Evening star., 1933-04-30
THOMAS MAY SEEK
D, c. BILL ACTION IN
SENATE TOMORROW
Other Measures, Including
Relief, Likely to Bring Few
Days Delay.
OPPORTUNITY POSSIBLE
IN TWO-HOUR PERIOD
Muscle Shoals Proposal Is Next
on Calendar, but Will Not Come
Up Until 2 PM.

Thomas, Democrat, OF Oklahoma, to get
Senate action tomorrow on the 1884
District appropriation bill which he re-
ported from committee Friday, improved
In many respects from the form IN
which 1t passed the House. II there Is
no opportunity to get the measure
through tomorrow, Senator Thomas said
he will seek action within day or two.
The Muscle Shoals bill is the Senate's
unfinished business. but will not come
up until 2 pm. This will leave two
hours, beginning at noon, for other bills
on the calendar. There Is a possibility
that consideration may be asked for the
District bill during that period although
other proposals are likely to be put
forward during that time.
Senator Thomas does not believe 1t
will take long to consider the District
bill and If there Is no opening in which
to call it up tomorrow he is confident
Of getting action later this week.
Relief Action Pressed.
Senator Wagner, Democrat. Of New
York, also is anxious to get action early
this week on the bill, which has al
ready passed the House, to make $780,
100000 available for Federal aid in
meeting emergency relief needs
throughout the country. The District
of Columbia is included along with the
States and Territories in this measure,
under which $3.50, ,000, 900 would be dis
tributed to each jurisdiction to the ex-
tent of one-third of the public money
spent locally for relief purposes. The
ed by the Federal relief administrator
to States which make application, show
ing that available funds from all sources
still are INADEQUATE
Under this bill, the District would
be entitled to approximately S135,00
for the second quarter of this calendar
year, based on the amount spent here
for the relief Of distress during the past
three months.
The prospect is that the Senate will
dispose of both this Nationwide relief
bill and the District supply bill this
week without materially delaying the
Muscle Shoals measure. The Senate
voted In favor of the Wagner-Lewis
national relief plan several weeks ago.
1t las to go through the Senate again,
however, because the House has since
passed the measure in somewhat diff
ferent form.
BY making available several unex-
pended balances Of prior appropriations
and allowing the Commissioners to
spend larger amount of the Districts
own gasoline tax fund, the Senate Ap-
propriations Committee has made more
money available for needed public works
in the District appropriation bill with
out materially altering the bill.
Raised to 100000.
The House voted to let the District
spend $1,040,000 Of its gas tax surplus
for such projects as the President might
approve. The Senate raised this limit
to 81 500, 900 and relieved the President
of the necessity of passing on the pro-
gram by lodging the power of approval
In the Commissioners. Out of this
fund, the Senate directed that $575, 1000
be used to start new Calvert street
bridge, after a study has been made
to determine which type of bridge
that part of this money be used to
widen Constitution avenue between
North Capitol and Second streets.
While the House bill carried no school
construction items, the Senate COM
jmittee decided to use $876,000 of an
lnexpended balance from prior appro-
priations for the Municipal Center de-
Yelopment, to take care of four school
building items, including start on the
hew Woodrow Wilson High School, at
forty-frst and Chesapeake streets.
k75,O00 available from other unex-
pended balances for school purposes. OF
this sum, $50,000 would be for improv-
ing school grounds, and $25,000 for re-
pairs to schools Another unexpended
balance Of $4,000 was made available
to the Lorton Reformatory for contin-
uing its permanent building program.
The Senate committee, recognizing
the urgent need for taking care of FAM
lilies in distress, raised from $1,25O, 900
to $l,500,000 the emergency relief ap-
preparation for the Board of Public
Welfare It also made this fund i'm
mediately available upon passage Of the
bill and directed that 1t could be spent
without regard to monthly apportion-
ment.
Other Items Increased.
At various other points in the bill,
The committee granted small but essen
tial increases in maintenance items,
amounting to $4,000. Included among
these was the restoration of $4,000 to
the fund for personal service in the
public library system.
The Senate committee raised the Fed
eral contribution in the bill from the
House figure of $5.700,000 to $6,250 000
It also voted not to require the District
to make another 81 100000 reimburse
ment to the United States during 1884
toward advances made for carrying out
the Capper- -Cramton park development
program BY this action the committee
recognized the contention of District
oficials that this money is being paid
back more rapidly than was originally
intended, since only s3,500.000 has been
spent on the park program within the
District thus far. The reimbursements
Of 81 100000 a year were predicated on
The expectation that $l6,000,000 would
be spent within few years. but eco
nomic conditions have necessitated a
slowing up of the plan.
One amendment recommended by the
Senate committee that will go a long
way toward relieving some of the Diff
culties arising from the deep cuts made
below this years maintenance appro-
priations is the general provision allow
ing transfer of funds from one subhead
to another within certain departments,
such as libraries, Fairgrounds, health,