Evening star., 1931-12-22
EFFICIENCY BUREAU
STUDY Of D. {. TAX
BILLS TO Be ASKED
Capper to Sponsor Inquiry
Into Proposals Already
Passed by House.
SHIPSTEAD JOINS FOES
OF REVENUES MEASURE
Analysis of Increased Levies and
Repeal of 60-40 Law Expected
Prior to Open Sessions.

thorough study by the Bureau Of
Efficiency of the House bills seeking to
increase District taxes by approximately
s4,000,000 year and to repeal the sub
stantive 604O law. was suggested to-
day by Chairman Capper of the Senate
District Committee as a desirable step
to be considered by the committee
L will submit this suggestion to the
committee when it meets again, prob
ably about the second week in jan
uary." Senator Capper said.
All OF these measures are related to
the general subject of taxation. and
Senator Capper believes it would be
helpful to the committee to have the
various bills analyZed by the Efficiency
Bureau, which has devoted considerable
attention in the past few years to the
District government, and particularly
to the whole subject of fiscal relations
1t became known today that Chair
man Byrns Of the House Appropriations
Committee interprets tie House action
in adopting the Mapes report as in
struction to his committee to base the
District appropriation bill for 1888 on a
lump-sum contribution from the Fed
eral Government toward support of the
Nations Capital of $500 900 instead Of
S9,500 900 as in the current appropria-
tion bill, or a 60-40 proportion as pro-
vided in substantive Law
| Mr.. Byrns said that the House di-
rected such action by approving the
general report Of the Mapes Committee.
The hearings on the District appro-
priatior bill are scheduled to start soon
after the Christmas holidays, which
close on January A.
Full Hearings Planned.
! Chairman Capper already has given
! assurances that the people of the Dis
trict, through their various organiza-
tions. will be given every opportunity
| to be heard on all of the bills sent over
by the House. 1t is probable that if
the committee adopts the recommenda-
ton of the chairman TO have the tax
program analyzed by the Efficiency
Bureau, that would be done prior 20
hearings.
The Bureau Of Efficiency has made
two separate studies and reports oil
fiscal relations in the past two years.
the second one having been made to the
Mapes Committee early last year. At
that time, however, none of the in
creased tax bills had been actually
drafted. and when the bills were intro
duced and made public following the
opening Of the present session Of Con-
gress they were put through the House
without hearings on their detailed
provisions.
Defends 60-l0 Law.
Vigorously opposing the increased
taxes Senator Shipstead yesterday de-
Tended the law which provided that the
expense of maintaining the National
Capital should be borne, so per cent
by the District and 40 per cent by the
Federal Government.
Although Congress for number Of
years has been departing from the fixed
ratio by appropriating lump sum
Federal contributions, the substantive
60-40 provision of 1922 has never been
repealed. The House has sent to the
Senate as part OF the Mapes Committee
program a bill seeking to wipe out the
60-40 law.
Although the House has succeeded in
these recent years in writing lump sum
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