Evening star., 1932-05-20
Citizens Committee Submits
Petition for Fair Apportion-
ment of D. c. Costs.
RETURN TO 60-40 BASIS
URGED ON SENATE GROUP
Memorial Parkway Law Is. Dis
cussed After Testimony of
Col. Grant.

Fortified with statistics showing that
Washington, instead Of being under
taxed, bears a relatively high tax bur-
den. the Citizens Joint Committee on
Fiscal Relations last night laid before
the Senate subcommittee handling the
District appropriation bill a plea for a
fair apportionment between Uncle Sam
and the local residents Of the costs OF
running the National Capital.
With its chairman, Edward F. Cola
day, as spokesman, the Citizens Joint
Committee refuted the claims OF the
Mapes Committee of the House that
washington is lightly taxed. On the
recommendation of the Mapes Commit
tee. the House is seeking to slash the
Federal share of the pending appropr1a-
ton bill from $s,5O0,OOO to $6,5oo,o0o'
Urges 6O-4O Basis.
The Citizens Joint Committee, rep
resenting virtually all organized groups
of WashingtonianS, presented 10 Inc
Senate subcommittee its petition urging
a return to the 60-40 basis OF fscal re-
lations called for by substantive law
and appealing for substantial increase
in the Federal lump sum as long as the
lump-sum policy is SUBSTITUTED Ior tae
fixed-proportion rule.
Earlier in the day the testimony OF
Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, director OF
public buildings and public parks, ask
ing for elimination of House provision
which would prevent the Park and
Planning Commission from going ahead
with land purchases under the George
Washington Memorial Parkway law
until further orders from Congress. led
to a spirited discussion of the memorial
parkway law.
Chairman Bingham Of the Senate
subcommittee. referring to that part OF
the parkway law which requires the
District to pay back all of the $4,000
900 authorized to be advanced by the
Federal Government for acquisitions
within the District, declared that the
House showed no mercy toward the
District taxpayer" in that legislation.
Senator Bingham expressed the belief
that this was done Ito get even with
the District on the specious plea that it
was to give the Capital great park
system"
Sign Formal Petition.
Mr.. Colladay, who was given several
hours for presentation of Washington S
plea for fiscal equity a. the night ses-
sion, was accompanied by members of
the Joint Committee representing large
groups of citizens. The formal petition
of the Citizens Joint Committee was
signed by the following. representing
flotw II f1of
Mr.. Colladay, as chairman; Theodore
tive Committee; George w. Offutt,
president of the Board of Trade;
Harry King, Chamber of Commerce
C. H. Pope, District of Colum.
bia Bankers Association; ]. F.
M Bowie, Washington Real Estate
Board; Percy Thompson, Rotary Club;
Robert v. Fleming Finance Committee
of the Bankers Association; Joshua
Evans, jr., Committee on District Fl
nance of the Board of Trade; r. A.
Dickson, Central Labor Union; DR.
George c. Havenner, president of Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations; Mark
Lansburgh, president Of Merchants and
Manufacturers Association; George P
Hoover, Bar Association; Evan H
Tucker Northeast Washington Citizens
Association; Eugene r. Woodson, presi-
dent of the Kiwanis Club; L. A. Car
ruthers, chairman of Fiscal Relations
Committee of the Citizens Federation;
E. G. Bliss. Finance Committee of the
Chamber of Commerce, and Mrs. Ruth
S. McKelway, president of Voteless D.
c. League of Women Voters.
In explaining how the Mapes bill for
the repeal of the 60-40 law and for in
creased local taxes now pending before
Senator Cappers District Committee.
could properly be discussed before the
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee.
Mr.. Colladay pointed to the House ac-
ton, through the D. c. appropriation
bill, of reducing the lump sum from
So, 500, 900 to $6,500,000, and of the at
tempt to justify the cut through slash
ing local projects
Mr.. Colladay told the Senators
that in view of the demonstration by
the Citizens Joint Committee that
Washington is not undertaxed, as COM
pared with other cities, there should be
no increase in taxation in order to re-
duce the lump sum.
Before launching into a detailed
analysis of the statistical tables on tax
rates here and elsewhere, Mr.. Colladay
stressed the fact that from 1929 to 1881
there was withdrawn from the taxable
area of Washington property purchased
by the Federal and District governments
Continued on Page 2, Column 81