The Washington herald., 1922-08-19
To Slash s2,sOO,oOO
From First Estimate.
PROPOSED SALARY
BOOSTS TO SUFFER
Appropriations Bill Gives
District Only $21, ,0OO,-
900 for Expenses.

District Commissioners yesterday
directed the Board of Education to
cut its estimates to approximately
$500. 900. according to information
learned from a reliable source late
last night
This means that the board must
slash s2.s0O. 000 from the estimates
submitted several weeks ago. The
estimates at that time were ss,-
100000.
In writing the board. the Com
missioners explained the necessity
for the cut as occasioned by the or
der from the Director of the Budget
to reduce the total District esti-
mates to s24.50o.0OO. which. when
discounting the national govern
ment's items included in the Dis
-trict appropriations bill, leaves the
District but s21. 100000.
Requests Conference.
The determination of what por-
tion of the total cut must fall on
the schools was arrived at by al
lowing the schools approximately 81
per cent of the total for the Dis
trtct- This is nearly the same ratio
as now prevails.
An Invitation to the board to
confer with the Commissioners over
the estimates |as also contained in
the letter. The conference will
probably be held as soon as the
Board of Education has gone over
the estimates and made the re-
quested cut.
Col. Charles Keller. Engineer
Commissioner. leaves today for a
two weeks vacation and II is be-
lieved that the final consideration
OF the estimates will await his re-
turn. They are due at the Bureau
of the Budget by September Is.
The reduction means that the
items for new schools and improve
ments viii suffer. Should the board
determine to cut all provisions for
Increased salaries. the move Will
result in renewed efforts to pass
the bill now before Congress pro-
viding for such an increase.
Other Reductions Made.
Besides the cut that is TO be made
in school estimates the Commis-
sioners have eliminated some pay
increase for District employees con-
tanned in the first estimates. This
increase, however. will be asked for
in a lump sum in the supplemental
estimates that the Commissioners
propose submitting.
Street improvements and play
grounds also suffer heavily by re-
auctions. Both of these depart
nents also will find the greater
mart of the items cut out added 10
tha list of supplemental estimates.
n is this supplemental list that Is
now the straw to which the resi-
dents Of Washington. who are urg-
ing that the city grow in propor-
tion to its wealth and population.
attach their last hopes The COM
rnissioners are reported as planning
- make every effort to have the
supplemental list included in the
estimates submitted to Congress by
the Bureau of the Budget.
There is a bit of irony in the po-
sitfon that the District Commission
ers now find themselves For years
the District has fought against the
limitations set by Congress on the
amountthat the city might ask for
With the last appropriations bill.
Congress removed the bar and per-
mitted the Commissioners to ask for
whatever they needed under the ar
rangement. whereby the city was to
nav so per cent and the Federal
government 40 per cent.
Then the Bureau of the Budget
steps forward and by single order
nuts on a heavier clamp than Con-
rress had done. Congress had been
limiting the estimates to twice the
city's revenues. The Bureau of the
Budget puts on flat limit of
sz4, 4,5eo 900.