Evening star., 1922-02-04

WI ~ NhGit otc"TIH0 4Ab ENoS oA
call showing tho latter number
pages of the District ap.
bill were gone over by
the House in committee of the whole
afternoon without any
change in the bill as it came from
the committee, although the ap-
for the National Capital
had been ruthiessly slashed by the
after having been greatly
reduced by tho budget bureau.
Three amendments offered by
Representative Zihlman Of Maryland
were promptly rejected. One would
have increased the appropriation for
street repairs from s431,26O to
s575.oO0. Another sought to increase
the item for repair of suburban roads
from 100000 to $250.000. The third
would have provided s1SG000 for
beginning work on a new bridge
over Roock Creek at Calvert
street. for which Improvement Repre-
sentative Zihlmsn put in separate
bill for s1,200,o0o.
Most of the time was given over to
speeches on the condition of the
Warrington streets ana the failure
or the city government to clean them
one OF the longest speeches OF the
day was in support of resolution
Tor diplomatic representation to the
new Irish Free State, by Representa-
tive John W. Rainey of Illinois,
Paving Connecticut Avenue.
II specifically discussing the item
or s5s.50o for paving the west side
of Connecticut avenue. Chappell road
TO Chevy Chase circle, so feet wide
Representative Zihirnan said:
This item for the paving OF the
west side of Connecticut avenue wa:
In the estinates submitted by thf
Commissioners ami was approved By
the director of the budget but Gu,
out of the estimates which were sem
to the committee, as were fully 81
per cent Of the items under the head
of street improvements. Connecticut
avenue IL one of the main thorough.
tirely with the Maryland road sys
tom. 1t is the main artery Of trave
used by approximately $4,000 people
thousands OF whom live in the Dis
trict OF Columbia.
The District has already paved thu
cast side of the street. and il this
item is not included under this heat
this west side OF Connecticut avenue
one OF the main thoroughfares of the
city. will remain in the condition il
now is for another twelve months
This Improvement is necessary. The
Unemployment conference which was
heid here In Washington few
months ago recommended that public
improvements OF this nature be taker
up and completed in order TO relieve
the deplorable condition of unemploy'
neht prevailing in the country. There
can be no substantial reason advanced
why tbs improvement should not bt
made. asked the chairman of the
subcommittee the other day why thi.
item was not included, and he statee
that this improvement would have
to make way for other necessar,
improvements.
Cut IS Fer Cent.
"Now. as l have previously pointed
out, this bill cuts the estimate fol
street improvements fully SIS per cent
This is one Of the essentially needrt
improvements in the northwestern
section Of the city. 1t has been ap
proved by the director of the bud
The east side OF the street is now
paved. and ! know of no substantial
reason that can be advanced VIII,
this Improvement should not he made
during the coming fiscal year. The
District of Columbia is able to raise
under the plan Of taxation proposed
by the Commissioners th-e"-f'.
of the sum total carried by this bill
This will be no hardship upon thu
people OF the District, because many
members of the House complain tha
the present taxation Ia too low ant
is inadequate at the present time. anc
under the plan OF financing the Dis
trict that has been adopted. 'he ~e''-'
Arnment will, of course, pay it's 40 o.
so per cent. whatever rate the Con
eress In it's wisdom deems is wise t.
be expended"
Representative Zihlman. at the re
quest of the business men of George
town. offered an amendment for ss5.
900 for pavinE Wisconsin avenue be
tween 35th street and 37th street, say
ing:
Wisconsin Avenue Paving.
II am advised by the office of ths
Engineer Commissioner that $4,000
Of the $4,000 will be paid by tht
street car company for paving be
tween the tracks, and. under the law:
of the District of Columbia. the prop
erty owners will pay half of the re
naming $4,000, SO that the expense
to the District Of Columbia will b
only Sl7,500.
wisconsin avenue below this sec
tion was paved some years ago, ant
the street car company, that has TIVE
tracks on the street. made tho plea ot
poverty and said that because OF thu
condition OF their treasury they were
unable to build the paving between
paved. But these two squares provid
ed for in this amendment are in an al
most impossible condition. The bee
Of the street car tracks. which occup!
the middle OF the street, was never in
tended for the weight OF the heav!
cars that now use those tracks, ant
they have sunk down into the middl'
with Belgian blocks ON each side. 81
that 1t is almost impossible for Al
automobile coming from the ives
down Wisconsin avenue 10 George
town."
Critfcises Estimate Cut.
Representative R Walton Moore
of Virginia, again sharply criti'
cised the way in which the bulge
bureau and the subcommittee of thu
House District committee cut tht
estimates submitted as absolute !!
and said that the budget bureau:
cuts were dictated by just one man
former Senator Sherman of Illinois
He argued that the budget law ough
not to apply to the District Of Colum.
bia. He said that as matters now
defer in all respects to this one man
He spoke in part as follows:
in spite Of the fact we seem tt
have an attendance of only about
twenty or perhaps as many al
! am going to take tho
liberty of calling attention to one
general feature OF this bill.
The estimates sent in by tbs
to the bureau OF the
budget were cut by the bureau Il
the extent OF over s2,600,000. The
Commissioners requested the SUBJ
to consider tho items tina
had been eliminated by the burea,
and the reduction which 1t had made
however, declined to do SO. Very