Evening star., 1933-04-13
ELASTIC D. c. FUND
POLICY SUGGESTED.
Plan Would Give City Heads
Broad Authority to
Order Shifts.

| ers be given broad authority to transfer
! funds from one department to another
anywhere in the municipal service dur
ing the next fiscal year as means OF
meeting unusual conditions resulting
from the greatly curtailed local budget
was advanced for consideration during
executive hearings before the Senate
subcommittee today on the 1884 Dis
trict bill.
Earlier in the hearings a similar pro-
posal had been suggested to be applied
to certain parts of the bill, such as In
the school system and in the public
libraries, which prompted Senator
Thomas, Democrat of Oklahoma, sub
committee chairman, to ask District
Auditor Donovan and the Commission
ers to consider the practicability of
adopting some general rule for permit
ting an interchangeability of funds
throughout the bill.
Senator Thomas did not indicate that
he has made up his mind this should
be done, but merely requested the city
officials to study it, and if it appears
feasible to submit proposed amend
ment that the committee could consider.
! Welfare Officials Heard.
The hearings today were featured by
testimony of public welfare officials, re-
garding the emergency unemployment
, relief item, and Dr. George F. Bower
system, who outlined in detail the effect
/ on the library of the reduced amounts
, carried in the House bill. A group
of representatives Of various civic or
ganizations appeared in support OF
school items, including Americanization
| work and playground needs. Miss
Selma Borcharot, representing the
teachers union, submitted a plan for
taking care of the present teaching
force by adding small amount to the
House figure for personnel. She also
appealed for restoration OF school
building projects, calling attention to
the high percentage of unemployment
among the building trades in Wash
ington.
Members of the subcommittee were
told by the public welfare officials that
present indications are that more money
will be needed for emergency relief work
before the end of the next fiscal year
than is carried in the House bill. They,
therefore, supported the suggestion
made earlier in the hearings that the
board be given leeway to spend the
emergency fund of $1,250,000 now in
the bill more rapidly than one-twelfth
per month if conditions make it neces-
sary, with the understanding that Con-
gress would consider further relief upon
its return later in the fiscal year. The
relief situation was presented by George
S. Wilson, director of public welfare,
and LIE Roy S. Halbert, in charge Of
emergency relief.
Dr. Bowerman suggested at the con-
clusion of his testimony that authority
be granted to transfer up to 80 per cent
of the book purchase fund to the per-
sonnel fund to keep running next year
three neighborhood branches, which
would be seriously affected by the bill
as it now stands. Such authority
would make available for personnel the
sum of approximately 1880 urgently
needed for personnel above the House
figure.
Shorter Hours Held Possible.
Members of the subcommittee were
told in answer to questions that a Short
ening of library hours and furloughs
loom as possibilities in order to keep
within the reduced amount for per-
sonnel unless some such provision is
made. Although the number of reg
istered users of the public libraries has
increased 60 per cent between 1929 and
1882 and library circulation has in
creased Sc per cent during that time,
the increase in personnel for the same
period was only about 18 per cent and
large part of that increase was due
to the opening of a new branch. These
figures, it was said, show the made
quacy of the existing personnel allow
ance in relation to the growth OF IL
brary work, which would be still fur
ther reduced if no change is made by
the Senate in the pending bill.
Miss Borchardt showed the subcom-
mittee that the reduction in the teach
ing force of the public schools which
would be necessary under the House
bill could be avoided by an amendment
continuing available balance of S1O3,-
GIL which will remain unexpended from
the current appropriations for teachers
salaries, plus an additional sum OF only
S27.929 Miss Borchardt also asked the
Senate for an amendment under Whlcn
the contribution now paid by school
teachers toward the salaries OF substl-
tutes who take their places when they
are sick be made available for payment
of teachers salaries instead OF being
impounded in the Treasury as at present.
| She pointed out that at present the
salaries for annual substitutes are car
| ried in the appropriation Dill, put
argued that Congress does not pay Tor
| the substitutes, pointing out that school
teachers do not receive sick leave with
pay, but pay the salaries OF the annual
substitutes.
Senator Thomas seid the subcon-
mittee expects to complete the hearing<
after one more day, but whether the
next meeting will be held tomorrow was
not certain. The Board of Trade and
number Of other civic organizations
have spokesmen to be heard before the
hearings are completed.
Warns of Health Threat.
Mrs. Ernest R. Grant, on behalf of
/ the Association for the Prevention of
tuberculosis, today sent statement to
| the Senators considering the District
| bill in which she declared:
! UNLESS the original items in this bill
are restored, including that for the
adult tuberculosis Hospital, for the
equipment of the Children's Tubercu-
| losis Sanatorium, the two special health
! schools for tuberculosis children, and
provision for maintaining the Tubercu-
J losis Children's Clinic (now financed by
| the tuberculosis ASSociation), incalcu-
liable harm will be done to the cause OF
public health and the protection of the
people of the Nations Capital City. Those
original provisions represented the ir-
| reducible minimum of funds absolutely
essential to the continuance O. our fight
against this communicable disease. These
original items should be restored and
sufficient appropriation to provide for