Evening star., 1933-06-14
TWO SOURCES OF AID GIVEN
TO DISTRICT BY CONGRESS
Parity With States Under Relief Act
and Inclusion in National Recovery
Measure Provided.

filing Anacostia Park lands at $50, 900
per annum; construct new ward build
ing at Gallinger Municipal Hospital,
$750,000; Georgetown branch Public
Library, $175,O0O; improve Central Lii
brary Building, 100000, and small
mammal house at the Zoo, $3.50, 900.
A start on the work of ridding the
Capital of its 1873 inhabited alleys by
substituting sanitary low-cost housing
units stands a chance of being ac-
complished under this section, and also
under a separate bill passed by the
Senate and thought to have a good
chance of passing the House now or
at the next session.
Under this bill, introduced in the
Senate by Senator Arthur Capper of
Kansas, an unused balance of $500, 600
of the funds of the wartime United
States Housing Corporation would be
made available for alley elimination
construction work, aided by loans for
lf-liquidating construction by the Re-
construction Finance Corporation.
The actual work of eradicating the
slums would be turned over by the Pres
ident to any Federal or District agency
he selects as most fitted to accomplish
the task.
One project in the District is specifi-
cally mentioned in the bill. This sec
ton authorizes the advance Of money
for immediate construction of an annex
to the Library of Congress building, esti-
mated to cost when complete $5,025 900.
There is also general language in the
bill which would permit the dedication
by the Federal Government of a strip
of land in the Fort Meyer reservation
needed for link between the Arlington
Memorial Bridge and the Lee Highway,
IL e~nn{Ao v,oov,ffNv, nf fhic
project is made.
A Preference List"
The roads section of the recovery bill
offers the District an allotment of about
81 900 900 for construction of roads and
related projects. A preference list" OF
the Jobs to be undertaken under this
allotment is now being drawn up by
officials of the Highway Department.
Under this section an appropriation
Of $4O0, 900, 600 is allotted to States and
municipalities for various highway con-
struction items OF this sum, seven
eighths is to be allotted under the rules
of the Federal highway act OF 1921 and
lotted on the basis of population.
Under the highway act of 1921, the
total appropriations for Federal aid
highways is split up into three parts.
One part Is contributed among the
States in proportion to population,
the second in proportion to area and
the third in proportion to the mileage
of rural mail routes. There Is pro-
vision, however, that the share Of no
one State shall be less than one-haf
of one per cent Of the total appropria-
ton. This division, it is estimated, will
yield the District some $4,000, 900 Of the
$400, 900, 900 appropriation.
Under the terms OF the national re-
covery measure, the appropriations may
be used for "all or any part of the cost
of highway construction, including the
elimination of hazards to highway
traffic, such as the separation of grades
at crossing, the reconstruction OF exist
ing railroad grade crossing structures,
the relocation of highways to eliminate
railroad crossings, the widening of mar
row bridges and roadways. the building
Of footpaths, the replacement Of unsafe
bridges, the construction Of facilities to
improve the accessibility and free flow
of traffic, and the cost of any other
construction that will provide safer
existing hazards to pedestrian or We
hicle traffic"
This work Is limited to the Federal
aid highway systems and extensions
thereof into 'and through municipali-
ties" and to construction on second
ary or feeder roads to be agreed upon
by the State highway departments and
the Secretary Of Agriculture, provisions
broad enough, 1t is explained, to cover
practically all Of Washington's through
highways
The Wagner bill on employment ex-
changes also gives the District an en-
MI mr. rfHro Tnic will
already Federal employment Office in
the District, operated as joint enter
prise between the District and Federal
governments, as contemplated by the
Wagner bill.