Evening star., 1923-07-31

Continued from First Page.)
but, in accordance with what some
believe, is an erroneous construction
the appropriation bill of 1910, pub
iicity of the details is forbidden.
Thus at this time, it is known that
the climates of the Commissioners
for the next fiscal year. which have been
sent to the bureau, amount to some
thing. over s32000.000, but what items
that have been talked about are in
zens of the District cannot know.
The items will be passed on by the
budget officials, and their findings
transmitted by the President to Con-
gress on the first Monday in Decem-
Der. when restrictions regarding dis
closure will be removed, and then
the House appropriations committee.
followed by the Senate appropriations
committee will function
1T is hoped now, as it was hoped
last year, that the bureau will ap-
prove the estimates made by the
Commissioners, which the latter
claim represent the minimum ex-
penditures actually necessary. but
last year this hope was disappointed:
There was a severe reduction, and
in the wind-up, the appropriations
were reduced about 20 per cent be-
low the figures Of the Commissioners.
Estimates mt Minimum.
1T is believed by those who, because
Of their long association with Dis
trict affairs, are in a position to know
that the estimates just submitted re-
spond to the demand for strict econ
omy by cutting to the bone eXpendf-
lures for schools, streets. sewers,
lighting, the police and fire depart
ments and that it does not take into
or r.1, nf Ian nd
be made for parking and other pur-
poses before real estate values
further advance.
by measure introduced in the
last Congress, l suggested that the
application of the budget law to the
affairs of a great city, whose ac-
tivities are almost innumerable, is
not at all essential to the excellent
policy which that law expresses, but
is just as illogical as If state bu-
reau were given, primary authority
to recommend to the state leglSia-
ture what should be expended to
cover the requirements of the large
cities of the states.
tCrampton, commanding on this sug-
gestion, said that it overlooks the
vital feature of the budget plan,
namely, that the total of all federal
anticipated revenues of the govern
| ment. But, by the terms of tho law
itself, there are excepted from the
huge annual total running into bill
lions. expenditures for the legisla-
| tive branch of the government, and
Of the Supreme Court. and it is hard
| to see how 1t can be seriously thought
| that the plan would be weakened by
making a further exception of the
comparatively small amount the fed
eral government contributes toward
District expenses, which, according
| to Mr.. Cramton, ought not to exceed
SS,o00,00 annually.
with the suggestion above noted.
I coupled the further suggestion that
, in the interest of District matters
being more comprehensively, directly
and speedily dealt with by Congress,
all of those matters, including apprc-
priations, should be placed within
! the jurisdiction of a single joint COM
| mittee of the two houses. There is
! no novelty in this suggestion. Rep
| resentative Luce, In his recently pub
| lished work on legislative procedure,
| points out that 1t is the common
states to make use of joint commit
| tees and he predicts that the time
will arrive when the increasing busi-
| ness of Congress will compel it to
| adopt that method.
$50 far as I have heard no one has
given any reason why it might not
wisely be adopted, at least, with re-
speet to District legislation.
himself dissatisfied with the existing
status, offered a bill in the last Com
gress which would practically de-
tach the District from the bureau of
of percentage contribution by the
government, there shall be an annual
| fixed contribution of $4,000 There
could be no objection to this, If 1t
might be assumed that that amount
portion, or that the effort which would
have to be made to increase it in the
future, because of changing condi-
tions, would not serve to continue In
another form the same controversy
| that has continued up to now relative
to the percentage basis.
Real Estate Highly Rated.
There are those who think that a
| though as time goes on it's might
work some injustice. would be more
tolerable than to continue the sys-
| tenn now in effect.
Because the assessed value Of real
estate in the District is understood
value than almost anywhere else. the
Cramton plan would probably not
mean any increase in property tax
lrates or in the tax rate on intangi-
bles, which recently has been raised: .
to new subjects of taxation, parallel
ing what is done in many other COM
munities, as, for instance, higher IL
cense tax on automobiles comparable
| with the Virginia and Maryland tax:
a tax on the sale of gasoline, as in
Virginia and Maryland; and perhaps
a local income tax. as in Virginia and
some other states. 1t might mean
also that the District would be COM
PEELED from time to time to seek au-
thority to issue bonds for the purpose
| of securing funds to make improve
ments that could not bs paid for out
of current revenue"