Evening star., 1922-06-30
Rate by Mail-Payable In Advance
The Surplus Joint Committee.

Signing of the District appropria-
ton bill by the President is accom-
panied by the announcement Of the
names of the six members who will
constitute the joint select committee
of Congress to inquire into the equities
of the surplus of District tax revenues
lying in the Treasury. Senators
Phipps. Ball and Harris and Repre-
sentatives Evans. Hardy and Wright
will serve. by appointment OF the Vice
President and of the Speaker, in this
capacity. sitting as court of inquiry
to determine what portion Of this fund
is available to serve as a reserve Of
cash to meet District appropriation
acquisitions under the plan just adopt.
ed to put the District on a cash-pay.
ment basis by the 1st OF July, 1927.
To this court the District now looks
for an impartial examination Of the
account. The law constituting this
body. the District appropriation act,
gives the National Capital community
small equity in the procedure. 1t pro-
vides that accountants engaged by the
committee and paid three-fifths out. of
District. funds shall not be residents Of
the District, and it makes no provision
for accountants who may in any de-
gree represent the District. 1t provides
for the assignment of an assistant at
torney general from the Department
of Justice to represent the United
States in the inquiry. but makes no
provision for any representation for
the District before the joint commit
tee. 1t provides that a member Of Con-
g-esS, aSsumably representing the
United States. may intervene in the
examination of witnesses, but makes
no provision for participation in the
same capacity by a representative of
the District.
In the circumstances the compost
tion of the committee is of the utmost
Importance to the District, and it is
therefore especially gratifying that six
have been. named who, Judging from
their previous attitudes toward Dis
trict matters, are sure to view the
matter! of the surplus equities in a
fair and judicial spirit without preju-
dice to the capital community and to
it's claims to ownership in the funds
it has contributed to taxation, and
which Congress. has failed to appro-
pirate in the past.
This committee is to report not later
than February / next, seven months
hence. The date named as q limit is
chosen obviously with reference to the
next appropriation bill. This may be
taken to signify that if the committee
reports large equity enjoyed by the
District in its surplus Of accumulated
tax revenues unappropriated through
failure Of Congress to, meet District
needs in the past five years, some
specific mention of the fact may be
made in that bill. to modify the re-
quirement imposed by the act just
signed that the Commissioners by in
crease of taxation and the change Of
date of tax collections accumulate
years funds by the 1st Of July, 1927.
I. is, however, not SO important at
this time to consider the effect upon
the cash payment plan Of the finding
of District surplus that truly and by
acknowledgment belongs to the Dis
trict. as that the Districts equities In
that surplus should be established be-
fore the joint committee. Deprived by
the law of any. direct official repre-
sentation. the District will present it's
case through volunteer citizen repre-
sentatives who are now preparing it
in anticipation OF the committees or
ganization. The Districts representa-
tives are capable men, thoroughly
familiar with this question. and have.
moreover. sound case to present to
the, joint committee.