Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-05
LUMP-SUM FIGHT
MAY HALT PASSING
OF DISTRICT BILL
Senate Conferees Hold Out
for "Compromise" as
House Is Firm.
SIMMONS SEES FAILURE
TO KEEP AGREEMENT
Bingham Hopes Representatives
Will Come "Half Way" to
Settle Dispute.

Although conferences on the Dis
trict appropriation bill have been
brought to a halt by the deadlock over
fiscal relations, Senator Bingham of
Connecticut, chairman of the Senate
group, expressed the hope this after
noon that the House might yet see its
way clear to meet the Senate half way
on the difference between the $4,000, 900
and the $4,000, 900 lump sum.
No arrangements have been made for
further conferences and If no agreement
is reached by the conferees, the bill
would fail. In that event, Congress
could pass a continuing resolution,
which would provide funds for current
operation of the municipal government
without new projects.
While members on the Senate side
were reluctant today to take the view
that the situation had reached that
stage, there were indications that they
felt the House members should not ex-
pect the Senate to yield all the way.
House COnferees Are Unanimous.
1t became known today that the
House conferees took the unanimous
position against discussing any figure
above the 100000 on which the House
has insisted for number of years.
Senator Bingham pointed out today
that the Senate group was not insisting
on its own figure of $12,000,00O, but
offered to compromise somewhere be-
tween the two figures. He indicated thai
the Senate group unanimously was Of
the opinion that there should be some
increase in the $9,000,000 taking into
account the increased cost of maintain
ing the District government.
With the House members declining
to compromise, 1t was indicated on thu
Senate side that they saw no use II
continuing discussion OF the bill.
Bingham Explains Stand.
Senator Bingham said 1t was Eel
where the two branches of Congress
took Numerically opposite positions OF
a question, the solution should be b.
trying to reach a compromise.
The House confereeS, headed by Rep
resentative Simmons. have taken thu
attitude that the House stands firm
until there is showing of facts x
warrant some other amount.
Representative Simmons also claims
that there was an agreement in confer
ence to pass over the fiscal relations
item until an agreement had beer
reached on the rest Of the bill, and that
last Monday the Senate conferees re-
fused to live up to that agreement ano
insisted on returning to the fiscal rela-
tons item for compromise" which
he refuses to consider.
The House conferees, Mr.. Simmons
said, will return to a conference when
assured that the Senate conferees will
live up to their agreement"
Phipps Wants Increase.
The 100000 lump sum the House
has insisted upon for several years a.
the Federal contribution toward the
District appropriation bill, was char
acterized as 'niggardly sum" thai
should be increased, in an address bJ
Senator Phipps. Republican, Of Colo
RADIO, in the Senate yesterday.
The reference to fiscal relations came
up as an incident in the debate ovel
the police and fire pay bill. The vigor-
Gus comment of Senator Phipps wa.
significant at this time, since he Is one
of the Senate conferees now engaged
in the annual battle with the House
over the extent to which the United
States should share in the burden Of
maintaining the Capital City. AS for
mer chairman of the District subcom-
mittee of the Senate appropriations
committee, Senator Phipps for num-
Der of years led the fight to obtair
a more equitable division of cost be.
tween the Federal and District govern.
mentS.
Senator Bingham. Republican, Of
Connecticut, Is the present chairman OF
the Senate group.
Senator Phipps also said:
while it is true that the District
has been receiving only 100000 &
year from the Federal Government or
account of its expenses, the fact |!
that the law today stands on the statute
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