INTEREST ON C|TY'S
S4,0()O,0OO URGED

has more than four million dollars OF
surplus revenue in the federal Treas
ury. but should. as a matter of equity.
be credited with . per cent interest
on that surplus. in the opinion or Or:
William Tindall, veteran student OF
municipal affairs and for many years
actively associated with the manage
ment of the local government.
I'm order to finance the eNtraor-
binary improvements which were
made between 1908 and 1910" DR..
Tindall explained. Congress provid-
ed that the Districts share of the
cost of those improvements which
could not be met out of current
revenues should be advanced by the
United States Treasury and be re-
paid with per cent interest per an
mum thereon. which was done.
What is sauce for the goose should
be likewise for the gander." he said.
We paid several hundred thousand
of the United States and have right
to expect that they will do the same
for the use of our money.
Expresses Faith in Congress.
congress has treated the District
generally with so much wisdom and
liberality in the way of it's financial
mana cement that l am sure the facts
need only to be brought to its atten-
ton to obtain a recognition of the
District : rights in the matter"
While recognizing the equity of DR..
/ Tindalrs claim that District funds
used by the general government
should be as much subject to an inter-
] est charge as federal funds which
| have been used by the District. audit
! ing officials today pointed out that
! Congress has never authorized the
! District to assess an interest charge
| against the United States. 1t has
| specifically directed. however, where
| Il 10 H.
| local government, the District should
| pay 2-per- t-per-annum charge
| for the use of the money
/ District officials, in fact. go no
i farther than to say that Congress.
| by its own legislative acts. has
surplus revenues on deposit in the
United States Treasury. On this fact
they rest their belief that Congress
will not seek to wipe out the present
surplus. They cannot conceive, in
the first place, of Congress taking
such an arbitrary step and. in the
second place, of such a step being
taken without stultifying the policy
that has underlain congressional ap-
propriations for the District since 1878.
Appropriation Acts Quoted.
In the District appropriation acts
between 1900 and 1910 Congress
directed how the advances for ex-
IL
ing that period should be reimbursed,
referring specifically to Surplus"
The first of these acts contained the
following language:
"Provided, That all advances made
under this act not reimbursed to the
Treasury of the United States on or
before June 80, 1903, shall be reim-
bursed to said Treasury from time to
time out of the surplus revenues of
the District. beginning July /. 1903,
fnDpfh her with interest tharann a
per centum per annum. until SO reim-
bursed, which reimbursement shall be
made within three years from said
last named date"
of the appropriation acts passed dur
ing the 19O0-1910 period of extraor-
dinary development in the District,
and. in accordance with the direction
of Congress, the advances made to the
District were reimbursed out of it's
surplus revenues. The last of these
advances was reimbursed in 1916, at
which time the District began the
building up of it's present surplus.
amounting to more than $4,0O0.000.
Interest paid by the District to the
federal government on account of
the 1900-1910 advances alone amount
ed to more than 100000, and this
payment likewise was made out of
the surplus
If Congress did not consider these
at the time the federal advances to
the District were being repaid, it is
1nconceivable to District officials how
the suggestion can be made now that
the surplus does not exist and should
be written off the books
The joint citizens committee on fls-
cal relations between the United
States and the District of Columbia,
or which Henry b. F. Macfarland,
former District Commissioner, is
chairman, expects to call the atten-
tion of the House District committee
to facts developed by a congressional
investigation. in 1915, of the fiscal
relations between the two govern
ments. These facts have a direct
hearing upon the present issue, Mr
mcfarland pointed out
We shall particularly refer" sale
Mr.. Macfarland, ito the comprefensiv,
ana conclusive argument of Col. A
3. Worthington. member of our COM
mittee, which may be found in Sen.
ate document No. 347, Sixty-fourth