The Washington times., 1922-01-07
BIC SLASH
IN BUDGET
EXPECTED
Senator Tells District Attorney
Building Trades Are in Conn.,
bine to Boost Prices.

Disruption Of the present move.
ment in Congress to aid the school
situation in the District was fore
cast in the Senate today as a result
Of Senator Kings action in making
charges of combination and price
boosting in the building trades here
to District Attorney Gordon
May Cut Budget.
Further cuts in the District ap-
preparation bill may be made as a re-
suit of the King charges and long
wrangle In Congress over the local
building situation is In prospect.
Senator King Is absent from Wash
ington today and will not face his
colleagues Of the Joint Senate and
House subcommittee on schools when
1t meets this afternoon. A heated ses-
sion Is predicted on all sides.
IT would rather not make any
comment on Kings action said
Senator Ball, chairman Of the Senate
District Committee, today.
Another Senator declared unreserV-
eddy that Senator King should have
placed his charges before the school
subcommittee which has the express
power to make a detailed inVestiga-
ton of the building costs in Wash
ington so far as 1t affects schools.
4 do not see how the subcommittee
can do any further useful work just
now" declared a Congressman who Is
n member Of the subcommittee. I'VE
muse await the result Of grand jury
action or something Of the sort. II
seems to me that the tendency in the
Appropriations Committee will be to
delay all further appropriations for
school construction until these
charges have been sifted by legal pro-
cesses."
Emergency Steps "Blighted."
There ia no tendency on the part Of
Senators and Congressman to ques-
ton the Importance of the data wnich
Senator King has collected. but they
declare he has gone over the head
Of the subcommittee" and practically
blighted the prospect that 1t might be
,ble to take some emergency steps
for the benefit Of the local school
situation.
Senator Capper, chairman OF the
schools subcommittee, frankly said
ioday he did not know how the work
Of the subcommittee might be al
'ected by Senator Kings action. He
Indicated that an. investigation OF
.uilding costs in the city mighgt be Il
nood thing and said the subcommlt-
tee would take cognizance of II. lie
would not make any comment on the
prospect that any emergency action
o relieve over-crowding in the schools
would be postponed indefinitely.
One of the remarkable features OF
the situation Is that Senator King in
stigated the present schools investi-
cation because of charges submitted
TO him that the Municipal Architects
office and Superintendent of Schools
Ballou were dilatory and inefficient
in carrying out the construction pro-
gram for the schools. At that time
Senator King professed his willing
ress to vote SIC, 200, 600 to care for the
needs Of the school children in Wash
ington. Later 1t became apparent
that the inquiry would reveal such
conditions of overcrowding and con-
xestion that Congress would be led to
make emergency appropriations for
the benefit Of the schools.
Frame Permanent Program.
It was at this tuncture that Senator
ling began to go off on different
,ack from the other members of the
subcommittee. 1t had been hoped that
he would be instrumental in forcing
an inquiry into building costs through
the subcommittee instead of through
the district attorneys office, AS
ihings now stand It is doubtful
whether the subcommittee will recon-
mend any emergency action, but will
content itself with framing a perma-
nent program for the District schools.
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