Evening star., 1934-04-08
|CKES WILL STUDY
?. v, A, FUNDS FOR.
PROJECTS IN D. c.
Conference Will Be Held
Tuesday With City
Commissioners.
APPEAL TO CONGRESS
HINGES UPON MEETING
Need of Improvements Costing
Nearly $20,OOo,OO0 Will Be
Outlined to Secretary.

Secretary of Interior Ickes will can
vass the question of financing
urgently needed District improve
ments with Public Works Administra-
ton funds at a conference with the
District Commissioners Tuesday after
noon. under arrangements made
yesterday.
An invitation to confer with him
at that time was sent to the Com
missioners yesterday by Secretary
1ckes. It was promptly accepted.
Indications are the result may be
an announcement of policy by the
Public Works Administration on re-
quests for grants for District gov
ernment projects. Ringing on the
conference also is the question of
whether the Commissioners will press
for congressional authority to accept
a loan of P. w. A. funds for local
needs.
Improvement Cost S20,O0O,O00
Unless grants are to be made on
100 per cent basis, the matter must
be placed before Congress for ap-
proval, since the District government
has no authority to assume obliga-
tions on its own responsibility. Secre-
tary Ickes heretofore has indicated
there is considerable question whether
he can make any outright grants to
the District, since cities and States
are assuming portions of the costs of
projects financed with p w. A.
money.
Apparently the fate of number Of
important projects is at stake. The
Commissioners will outline to Secre-
tary Ickes the need of selected list
of Improvements, the cost Of which
will run close to $20,000,000. These
cannot be financed out Of regular
District revenues at this time. They
include new tuberculosis hospital for
adults, estimated to cost $2,000000:
at least the first unit of the proposed
Municipal Center, to cost $4,000 900;
modern sewage disposal plant, So
100000: school and library projects
amounting to approximately 100000,
and possibly number Of other items.
The Commissioners regard these and
other improvements as projects which
must be provided for in the course of
the next feH years. They are but a
selected list of longer list of i'm
provements for which they have asked
for P. w. A. financing.
May Petition Congress.
The Commissioners yesterday re-
Trained from committing. themselves to
a proposition OF agreeing to seek con-
gressional authority for repaying a
large portion of whatever funds may
be granted to the District by the p.
w. A. They have held hopes that
Secretary Ickes would find cause for
making an outright grant for some Of
the projects.
On the other hand, the impression
was given yesterday at the District
Building that if outright grants can
not be made for the most urgently
needed projects, the Commissioners
are inclined to ask Congress to ap-
prove grants on partial loan basis.
To what extent the Commissioners
would agree to enter such an agree
ment was not indicated.
All three Commissioners, however,
have voiced considerable concern over
the need of District improvements,
for which provision cannot be made
In the District budget. Commissioner
Melvin C. Hazen yesterday cited as
a precedent for a loan the Capper-
Cramton act under which the Federal
Government was authorized to ad-
vance $16,000,OOO for park extension
- L4 hxy
the District at the rate of $1,000,000
annually.
Mai. John c. Gotwals, Engineer
Commissioner, emphasized yesterday
that in the course of a few years
the capacity of Gallinger Hospital
must be doubled, with the construc-
ton of new ward building, and that
this, with construction of a new Dis
trict Morgue on an adjoining site,
would have a total cost of about
$1,OO0,00O.
Hospital Need Stressed.
He estimated that the District will
require the construction of new school
buildings, each year, having an esti-
mated cost of $2,O00,000. He empha-
sized the need of proceeding with
the development of the S8,000,000
sewage disposal plant, which would be
built over period of years.
The Commissioners have particu-
larly emphasized the need of a new
tuberculosis hospital for adults. This
would be built on a site near the
Children's tuberculosis Sanatorium,
at Buena Vista, Prince Georges
County, Md. 1t would permit aban-
donment of the inadequate tubercu-
losis hospital at Fourteenth and Up
shur streets, and the use of the prop
erty for other purposes.
The general rule of the Public
Works Administration in providing
for financing of projects for munich
palities and States, in cases where
outright grants are not made, is for
the local jurisdiction to obligate it.
self for approximately 10 per cent Of
the cost. Such obligations are repaid
over varying periods Of years. While
the general rule is 70-30 division
Of costs, 1t Is said this is not hard
and fast rule. and that the ability of
the city or State to assume obligations
Is considered.