Evening star., 1924-06-08
Tax Increase Up to 33 Per Cent
. Is Required by Lun,p-Sum Plan
Payment by Z. S. To,oard City's En.
Penses Likely to Drop to One-Fourth.
More for Surplus Fails.

eigth Congress, then about to close,
had taken care of the District of Co
lumbia unusually we'll.
Before the session closed at .
o'clock last night it was evident that
all the hard Legislative work done
throughout the entire session on Dis
trict legislation had been practically
in vain and that the District is today
worse off than when the Sixty-eighth
Congress convened
OF paramount Importance is the
fact that this session of Congress
threw into the discard the percentage
method of adjusting fiscal relations
between the federal and District gov
ernments. substituting for the G0-40
proportion, adopted year ago in
place of the $3.50 plan. a flat, lump
sum appropriation OF s9.00O.o00 from
the federal treasury toward the sup
port of the National Capital. which
Representative Louis q. cramton of
Michigan, author of this change. esti-
mates is d so per cent contribution
AS the appropriation bill now stands.
L. 5. Pays .5 Per Cent.
The District bill as passed carries
S26, 455, ,105, and necessitates an in
crease in taxes on personal tangible
property and real estate amounting
that there will be large deficiency
and supplement appropriations for
the District, as is admitted by
Representative Cramton, the federal
tribution in reality VIII be less
than 25 per cent.
Congress, during the session just
closed, passed d number of measures
of vital interest TO the District,
Nmong which were the bin setting
up new salary schedules for the
teachers, police and firemen and con-
tinuing the District Rent Commission.
Extensive hearings had been held on
each of these measures. The failure
of the second deficiency approprIa-
tion bill. however, has prevented
carrying these new salary schedules
into effect.
House Leader Longworth showed
commendable disposition to give
every fair opportunity in the House
for the consideration OF District
measures that would not result in
wrangling, thus delaying action upon
many other pieces of important legis-
latiSn.
Measures Get Hearings.
Representative Stuart r. Reed.
chairman of the House legislative
committee on the District. has been
sick at home during the entire ses-
sion. In his absence Representative
Frederick N Zihlman of Maryland
has been acting chairman and IN
spite of the fact that he was CHAIR
man also of the important labor COM
mittee under his leadership the
House District committee had been
unusually successfully in getting
legislation before Congress.
Extensive hearings have been helo
on many important measures affect
ing the District and more than
twenty-five subcommittee have been
at work, with two and three hearings
being held practically every day.
The principal constructive meas
III ctrin ~
law is for the creation of PARK
commission to carry out 4 compfe-
hensive program of park and play
ground development. This legIsIa-
ton carries an authorization for an
nual appropriations amounting TO
$4,000, OF l cent year from every
resident in the United States.
Move for Surplus Fails.
In the rush of business Friday
night Representative Cramton en-
deavored to have the House act favor
ably upon the bill which had passed
the Senate making available the sur
plus belonging to the District
amounting to s4,43S, 154.92, which is
now held in the United States Treas
ury. joint congressional commit
tee had dete rmined that the federal
government owes this amount to the
District representing taxes paid by
the people of the District and which
Congress had failed to make ap-
proprations sufficient to consume
This effort to make the surplus
available had the support of Chair
man Madden of the House appropria-
tions committee and the legislation
had been favorably reported to the
House by the District legislative
committee, after hearings had been
held. Representative Cramton, how
ever. endeavored to couple with the
proposal to make this surplus avail
able a provision that would make the
Haf ri hut Of
from the federal Treasury perma-
nent legislation.
Owing to the fact that Chairman
Madden was engaged in conference
on the deficiency bill and unable to
be present on the floor of the House,
action was postponed until yesterday
and then, in the final rush, with the
deficiency bill failing, no further ef
fort was made to pass the surplus
measure.
This session of Congress settled the
old controversy between Maryland
and the District of Columbia by pass
ing the gasoline tax bill, which eff
fects reciprocity on automobile license
tags between Maryland and the Ma
tional Capital. 1t was specifically
provided that the increased revenue
under this law should be spent on
highway improvement and under sep
arate legislation a program of street
improvements to the amount of $685.
900 was agreed upon.
Other measures which passed in
cluded regulation of the practice of
dentistry and optometry in the Dis
trict.
In the final hours of the session a
bill passed providing for changes in
the locations of alleys so as to make
possible the erection of an addition
to the o Street Vocational School
One of the last measures approved
Yesterday, fathered by representative
amman, enables the trustees of
Howard University to develop an
athletic field and gymnasium. This
measure carried the approval of the
Secretary of Interior and Of the Dis
trict commissioners.
Red Cross Bill Passes.
Another measure passed last night
which is of great interest in the
OF $150,000 by the Government when
the American Red Cross has COL
lected similar amount for the erec-
ton of an annex to the Red Cross
building as memorial to the services
of women in the world war.
The Senate and House both passed
measures regarding the extension of
18th street through and beyond the
Walter Reed Hospital grounds. The
Senate measure provides for keeping
cally open about two-thirds way
through the reservation and open on
paper the rest of the way. The
measure as 1T passed the House pro-
vided for detection of 14th street, so
as to skirt the southwest corner OF
the Walter Reed reservation. This
measure was still in conference when
Congress adjourned.
Extension hearings have been con-
Quoted by the House District COM
mittee on the proposed hydroelectrfc
development on the Potomac River
at Chain Bridge and Great Falls, ac-