Evening star., 1934-05-01
DOUGLAS CONFERS
WITH SENATE BODY
OND.C. MONEYB|LL
Whole Problem of Fiscal Re.
Iations With U. S. Is
Considered.
CHAIRMAN DESCRIBES
| MEETING AS HELPFUL
Talk With Budget Director an
Innovation in Preparation of
Annual Supply Measure.

The whole subject of budget making
for the District, including the problem
of fiscal relations between the District
and the United States, was gone over
in a two-hour conference today be-
tween the Senate subcommittee han
ding the 1885 appropriation bill and
Budget Director Douglas.
Characterizing the informal confer
ence as satisfactory and beneficial"
Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Okla
homa, subcommittee chairman, pre-
dicted it would prove helpful to the
subcommittee n working out more
equitable bill.
The conference was somewhat Of an
innovation in the preparation of the
annual supply bill for the District,
since the budget director ordinarily Is
not called upon to lake part in the
deliberations over the appropriation
bill after the budget estimates are
sent to the Capitol.
Douglas Silent.
Douglas refrained from discussing
the conference upon leaving the COM
mlttee room. Earlier in the morning.
when he arrived, he said he was there
to be helpful to the subcommittee in
any way that he could.
Although details of the conference
were not divulged, it is understood
the meeting consisted of a round
A-1 .E x,;A 1917
subcommittee members and the bud
get director on the methods followed
in preparing the District budget. to-
gether with general discussion of the
basic reasons why the Federal Gov
eminent shares in the expenses of the
National Capital.
During the discussion, it is under
stood. some comparisons were made
between the Government property
holdings in Washington and the areas
of State property that exists in State
capitals. In this connection it was
pointed out. however. that in Wash
ington the Federal Government, in
addition to owning large area of the
property, possesses all of the govern
ing and appropriating power, a sit
uation which does not prevail in the
cities of the country which happen
to be State capitals.
Conclusions Not Reached.
No effort was made, so far as could
be learned, to arrive at conclusions as
to what changes should be made either
in the total of the House bill or in
the Federal share, which the House
reduced from the budget figure of
SIS, 700, 900 to S4,364,295.
When the subcommittee reconvenes
tomorrow morning it will begin hear
ing spokesmen for local civic organi-
cations on the need for specific
amendments to increase certain items
in the bill. Among these will be a
committee from the Washington Board
Of Trade and other groups to urge
funds for a survey for the proposed
new Chain Bridge.
The subcommittee probably will
spend Wednesday and Thursday hear
ing civic leaders, after which it will
be ready to reach decisions on changes
in the House bill. All indications
thus far have been that the Senate
group will be disposed to increase va
rious items throughout the bill and
also to recommend a more equitable
Federal share.
Situation Called Different.
1t is understood that during the
conference attention was called to
the fact that under the Constitution,
Congress is vested with exclusive legis-
lative power over the District and
that possessing this power, its obliga-
ton to share in the expenses of main
tanning the city is different from the
situation existing in other cities where
large areas are devoted to State or
Federal uses.
1t is believed that subcommittee
members obtained considerable infor-
nation today on District needs that
were not included in the budget esti-
mates, including a list of school prof.
ects, which was asked for by the Com
missioners.
It is probable that by the early pal
of next week the bill will be reat
to be reported to the Senate App
priations Committee.