Evening star., 1922-06-21
CONFEREES ON D. c.
FISCAL BILL REACH
FINAL AGREEMENT
House Consents to Senate
Semi-AnnuaI Tax Pay
ment Scheme.
PROBE OF TREASURY
SURPLUS BROADENED
Auditors and Accountants for
Work Must Be Hired Outside
of District.

trlct Appropriation DILL containing dh
agreement on the fiscal relations
rider. which was agreed to by the
conferees of the Senate and House
last night. will be submitted to the
Senate today by Senator Phipps
rhairman of the conference commit
lee, it is expected. The concurrence
1t the Senate in the report also is eX-
pected.
The House conferees agreed to the
amendments recently proposed by the
senate. providing for semi-annual
payments of taxes in the District. and
providing for an investigation OF the
existing District surplus revenues
with notifications.
The conference report provides for
the semi-anaual payment of taxes on
real and personal property. while
the Senate amendment provided Tor
the payment twice year OF taxes on
real property.
Inquiry Provision Rewritten.
The conferees rewrote the Senate
provision for an investigation of the
surplus revenues of the District
broade ming the scope of the Inves-
tigation and providing that the in
vestigation should go back to 1874
instead of 1878. the year of the en-
actment of the organic law of the
District.
1t is proposed. in making its re-
port. the joint select committee of
Congress named to conduct the m
vestigation shall take into consider
alton any money found due. either
Na
District to the federal government or
from the federal government to the
district. shall bear a rate of interest
OF 3 per cent per annum from the
time the debt was incurred.
The joint select committee is em-
powered to summon witnesses. ad-
minister oaths and call for papers;
it is empowered to employ expert
countantS-none of whom shall
have been at any time in the employ
of the District government or the
United States, and none of whom shall
be residents of the District. The
joint select committee is to have 800
900 to meet the expenses of the in
vestigation, to be paid so per cent
out of the revenues of the District
and 40 per cent out out of the federal
Treasury. None of the employees are
to receive more than S25 a day. The
Attorney General is directed to fur
nish an attorney from his regular
force to represent the federal gov
srnment at the inquiry.
Hope to End Controversies.
1t is the hope Of Senator Phipps and
other members of the conference com
mittee that the investigation will re-
suit in a final settlement of the con-
troversy which has been under way
for several years as to the right OF
the District to the surplus revenues
which have accumulated in the Treas
ury, and also that the new fiscal re-
lations plan carried in the pending
appropriation bill will set at rest the
controversy between the House and
Senate over the proportion of the ex-
penses of the District which is to be
borne by the District and the federal
government
AS soon as the District bill has be-
come a law-which will follow the
agreement of the two houses to the
conference report and the signature
OF the bill by the President-the joint
select committee will be appointed
and the investigation will be begun
during the present session of Con-
gress, Senator Phipps said today. The
joint committee must report to Con-
gress by the first Monday in February.
1928.
The fact that the inquiry has been
broadened SO as to cover the years
1874 to 1873 is not regarded by friends
of the District as in any way detri-
mental to the District. The more
light let in upon the whole matter of
the fiscal relations. they contend, the
better 1t will be.
Text of Agreement.
The text of the conference agree
ment on the payment of taxes semi :
annually Is as follows:
And that beginning with July 1.
1922. and annually thereafter. one
half of the tax levied upon taxable
real and personal property in the Dis
trict of Columbia shall become due
and payable on the 1st day of No
vember of each year and the other
half of such tax shall become due and
payable upon the 1st day of Nav of
. each year; and if either said in
stallment of such tax shall not be
paid within thirty days of the date
IL is due and payable said installment
shall thereupon be- in arrears and de-
linquent and there shall then be
added, to be collected with such tax,
a penalty at the rate of one per CEN
tum per month upon the amount
tTcTcOK lOT the period OF SuCh delln-
quency. said delinquency to date from
the date such installment was due
and payable. and the whole together
shall constitute the delinquent tax.
to be dealt with in the manner now
provided by law"
The conference agreement on the
investigation of the surplus revenues
of the District follows:
That a joint select committee
composed of three senator's, to be ap-
pointed by the President Of the SEN
ate. and three representatives, to be
appointed by the Speaker of the
House OF Representatives, is created
and is authorized and directed to in
quire into all matters pertaining to
the fiscal relations between the Dis
trict of Columbia and the United
States since July l. 1874, with a view
of ascertaining and reporting to Con-
gress what sums have been expended
by the United States and by me Dis
trict of Columbia, respectively
whether for the purpose of maintain
ing. upbuilding or beautifying the
said District, or for the purpose OF
conducting its government or its
governmental activities and agencies
or for the furnishing of conveniences
comforts and necessities to the people
of said District. Neither the cost OF
construction nor of maintenance OF
any building erected or owned by the
United States for the purpose OF
transacting therein the business OF
the government of the United States