Evening star., 1933-02-17
HOUSE INDICATES
MOOD TO CUT D. c.
APPROPRIATIONS
BIanton Defeats Six Attempts
of Holiday to Aid I'M
portant Items.
BUT 36 PAGES OF BILL
COVERED IN TWO DAYS
Welfare, Police and Fire, Health
Courts and Prisons, Schools and
Grounds Await Action.

Obviously determined to cut down
District appropriations the House to-
morrow will resume consideration Of
the 1884 District appropriation bill.
The attitude Of the House was clearly
demonstrated yesterday when it fatty
rejected six attempts of Representative
Holiday, Republican, of Illinois, to in
crease important items in the bill to
the amounts recommended by the Bud
get Bureau. Each time the economy
minded Democrats, led by Representa-
tive Blanton of Texas, turned him down,
Memorial exercises in the House and
a Democratic caucus on the Blaine reso-
luton for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment will prevent consideration
OF the bill today, but when it is taken
up again tomorrow, passage is expected
to be expedited
In the first two days of debate only
SO pages of the 81-page bill werg cov-
cred, leaving welfare, police and fire.
health, courts and prisons, and public
scnooi buildings and ground items
awaiting consideration. The only
changes made in the first SO pages were
the elimination of the restriction which
prevented the Commissioners from re-
ouclng the real estate tax levy, and
provision to increase the Intangible per-
sonal property tax by 20 per cent to
create special fund for emergency un-
employment relief. These two proyi-
Slons were knocked out on points of
order.
S625,000 Amendment.
When the welfare items are reached
representative Smith, Democrat Of
virginia, intends to offer an Amendment
TO appropriate S625, 900 out of the gem
eral revenues of the District to provide
1or unemployment relief from July l to
december 81. He expects little opposi-
ton to this amendment.
In rejecting two of the Holaday
amendments, the House voted to aban-
Gon, as monuments TO economy, the
Highway Departments testing .labora-
tory and two new high temperature in
GENERATORS, projects in which the Dis
IrlcC recently invested more than $780,
Voo: Closing OF the incinerators win
force the District to return to the Old
dump system of refuse disposal. Land
In the Anacostia fats, reclaimed as
part OF the national aporetum, will be
used for that purpose.
The amendment providing for con-
tlnuation of the use of the incinerators
was defeated despite the pleas of Hota-
day and Smith, who pointed out that
when they were built it was generally
recognized that 1t would cost more to
operate them than to burn refuse on
dumps. The added cost, it was said,
was accepted as an investment in sani-
tation and the esthetic appearance of
the gates to the Capital.
Blanton argued that the use OF refuse
to fill in the Anacostia swamps would
result in a saving Of $225, 900 In the
coming fiscal year. Holaday, however,
answered that the cost Of incinerating
would amount to 5000, 900 and the saw
ing might be figured at S85,0o0.
Laboratory Argument Warm.
The argument over the amendment
to continue operation of the Highway
Departments testing laboratory also
waxed warm, but Holiday could not
convince the House that it would be
in the interest of economy to provide
funds for the plant.
With the laboratory closed, all tests
would have to be conducted at the
Bureau of Standards. Representative
Simmons, Republican, Of Nebraska,
former chairman of the House SUBJ
committee on Appropriations, said the
Bureau Of Standards did not want the
work and Should not be called upon
to do it at the expense of the Federal
Government when it Is not doing SIM
liar work for any. other city In the
country.
Representative Cannon, Democrat, Of
Missouri, chairman or the Appropria-
tionS Subcommittee, declared 1t was the
first time in his experience in Con-
gress that he had seen the District
refusing to take something for nothing
from the Federal Government.
Other amendments, calling for in
creased appropriations, which the House
voted down, affected the Office of the
recorder of deeds and items for the
repair Of bridges and replacement of
granite block, and asphalt pavements.
When the House stopped considera-
ton of the bill late yesterday, 1t was
in the midst of fight over provision
which would require payment of tuition
by all nonresident children who en-
roll in the future in the District public
schools. The provision, however, would
not apply to those now enrolled.
Representatives Smith and Gambrill,
Democrat. of Maryland, led the attack
on the tuition provision. The latter was
defeated in an effort to have the pro-
vision stricken from the bill, and Mr..
Smith followed Immediately afterward
with an amendment to exempt the chii-
dren OF Government employees and Army
and Navy officers. These children are
now exempt from payment of tuition.
The Smith amendment will be voted
on as soon as the House resumes con-
SideratiOQ of the bill.