Evening star., 1925-08-13
S3,0)O,ODO SLASH
IN D. c. 1927 BUDGET
ORDERED BY LORD
Says President Has AIIoCated
S36,250, 900 Maximum for
Capital Expenses.
URGES SUPPLEMENTAL
FIGURES BE PREPARED
1ntimates Limit Is Not Final.
But Wants Report on Conse-
quenees of Big Cut.

The District budget for 1927 was
ordered slashed from S39 ,479 .s66 to
36,25o,0oo in a letter received by the
| Commissioners today from Budget
Director II. NJ. Lord.
This reduction of more than 1000
600 in the amount that had been asked
for by the Commissioners came
rather Unexpectedly, in view of re.
ports few days ago which indicated
the local estimates would not be ma
terially changed.
In directing this curtailment Of the
original total, however, Gen. Lord eX.
tended to the Commissioners an OPP
portunity to submit a list of supple.
mental estimates if they should still
feel that $36 25O 900 would fail to meet
the essential needs of the city.
Engineer Commissioner Bell, who Is
acting president Of the Board of Com
missioners in the absence of Commits
sioner Rudolph, stated today that the
| board undoubtedly would take advan-
tage of Gen Lords invitation to sub
nit in the form of supplementals
urgent projects which will have to be
cut out of the original total in order
to get within the limit set by the
bOuSSl bureau
May Ask $4,000 600
While officials could not say Officially
how much the supplementals will
amount to, ii was reliably learned that
/ the Commissioners are disposed to ask
| in the form of supplemental estimates
for practically all of the $3,000,0 900
that has been ordered slashed.
The letter of Gen. Lord to the Com
missioners follows:
II have the honor to advise you
that the President has aIlocated TO the
District of Columbia $50, ,250 900 as a
tentative maximum amount of the
total of your estimates for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1927. This
amount includes all items which are
appropriated for in the District Of Co
| lumbia appropriation act.
/ Your regular estimates for the
| nscal year 1927, TO be submitted on or
| before September l, 1925, and pre-
| pared in accordance with the instruc-
tions of July 1, 1925, should not, there
fore, exceed in their total the amount
above stated.
Asks Complete Report.
IF your estimates thus prepared do
not. in Your opinion, meet the abso-
lutelv necessary requirements of the
District of Columbia, they will be ac.
| companied by a supplemental state
ment showing the additional amount
which you believe will be required. al.
! located to appropriate titles and set
! ting forth the necessity therefor In
| stating the necessity for such increase
| It is requested that you indicate the
consequences which would result from
| failure to secure the additional amount
| that you recommend" :"
Discussing today the limitation
fixed by the Budget Bureau, Engi-
neer Commissioner Bell said:
The Commissioners, in consuIta-
ton with the advisory council and
with the Board of Trade. gave very
| careful consideration during the
Summer to the amount that should
| be asked for and we feel that the
recommendation we made represented
the actual requirements of the CITY
| for next year. 1 believe we can show
/ the need for granting a list OF sup
| Elemental estimates"
Action Awaits Rudolph.
With the return to the CITY of
| Commissioner Rudolph within a few
days, the board, in conference with
Auditor Daniel J. Donovan and Sec
retary Daniel E. Garges, will set it
self to the task of eliminating exactly
| S3,229.666 from the regular estimates
and framing a list of supplements.
| which, it is indicated, will include
practically everything cut from the
regular budget.
The Budget Bureau will hold hear
] ings about September "a, at which
the city heads will submit evidence
in support of all the projects for
which they are asking that money
| be appropriated.
The letter. from, ord 5naS not
! attempt to indicate which projects
should be Curtailed in making the
| S3,O00,000 slash. and the Commits
Sioners themselves will not know un-
til they go into conference next week.
In making that much of a cut in
the total. however, it is practically
certain that the city heads will have
to eliminate much new work
Although Congress during the past
two years has temporarily adopted a
policy of appropriating only a lump
sum of So 900, 900 toward the mainte-
nance and development of the. Ma
tional Capital, the substantive law
/ fixing a 60-40 ratio of expense be
tween the District and Federal Gov
ernment has not been repealed.
60-4O Return Favored.
1t is known that the Commissioners
are in favor of a return to the 60-40
| division if it can be accomplished.
and one Commissioner has stated that
if Congress is unwilling to return to
that basis the District authorities
should strive TO have the lump sum
increased above So, 1000 900
If the city heads should succeed in
getting final appropriation bill of
S39, ,000, 900, and Congress should ad-
here to the $9,000.000 lump sum, the
Federal Government would be meet
ing far less than 40 per cent.
1t was revealed today for the first
time that the original amount recon.
mended by the heads of all depart.
ments, including such outside agen-
cies as Col. Sherrill's Office, was
s4s, ,770, ,273.
The Citizens Advisory Council then
investigated the needs of all depart
ments, and proposed budget of $685.
eos, ,S09 The council, however, failed
to make allowance for certain perma-
nent appropriations for trust and spe-
cial funds amounting to more than
s., 900 600 a year. which must be pro.
vided for This brought the councils
budget up to $40, ,537, 500.
The Commissioners then applied the
blue pencil to the councils figures
slightly, and the tentative budget
emerged at S39, ,479 1856.
The limit just fixed by Gen. LoEd of