Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-20
CONFEREES To GET
DISTRICT MEASURE
EARLY THIS WEEK
S60,550 to Provide More
Teachers to Be Main Prob
lem for Members.
MONEY FOR PATTERSON
TRACT ALSO AT STAKE
Meridian Hill Park and Many
Paving Projects Form
Other Differences.

Having passed the Senate Yesterday
afternoon carrying $37.016 SIS, as COM
pared with the House total of $780,
2l5.6So, the Distric: appropriation bill
ls expected to go to conference early
this week for the settlement of vari-
Gus items on which the two branches
OF Congress took different action.
The conferees will have in their
hands the fate of several important
amendments and ADDITIONS to the
House bill by the Senate. among
which are the following:
For additional public school teach
ers' urged by the school authorities,
S6055O
For the purchase OF all or part
OF the Patterson tract at Fifth street
and Florida avenue northeast for a
park and playground. $500 900.
Park Item Increased.
For improving Meridian Hill Park
between Fifteenth and Sixteenth
streets. $l37 900 added to the House
item of S23 900, making $3.50. 900 as
approved by the Senate.
For the widening of ii street be-
tween Seventeenth aud Eighteenth
streets. the entire cost to be borne
by abutting property. $4,000.
For purchase of three school sites
not in the House bill. 500. 900. and
to prepare plans for a school at Nine
teenth street and Columbia road
s., 500
For repairing and continuing con
struction of the sea wall along the
Potomac River, S2J 900.
For public welfare work. $500,
consisting of $22 800 additional for
the Lorton Reformatory and SIS 900
for the Columbia Hospital.
For water main in Alabama ave-
nue. from Branch avenue to the Dis
tr1ct line. TO serve a community now
using wells. S42 $500.
Paving Projects at Stake.
-- Besides these large items the con-
fereeS viii. have to pass Judgment on
score of specific street paving items
the Senate having eliminated a num-
ber of streets allowed by the House
and inserted others not carried in the
House measure.
The conferees also will have before
them for decision the Senate pro-
vision requiring the Commissioners
to publish the list of properties to be
sold for delinquent taxes in news
papers instead of printing a pamphlet
which owners can obtain only by
going to the District Building
Another interesting question con-
fronting the conferecs is the matter
of salaries in the corporation coun-
sells office. The Senate voted to raise
the salary of corporlIiop counsel from
$4,000 to $500, but cut the total
amount for salaries i'm that office from
$4,000 TO $42.360. with the evident
purpose of bringing about q reorgani-
cation in the personnel of the legal
department.
Power Left With Commissioners.
The Senate District committee origi.
nally intended to provide that after
July ] the President should appoint
corporation counsel. but on the floor
OF the Senate Chairman Phipps of the
subcommittee in charge of the meas
ure changed the amendment so as to
leave the appointing Power with the
Commissioners. Members of the sub
committee indicated during the debate
that they expected the Commissioners
to reorga nize the Office.
The bill as passed ny the Senate will
be laid before the House tomorrow and
the usual procedure is for the House
to ask for a conference on the dis
agreeing amendments. Indications
are that the confereeS will be named
as promptly as possible. since the ad-
Journment is less than two weeks off
Interest in the report of the con-
ferees will center around the school
teacher item and .he proposed pur-
chase of the Patterson tract, which
has been advocated for a number of
years by local organizations.
Harrison Defends Request.
Until the bill was taken up in the
Senate yesterday no provision had
been made for the - additional school
teachers asked for by the school au-
thorities and recommended by the
Budget Bureau. amounting to $l21 200.
Senator Harrison, Democrat, OF
Mississippi defended the request yes
terday and after considerable debate
Senator Phipps permitted the inser-
ton of an amendment offered by Sena-
tor Harrison for S60.550, which would
employ approximately 80 teachers
Whether even this limited increase is
to become law. however. will remain
in doubt until the conferees report
Senator Harrison told the Senate
the number of school children is in.
creasing rapidly not only in Washing
ton. but throughout the country and
that. naturally. more teachers are
needed to keep pace with added enroll
ment. lie. said that if the estimate of
the school authorities gained the ap-
proval of the Budget Bureau he
thought Congress should at least al.
low half of the item.
Not Convinced of Need.
Senator Phipps explained that the
committee spent the better part of
two days considering the school needs
but was not convinced that the evi-
dence justified the increase. He re-
peated the promise made several days
ago that if the Forthcoming survey OF
the entire school system by the Blu
reau of Efficiency demonstrates the
need for "a teachers steps will be
taken in December to appropriate for
them in the first deficiency bill, which
would be within few months after
the next school term starts.
In defending the action of the COM
mitttee In leaving out the item pend
ing the survey, Senator Phipps de-
clared there is a lower average of
pupils per teacher than in cities of
comparable size.
Senator SmoOt of Utah upheld Sen
ator Phipps, expressing the belief the
schools will not suffer during the com
ing year. and indorsing the statement
that Washington has a more favor
able ratio of teachers to the number
of pupils than comparable communi-
ties.
Senator Harrison replied that he