Evening star., 1932-04-14
D. c. APPROPRIATION
BILL, CUT MILLIONS,
REPORTED IN HOUSE
Measure, SIashed to Bone,
Carries s39,e13,s1O-Lean.
est Fund in Years.
EMERGENCY RELIEF ITEM
OF 100000 IS OMITTED
Amendment Removes Public Utili.
ties Jurisdiction Over Taxi
Rates and Meters.

Slashed to the bone, the District
appropriation bill for the 1888 fiscal
year was reported to the House today
by the Appropriations Committee.
The bill carries appropriations total
ing $3s,9l3, ,810-s5, 1877 1925 less than ap-
propriated for the current fiscal year.
and S4,173.109 under the amount rec
commended for 1888 by the Budget Bu-
reau
The bill was taken up for considera-
ton in the House Immediately when
reported by Chairman Cannon of the
subcommittee.
Aside from the drastic cuts, which
confronts the District with the leanest
appropriation in many years, the COM
mlttee wrote into the bill a provision
reducing the Federal contribution from
s9,5oo,0oo to $6,5O0,O00.
Salary Curb Placed.
The full Appropriations Committee
in executive session today struck from
the bill limitations placed by the sub
committee that no part Of the appro-
prlations should be used for the pay
ment Of salaries to Gen. Mason NJ.
Patrick, chairman Of the Public Utili-
ties Commission, or to William A. Rcb-
erts, assistant corporation counsel.
Instead a committee amendment was
authorized which would remove from
the Public Utilities Commission juris-
diction over rates for taxicab service
and regarding the installation of
meters.
This action, it is believed. was taken
to indicate the displeasure of some
members of the House over the order
OF the Public Utilities Commission, re-
quiring the installation of meters on
taxicabs.
Reduction of $4,000 900 in the Fed
eral contribution was a foregone con-
clusion in view of previous action Of
the House when it passed the four
Mapes tax increase bills. What the
committee did was to divorce the ap-
preparation bill from the fate of rhe
Mapes tax bills by cutting the appropri-
ations ehargeable against the general
revenues Of the District by more than
$3,8o0,000.
Relief Fund Killed.
One Of the important omissions in
! the bill was an item of $500. 600 for
emergency relief work in the District,
which was to have been made inmedi-
ately available from public funds to
supplement inadequate private contri-
buttons. Such an appropriation was
strongly urged by President Hoover, the
District Commissioners and organized
welfare and charity workers
cursory analysis of the bill shows
that scarcely an item recommended by
the Commissioners and the Budget Bu-
reau escaped cut. No increases we're
allowed and virtually all new con-
struction, with the exception of a start
on construction of a new Benning
bridge and school buildings, represent
ing cost of less than S1.500000 was
eliminated. In effect. the bill would
place the District strictly on a main
tenance hasis in 1888, and nothing else.
Many Projects Suffer.
Specifically, some of the larger items
removed during the pruning process,
included the Georgetown Branch Lii
brary, the first unit of the municipal
center group, a new bridge over Rock
Creek at P street, the New Hampshire
avenue grade crossing the widening of
Constitution avenue from North Cap
itol to Sixth streets, the proposed sew
age treatment plant, and approximately
S8OO,OOO in street and road improve
ments. The committee also disallowed
funds for using private automobiles in
public work. abolished out-of- town jun
kets for park planners, denied an ap-
preparation for shirts and ties for men,
bers of the Fire Department. and cut in
half the usual fund for mosquito eradi-
cation work
There are also reductions in the work
to be done out of the special gasoline
tax fund of 1898 900 under current ap-
preparations and $288,900 under the
budget recomm endations, and in the
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