Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-21
1880 D. C..>SURPLUS
TO Be S10,oDO,ODO
Commissioners Sharply Crit
iCized for Allowing Huge
Sum to Pile Up.

The District will have a surplus of
approximately $10,000000 to its credit
in the Federal Treasury by June 80,
1880, it was shown during hearings on
the District appropriation bill, reported
to the House today.
Chairman Simmons of the House
subcommittee on District appropria
tions, sharply criticized the District
Commissioners during hearings for fail
ing to provide for the expenditure of
any of this surplus revenue.
The surplus was accumulated over a
period of years, since the District
went on caSh-paying basis in
accordance with an act OF Congress
from revenues collected in excess of
the appropriations made. The figure
includes an estimated excess of 81 ,060,-
152 for the present fiscal year. The
estimated excess for the coming fiscal
year is $3,227 208, about half of which
is allocated in the District bill sub
mitted today for supplemental items
included following conferences between
the District subcommittee on appropria-
tionS and Budget Bureau officials.
The defense of the Commissioners
was that they did not know this vast
sum was accommodating until last
August.
$5,0OO.O00 Ready to Spend.
OF the $10,O000O0 surplus the Com
missioners claimed that about SIS 900 900
is available for immediate expenditure,
as they plan to reserve one million for
deficiency and supplemental apprOpria-
fn inf in
District on a caSh-paying basis.
Chairman Simmons pointed out that
the District has been piling up this
surplus while criticism had come from
official sources in the District Building
and outside, directed at Congress, TO
the effect that money was not available
under the present tax rate and with
the present contribution of the Federal
Government TO make needed improve
ments in the District.
"The criticism that has been directed
at Congress and this committee" said
Mr.. Simmons. has been that we are
unwilling to furnish money for needed
improvements and bettermentS. such as
schools, parks, Fairgrounds, roads and
things of that kind. The money is
available, but we have not here before
us a request to cover anything near
the income of the District at the pres
ent time.
Explains Situation.
'That is a thing which, between the
Commissioners and the Bureau OF the
Budget 1t seems to me could have been
we'll worked out before you got to this
point.
LAS / understand the situation, after
the Bureau of the Budget refused to
approve certain of the items presented
to them, the Commissioners sat back
and did nothing further in the way
of the consideration of any items that
could be included in this bill as sub
mitted to Congress, to take care Of the
surplus"
Following this criticism the District
Commissioners submitted list of adj
ditional estimates for inclusion in the
1880 appropriation bill totaling $6.609,-
TOO. These were in two groups-group
one calling for appropriations totaling
81, ,979, 700 for the more pressing needs,
and group two. totaling ST l,6S0000. The
Commissioners pointed out that the
approximate amount which could be
safely appropriated at this time is $4,-
979, 700, and includes the items in
group one. The items in group two are
designed as alternate proposals.
When Chairman Simmons called the
attention of the Commissioners to the
mounting surplus and asked what bet
terments or capital items should be
Continued on Page S. Column 81