Evening star., 1922-01-26
S5PER CENT TOPPED
OFF ORIGINAL SUM
ASKEDFORSTREETS
House Appropriations Com
mittee Leaves But $113,600
of Request for 1901. .037.
CIVIC LEADERS AMAZED
BY SWEEPING REDUCTION
Commissioners Believed They Had
Cut Estimates to Limit-Items
Thrown Out.

Compa arison between the oriSina!
estimates of the Commissioners for
street Improvements and the figures for
these items contained in the District
| appropriation bill for the fiscal year
1923 today revealed the fact that 81
per cent of the first items was washed
off in passage through budget and
initial legislative channels.
The Commissioners submitted $SO1.-
037 as their street improvement esti-
mates The allotments granted in the
District appropriation bill as reported
I to the House by the House appropria-
lions committee are exactly $ll3,60o,
/ or bit less than IL per cent OF the
original.
Civic Leaders Startled.
Friends of local street Improvement
looked askance when the Office OF the
budget cut down the Commissioners
estimates to s275.e00, a reduction OF
more than so per cent. But 1t was with
surprise that civic leaders learned that
the House committee had welded a
keener blade on the appropriations. even
vided his figures in two. and left the
smaller portion Of s1ls,600 for District
streets OF the future.
When the appropriation for street
| Improvement was made last year. ~
was thought that the sum OF sl.a'eao
was to go down in local history as
the smallest appropriation from
| thenceforth for such a purpose But
II this cut of $31.240 were to he made
an annual affair on Capitol Hill. esti-
majors have figured out, the District
! in four years time would be limited
| to an appropriation of sl9.9S0 for
| street improvements, which would DO
nicely for the. paving of approx
! mately three city blocks.
Declare S2,s00.O0o Needed.
| Experts on District streets do not
hesitate to estimate $2.5o0.o0o as the
figure needed to put Washington's
roadways into first-class condition.
AS . matter of fact. the Commission
ers themselves did considerable red
pencil work in pruning estimates
before sending them to Director of
the Budget Dawes. That esoI.037
estimate left the District building
confident of passing through the
budget office and emerging only so
per cent disabled. When the figures
came out. however. they emerged
only 40 per cent whole.
For instance. there's that matter of
| repaving the granite block roadway
of 7th street from Pennsylvania ave-
nue. to B street southwest. in the inn
| mediate vicinity of Center marke:
and the Mall. The cost was listed at
| $35, 400. 1t wasn't listed at all upon
exit from the budget bureau.
| Another DrODOSitiOn was the paving
of East Capitol street from 18th
street TO 18th street. Eastern High
School will be located in this vicinity.
1t will be bounded by East Capitol
! street, 18th street and 18th street
! northeast. The item was intended to
provide a suitable roadway to the fu-
ture educational and civic center OF
Northeast Washington The new
Eastern High School. it is declared.
will occupy the same relative status
to the northeast that Central Hisn
School does in the northwest. An
/ auditorium will be provided for the
benefit of the public, and one of the
main reasons for including the East
Capitol street Improvement in the,es-
Inmates was to furnish a convenient
means of entry to the high school
section for the convenience of East
Washingtonians en- route to the audi
torium.
Two Other Instances.
There were two instances also where
roadways forming connecting. links with
the suburbs and Maryland were ex-
cluded from the estimates. One was
for the paving of Rhode Island avenue
northeast, from 18th street to 10th
street. This stretch Of roadway forms
the virtual connecting link between
Mount Rainier, Woodbridge. Langdon,
the Maryland suburbs and the city prop
er. The other was the paving of the
west side of Connecticut avenue from
Clappel road to Chevy Chase Circle,
bringing the District into transporta-
tional touch with Chevy Chase. the
country clubs and Maryland routes out
of the city. The first mentioned would
nave cost $4,000, and the second esti-
mate was for $5s.500. Both these items
, were given the stamp OF approval by
the budget bureau. but fell before the
red pencil on Capitol Hill.
Brookland suffered by the exclusion
of an appropriation for $1,000 to
pave 18th street northeast. from
Michigan avenue to Upshur street.
The Commissioners had pruned down
a preliminary estimate In this vicinity
from $4,000 to this figure. The origi-
street from Michigan avenue to Tay-.
lor street and from Otis street to
Michigan avenue at the respective
costs. off $11 200. and $4,000. This also
got past the budget bureau to meet
It's death in committee room.
A few of the items which went from
the Commi ssioners to the budget Of
fee, but which did not emerge there
from, follow.
Other Items Dropped.
Repaving granite block roadway.
18th street northwest. from c street
northwest to Be street southwest,
$4,000
Paving Georgia avenue from Mil
Iitary road to Piney Branch road,
$4,000. .-
Paving Nichols avenue southeast.
from the south entrance Of st. Eliza
beth's Hospital to Portland street,
$4,000.
Repaving Of the granite block road
way of 11th street southeast from Po-
tomac avenue to the Anacostia
bridge, $33.500.
Paving goth street from Virginia
| avenue to z street. $11,200.
n Repaving Of granite block roadway
on d street from 9Th to 7th street.
$1,000. 80
| Paving Arkansas avenue fron