Evening star., 1924-12-01
DISTRICT FINANCE
PROBLEM UP AGAIN
Congress Must Decide Meth.
cd of Sharing Expenses
of National Capital.

Congress; will be called upon again
the Federal Government Is to pay a
proportionate share of the expenses
of the National Capital, or whether II
will appropriate a lump sum for the
fiscal year 1925 as IL did for the cur
rent fiscal year.
In the budget which is soon to be
submitted by President Coolidge it
will be necessary to set forth the
permanent law, as we'll as the action
of Congress for the present year.
The permanent law calls for appro-
priations for the District OF Column.
bia on the So-4e- plan. whereby GO
per cent of the expenditures for the
National Capital are paid for out OF
the revenues of the District and 40
per cent out of the Federal Treas
ury.
Compromise Was Reached.
AS result of compromise in
conference between the two houses
of Congress during a legislative jam
an innovation was made by which
Congress contributed a lump sum OF
approximately 100000 toward the
costs OF the Capital City. leaving the
taxpayers of the District to bear all
the burden of the remaining budget
airy expense. This change was ef-
fected largely as q result Of personal
efforts by Representative Louis c.
ago was acting chairman Of the sub.
committee handling the District ap.
preparation bill.
AS result OF Representative
Cramton's drive the House wrote
into the District appropriation bill
a lump-sum appropriation Of $1,000
900. When the Senate got the bill
it promptly struck out this 5000, ,0ot
and reverted to the old fixed pro-
portion of 60-40 and then when the
bill got to conference, with the
House conferees stubborn, a com.
promise was reached changing the
sS, ,o00. 900 to 100000.
Thus, the 60-40 proportion is rec.
ognized as permanent law and will
be used in preparation of the Dis
trict budget, but the $4,000, 600 PROPOSE
tion for last year, will also be in.
cluded, as the budget throughout con-
tains comparative data.
Provisions of Bills.
The District appropriation for the
year ISduS. OFQeT lC
defray the expenses of the Distric,
Of Columbia for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1925, any revenue (no,
including the proportionate share OF
the United States in any revenue
arising as result of the expenditure
of appropriations made for the fiscaI
year 1924, and prior fiscal years. now
required by law to be credited to the
District of Columbia and the United
States in the same proportion tha,
each contributed to the activity OF
source from which such revenue was
derived, shall be credited wholly tc
the District of Columbia, and in ad.
dition Ss,000,000 is appropriated, out
of any money in the Treasury no,
otherwise appropriated, and all the
remainder out of the combined rev.
enues of the District Of Columbia
and such advances from the Federal
Treasury as are authorized in the
District of Columbia appropriation
act for the fiscal year 1928"
The essential point is that this
change in fiscal relations is specifcal.
ly made only for ''the fiscal year end
ing June so, 1925.
Representative Cramton is prepar.
ing again to make a fight to con.
tinue the lump-sum contribution sys.
tenn. while friends of the District are
ready to make a stand in defense of a
fixed proportionate share by Congress
in the costs of maintaining the
Capital City as model for all the
world.
A