Evening star., 1925-11-21
CAPPER PLANNING
TO HELP DISTRICT
Bent on Getting Needed
Funds for Work Now
Felt Necessary.

Senator Capper OF Kansas. chair
man OF the Senate District commit
tee, Is bent upon seeing needed i'm
provements in the Capital City real
lied. particularly with regard TO the
schools. the streets, street lighting
traffic regulati and bathing beaches
The District chairman has just re
turned to Washington from Kansas
and will spend much of the time unit
the opening of Congress, December I
in studying the local situation and
framing a program of legislation.
"Washington has not kept pace
with the development of other cities
in many respects" said Senator Cap
per. 1T fell behind in public schools
street lighting and. improvement and
In other respects. This has been due
largely to the failure of Congress to
appropriate for these needed improve
ments. The appropriations for the
District should be liberal.
Shouldn't BE Turned Down.
Congress has in the last few years
adopted the fump-sum method Of con
tributing the Governments share to
the upkeep Of the Capital City. While
I have been favorable to the proper
tionate plan, whereby the Federal
Government first contributed 80 per
cent of the expenditure made for
WASHINGTON and later, 40 per cent. il
does look now as though the lump
sum plan would be continued. In that
case, the District Commissioners
representing the people of the District
should be given the widest power sc
far as recommendation for appropria
tions for the District are concerned
There is no good reason why the
Budget Bureau should have power &c
veto the recommendation of the Com
missioners. under these circumstances
The amounts appropriated for the
District, with the Government con
tributing a fixed lump sum, will
neither increase nor decrease the
amount expended in a fiscal year by
the Federal Government. If the
people Of Washington wish certain
needed improvements, and the Com
missioners recommend them, the
Budget Bureau should not turn them
down, or be authorized to turn them
down. The money comes out of the
pockets of the taxpayers of the Dis
trict, and under the lump-sum plar
the Federal Treasury is not dis
turbed by larger or less appropria
tions for this city.
Led School Fight.
Senator Capper led in the fight
which brought about a school build :
ing program better pay for the
school teachers and a compulsory
education and school census law. He
said today that 1t is particularly
necessary now to see that the appro
priation are made to live up TO the
school building prograR. so tha
school congestion shall be relieved.
There is no use of establishing
program of building If the appropria
tions are not made" he declared.
Senator Capper expressed his inter
est in the street car situa ton H,
said he would look into the proposed
merger matter. and that he hoped tn,
street car companies would take ad
vantage of the authority given then
by the Ia st Congress to bring about {
voluntary merger. Congress mus
pass upon the terms of the merger be
fore it becomes actually effective.
Another measure that Senator Cap
per believes should be given promp
attention by Congress is the so-calle,
public welfare bill, under which ther,
Is a consolidation of many of the vel
fare activities of the city This bill
was on the Senate calendar at the las
session, but failed to be acted upon.
Senator Capper, in addition to beins
chairman of the Senate District com
mittee, Is a member of the subcommit
tee on appropriations which handles
the District appropriation bill. In botf
capacities he comes into immediate
contact with the requirements Of tn.
National Capital. and he is keenly in
terested in the future development o
the city.
The bathing beach problem is on.
that will have to be solved at the com
ing session. he said. To leave Wash
ington without public outdoor bathing
facilities would be a great mistake, HI
said.