Evening star., 1927-12-08
The District Budget.

The budget for the District of Co
lumbia forwarded to Congress yester.
day contemplates Capital needs for
the fiscal year ending June 80. 1929.
as requiring an expenditure. to be di-
vided between the municipality and the
Federal Government, of $40,431, 1856,
which represents cut of about g. ,000,-
600 by the Budget Bureau from the
Commissioners estimates, and an in.
crease of about $1,211 ,o05 over the ex.
penses of maintaining the Capital dur.
ing the current fiscal year. The bud
get shows no radical increases or de.
creases in any of the departments, but
merely portrays the constantly grow
city. AS sent from the Budget Bureau,
the estimates are framed on the as
sumption that Congress will contribute
the lump sum of 100000 carried in
the appropriation bills of the last four
fiscal years. The assumption is rou-
tine, merely following established Gus
tom of wording budgets after the
wording of preceding appropriation
bills. Should Congress retain the
lumpsum principle of appropriation
in the face of annually increasing in.
equities. it will reduce Federal con-
tribution stipulated in substantive
law as forty per cent to an actual
contribution of twenty-five and a frac-
tion per cent, with the prospect of it's
being even less.
Several increases are noted in the
budget to provide necessary improve.
ments. There is an item for repay.
ing the Highway Bridge, for instance,
work that can be no longer delayed.
Another provides for the elimination
Of the dangerous Michigan Avenue
grade crossing. Twenty-Five new po.
licemen are called for. and although
these additional recruits will be help
full, they do not meet the needs esti.
mated by police officials. A fund is
provided to build new station house
for the fifteenth precinct. Only four.
teen precincts now exist. Increases
are given for the schools, providing
ninety-five new teachers and contem.
plating the completion Of the McKin.
ley Technical High School and new
schools in 1929, which will add sixty.
two classrooms and eight assembly
halls and gymnasiums to present
school housing facilities. Funds are
also provided for new school construc.
ton, to begin in 1929, which will add
forty-eight classrooms and two assem-.
bly, halls and gymnasiums. An in
crease for 1929 in the general expenses
for public buildings and public parks is
added for the purpose of expediting
improvement Of the Rock Creek and
Potomac connecting parkways. In.
creases for Fairgrounds and swimming
pools will maintain and improve ex.
listing recreational equipment and give
the city two new Fairgrounds.
The budget Of $40.431,1S6 sent to
Congress yesterday does not include
some Of the important needs of the
District which will be covered in sup.
Elemental estimates forwarded by the
Commissioners. The budget may be
trimmed by Congress, but the total ap-
propriated for the District, when the
cost of additional projects is taken
into account, is more likely to exceed
than fall below the amount set in the
regular budget.
Every year the needs of the Capt..
tai increase. Every year new projects
become necessary to meet the require.
ments of a growing city. Every year
the budget will demand a larger reve-
nue. from the District, and larger reve-
nues mean higher taxes. If, in the face
Of these growing needs, the House con.
tinues to base the Federal contribu.
tion upon an unelastic lump sum, arbi-
trarily set at $9,000.000. the participa-
ton of the people of the United States
in the building of their Capital will
regularly diminish, while the load to
be carried by residents of the District
will constantly increase. This fact has
been demonstrated in every budget
since the fiscal year Of 1925. It receives
further demonstration in the budget
for the next fiscal year. increasing
the lump.sum contribution would mean
temporary. but unscientifc. allevia-
ton. Contribution by fixed ratio is
provided by law. In all fairness, the
House must return to law.