Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
Appropriation Bill Best.

the House has never taken up this
measure.
! Appropriation Bill Best.
Although Congress continued the
! practice of arbitrarily setting a lump.
| sum contribution of $4,000 900 from
| the Federal Treasury and providing
! that all the remainder of the funds
required for support and development
of the National Capital must be taken
out of the taxes paid by property
owners in the District, more adequate
funds have been provided for main
tanning the various municipal activi-
ties and for extensive public improve
ments. This has resulted in an eX-
pected increase in the tax rate.
The District appropriation bill was
one of the best ever passed by Con-
cress. 1t contained IA total Of APP
proximately $34,0O0,000. Among the
most important items in this bill are:
For public schools, approximately
81 900 900: charities and corrections,
nearly $500, 900; for the Metropolitan
police. more than S3.000.000; for
streets and road improvements and
repair, nearly s3,OO0.000; for the fire
department, nearly $2.225.0O0; for
sewers, $1,500000. and for increasing
, the water supply, $1.500,000.
81 ,228,656 i'm Second Deficiency Bill.
/ In the second deficiency appropria-
| ton bill. which passed Congress last
week. there was total of Sl,92S,-
$685. for the District government.
| including 100000 to complete the ac-
| QUESTION of land TO connect Rock
, Creek and Potomac Parks. $2Ia.oo0
! for Il new wing at the District jail,
| $31J,0 900 for reconStructlng roof ana
upper stories Of the White House.
Aside from the strictly municipal
appropriat tons the session of Con
gress, which has just closed, provid-
ed for the biggest development toward
carrying forward the Washington and
| 1.'Einfant plans as enlarged by the ia,
| NOUS Mcmillan report to meet the
, rapidly growing needs of the city
| and modern conditions. Conspicuous
! in this development is the appropria-
| ton of S5,150.000 Immediately avail
| able and authorization to make con-
| tracts for $34,550.000 in the second
| deficiency appropriation bill just
passed as a start on the $50.000,0 900
| tive-year public building program.
This means five new public build
| ings. two of which are of monumental
| type and one of which, for the De
partment of Commerce. costing $l0.-
| 000. 600. will be second only i'll size
| to the Capitol Besides these five new
buildings funds are available for pur-
| chasing a building which the Depart
ment of Agriculture now occupies
under lease and for extensive addi-
| tions to the Liberty Loan Building
and Government Printing Office. BY
| the erection OF a National Archives
| Building enough office space Will be
released in other Government build
| ings to correspond to building the
size of the Treasury.
Step i'm Capital Improvement.
This public building program is i'm
| portant also in that it is Il step TO-
ward Improvement of the triangle on
| the south side of Pennsylvania ave
nue., which has long been an eyesore
and on which development has been
retarded because the Government laid
| a. dead hand upon this area nearly 20
years ago by declaring it's intention
| to eventually acquire this area for
public buildings.
| Another big improvement comes
with the purchase Of the land be-
| tween the Capitol and Union Station,
which the Government some 10 years
ago, in specific legislation, announced
| lis intention OF dCQulIllE-
About half of the area desired IN
- CITY blocks was purchased more
than 10 years ago. During the war
the so-called Government hotels were
built to house war workers on land
owned by the Baltimore & ONO Kali
road. These dormitories have been
occupied longer than was ever IN
tended and give an unsightly outlook
| to visitors who get their first glimpse
| Of the Capital City from Union sta
| ton.
The Federal Government has just
completed purchase of the IL squares
| by a payment Of S3,129, 591.64. OF
| this amount S1,798,l39 was available
! in the Federal Treasury and the bal
ance was carried in the second def
| cheney bill.
AS a result of this legislation the
| Government hotels will be removed,
| the Capitol grounds will he extended
through a formal park development
| to the Union Station and q new ave
ME the same width as Pennsylvania
avenue will run from Union Station
| to connect with Pennsylvania avenue
at Peace Monument.
Il Street to Be Strengthened.
Linked in with this development is
the extension and strengthening OF b
street to run from the north side or
| the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial
and across the new Arlington Me-
| mortal Bridge to Arlington National
| Cemetery Legislation to acquire
| three squares on Pennsylvania ave
nue. to provide for the Strengthening
| and extension of B street is under
| consideration, and assurance has been
| given that it will be acted upon al
| the next session of Congress. with
| the extension of 3 street park be-
| tween 3 street and Pennsylvania ave
! nue. at the foot of Capitol Hill VIII
| be provided, and in this improvement
| number of the unslghtly smaii
| stores on this site will be removed
| Linked in also with this develop
ment surrounding the Capltoi Is the
proposed relocation and enlargement
| of the National Botanic Garden. This
| measure has passed the Senate and
action was expected in the House UP
| to the very last moment. but 1t
| failed to receive consideration in the
! final lam. The relocation of the
! Botanic Garden is considered by the
Capitol planners to be very impor
| tant for the improvement of the Mall
| and to allow this development to pro-
| coed. The famous Bartholdi foun
| tain is to be removed to the proposed
! new site of the Botanic Garden con
| ser%atorv. covering the area between
| MARYLAND avenue. Canal street. First
and Second streets. The plan con
| templates extending the Botanic Gar
To- as 70 vol