Evening star., 1933-08-27
One-Man Government.

regarding a "one-nan" form OF gov
ernment for the District Of Columbis
4 NAV be said that an immediate anc
beneficial reform would be represented
# the present Board of Commissioners
were informed Immediately as to the
identity of the one man, among sew
eral in positions to influence local gov
ernmental policy, to whom they mlgn'
appeal for responsible guidance and
advice.
In the process of legislating for the
District, Congress-in which the Con-
stitution invests the sole responsibility
set aside 1880 900 Of surplus gaso-
line tax Ysvsnues and $685.. 900 surplus
water tax rsvtNues ito be Immediately
available" TO aid in the relief OF un-
employment and to be allotted 1or
such projects and purposes Is the d.
rector of the budget may approve
In the course Of his discussion OF THU
legislation lone man" Chairman Can
non Of the subcommittee on approprla'
tions for the District, told the House
If, as it is expected, there is no IN
crease in unemployment IN the DIS.
trict, these additional funds are not
available, and the director OF the
budget alone is authorized to determine
when there shall have been sucn an
increase in unemployment over pres
ent conditions as to justify recourse TO
these additional funds.
There we have lone man." Chairman
Cannon, tying q few additional strings
TO the money that Congress authorized
for unemployment relief. One was
that the money could not be spent un-
less there was an increase In local un-
employment, and the other was that
the director Of the budget was the "one
man" who could say when there was
an increase.
Chairman Cannon left the stage, 30
10 speak, and the spotlight turned on
the "one man" who would decide On
spending the surplus tax revenues to
aid in employment-the budget direc-
tor. This one man wrote to the Com
n,issioners on June 80 to the effect
that
The discretion entrusted to me by
this act is very distinctly circumscrioeo
bv the provisions that such expendi-
lures shall be in aid Of relief Of unem-
ployment. Both the terms Of the act
and statements made on the door OF
the House Of Representatives connrIn
me IN the opinion that the needs OF
unemployment relief must be gwen
prime, if not exclusive, consideration
In making my decision.
The one-man budget director, Doug
laS, tied another string to the surplus
local tax funds. He said In his letter
that since passage Of the District Dill
the national industrial recovery act
had been passed. making certain funos
available for ALLEGATION by the Public
Works Administration, and that Il do
not believe I could properly exercise the
discretion vested in me without consid-
ering the requirements Of the District
Of Columbia IN the national program" ="
Since then there has been no word
from the Budget Bureau and $50 men
have been discharged because the gas
tax money was not made available
while several thousand have been DE-
MED the right to the work that would
come with expenditure OF these
boarded local funds.
But another "one man"-Deputy q
3. Relief Administrator Alan Johnstone
comes on the scene and makes sur
veg Of relief and unemployment condi-
tions in the District. He finds that
unemployment relief, which had then
increased to almost $50 900 q week, was
inadequate In the District. He said
that an expenditure Of 100000 would
be necessary to give adequate relief this
fiscal year, and the District has about
$l.50o,o0o for the purpose. Since his
visit q few weeks ago relief expenditures
have increased to 1900 a week and in
two or three weeks 1t will amount to
s60,000. The demand has been steadily
increasing, denoting the increase in un-
employment which Chairman Cannon
did not expect and which Mr.. Douglas
does not admit. The number Of new
applications now runs $50 week, while
an average Of 1877 old cases, previously
taken care of through temporary en-
ployment, are being reopened each week
Eleven Thousand heads Of families are
now dependent on public relief tn the
District, which means that about 44,00t
individuals are dependent upon public
relief, the greatest number since public
relief was begun, in August, 1882. The
increase has been steady and 1t con-
tinues.
One man, Budget Director Douglas
informed as to the relief expenditures
replied by warning the Commissioner
not to incur a deficit. One man, Dep
uty Relief Administrator Johnstone
tells the Commissioners that public
relief at the present rate is inadequate
and must be increased. And now come
another "one man'-Secretary 1ckes
the public works administrator, WHIT
makes available $1,75s.oo for o Dis
trict sewer construction program, bu
ties q string to It in the form OF
statement that Congress will decide tn
division Of such expenditure betweel
the District and the Federal Govern
ment. While the Commissioners ar
vet to learn oficially about this alloca
ton of revenues, they have read enough
about 1t in the papers to force then
to entertain doubt as to whether the
can avail themselves Of the offer unit
they know how much of a strain it WI
place upon already shrinking local rev
snuss, They cannot spend local reven
ue until Congress has appropriate
tasens They do not khan how Sa6h.s