Evening star., 1926-11-27
SEPARATE BUDGET
MEETS OPPOSITION
President Sees No Need OF
Independent Bureau
for District.

President. Coolidge does not approve
of the proposal to make the District
government Independent of the Bud
get Bureau and of the Controller Gen
| eral of the United States.
+ According to his viewpoint, there is
| no logical reason for giving the local.
government a budget bureau and
controller all its own and free from
! Federal supervision and control as
| has been advocated by Daniel j. Don
! ovan, auditor for the District and
others.
While discussing the subject yes
terday afternoon at his bi-weskly con-
ference with newpaper correspond
ents, the President said through his
spokesman that there may be some
excellent reasons for making the
change, but he is inclined now to
doubt it. He frankly admitted that
he has given the matter no serious
study and that his views were being
expressed in a purely off-hand fashion.
He confessed also that he might ap-
prove Of the proposition If it were
explained to him fully, but from the
way he looks upon it at this time,
the idea is illogical and inadvisable.
Plan Not Surprising.
The President indicated that he was
not surprised that officials of the local
government should want to do their
own budget making and have their
own controller general. lie agreed
that this is quite natural. lie sup
posed that every department head OF
the Government would like the same
things. He felt very sure that every
member of his cabinet would De
r..
ment free from the restrictions OF the
budget and the scrutiny OF the Coh-
trOller General.
The fact that the Federal Govern
ment pays only lump sum as its
contribution toward the cost of oper-
ating the local government and that
the real load is carried by the DistrlSl
itself has nothing to do with She
question. according to the President.
The question of fiscal relationship
between the Federal and District gov
ernments has no bearing upon the
matter, in his opinion. He made II
plain that he considers the D1strlct
a Federal city and it's Commissioners
Federal officers and he, therefore, can
see no reason why the local govern
ment should not be included III the
Federal budget. nor why the eXpendl.
lures of the local government should
not be passed upon just as is done IN
the case of all ether departments,
bureaus and activities Of the Federal
Government.
Would Oppose Change.
During his discussion of the pro
posal the President indicated that he
would oppose any movement to OBTAIN
legislation that would give the Dlstrlct
government its independence from
this supervision and control, unless ne
has the proposal and it's various I'M
plications explained to him in such a
manner as to cause him to change ms
mind in the meantime.
The President said he was not In g.
position to comment upon the pro
posaI to develop water power from
Great Falls on the Potomac Rlver
because he had no definite knowledge
Of what is being proposed in this CON
nection.
Neither was he prepared TO pass
Judgment upon the merits of the pro-
posed bond issue in the District as
means Of meeting the costs or pur-
chasing park sites and the extension
of the sewer and drainage system. He
supposed that the District was pre-
pared to meet such expenditures
through the regular tax channels.