Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
U. S. Engineers Table Fails
to Include Large Ex-
penditWes.
MAINTENANCE" COST
USED AS MINVESTMENT"
Results Show D. C. Ownership
Low, With Federal Share
Favorably Presented.
BY BEN McKELWAY,

The United States district engineers
Office, under whose jurisdiction falls
Washington's water supply and purifi-
cation systems, has finally obtained, to
all intents and purposes, domination of
the Districts distribution system, here
tofore regarded distinctly as munich
pal agency.
That fact is important because of the
effect that 1t may eventually exercise
upon the amount, in water taxes, to be
demanded from District of Columbia
water consumers.
The amount of water taxes that justly
should be paid depends to some extent
upon point of view, just as the amount
of other taxes that District residents
are forced to pay depends upon point
of view.
Heretofore there have been two dis
tinct points of view regarding the Dis
trict of Columbia's rightful equity in
the water plant. One point of view has
been expressed, if timidly and in whis-
pers, by the oficials of the Districts
water department.
Other Point Of View.
The other point of view has been ex-
pressed by the United States engineers
office. and these expressions have been
used in tabular form by Representative
Simmons and others who contend that
the District of Columbia Is enjoying a
generous return upon its investment In
the water plant.
Evidence that the United States en-
pineer's Office has finally put over" It's
point of view, and obtained the ap-
proyal thereto of the District Commits
sioners. exists in a table submitted by
the Commissioners, Capt. Hugh Dram,
assistant engineer commissioner m
charge of the water department. ano
Mai. Brehon Somervell, United States
district engineer, to the Budget Bureau
last week as proof of the alleged re.
turn" to 1.-THE District Of Columbia" OF
IT'S per cent on its met investment IN
the water plant.
The question of what return the Dis
trict of Columbia receives upon It's IN
vestment in the water plant is not
matter that will cause many OF the
Districts good citizens to toss IN their
beds at night or accumulate the gray
hairs that connote q confused ana
hopeless state of mind. Nor Is 1t to be
expected that the statement that the
Districts return upon its investment N
the water plant amounts to IT'S per
cent will cause either shouts OF Joy or
howls of deepest pain. Figures, and
especially percentage figures, are usu-
ally regarded by the average citizen as
bores. While such persons as Senator
Smoot and Controller General McCari
may experience tingle of delight and
feel real pleasure in the survey OF a
column of figures, statistics leave the
average citizen cold and as apathetic
as an oyster.
Interest Lies in Methods.
In the case of the figures presented
to the Bureau of the Budget by the
water department and the District
Commissioners, under the kindly tutel-
age of Maj. Somervell, however, there
lies an exceptional amount Of absorb
ing interest, If one is willing to take
the trouble to follow them through.
The interest lies not so much in the
figures themselves as in the methods
used to make these figures tell story
that pictures the District of Columbia
as q fat and prosperous individual who,
investing a rather picayune amount IN
a water plant, is now enjoying excess
sive profits therefrom, and has no right
delicately mentioned that his water
rents may have to be increased.
When we speak of the District of
Columbia's investment in the water
plant, We usually conceive of the Dis
trict of Columbia as meaning the tax
payers of the District of Columbia and
the amount of money that they have
invested, through their general and
special taxes and their water rents or
taxes, in the actual construction of
the water plant. To obtain the invest
ment figure any schoolboy Ca figurative
expression only, as no schoolboy would
know what we were talking about)
would go about it by considering merely
those funds that have gone into con-
struction and improvement or enlarge
ment, generally termed capital ex-
penditures." and disregard the money
spent in maintaining that plant.
That, roughly speaking, is one way
to obtain the street car company's "in-
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