Evening star., 1934-12-02
FEDERATION FAILS.
TO ACT ON bALLOU'
PROMOTION PLAN.
City Heads Asked to Double
Staff of School Physi-
clans, However.
RESIDENT is URGED
Il TO SUCCEED FOWLER
Citizens Favor Use of Per Capita
1evies in Comparing Taxes
for Presidents Inquiry.

The proposal by DR.. Frank W. Bal
lou. superintendent of schools, that
promotion of pupils from one grade
to another be dependent upon their
state of health, failed last night TO
gain the Endorsement of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations.
The matter was before the Fedora
ton Committee on Public Health, but
it was not reported out. The FEEDER
alton, however, acting on the commit
tees recommendation, called on the
Commissioners to double the present
staff of physicians, nurses and dentists
engaged in examining school children.
According to DR. Charles B. Camp
bell, chairman of the Committee on
Public Health. the District now spends
S64 900 per annum on a set-up, which
has one nurse per 5000 children, and
one physician per $4,000 children.
This, he said. should be doubled be-
fore the health of the children could
be properly guarded.
Ask Local Doctor.
Another report by this committee
suggested the nomination OF a resi-
dent of the District for the job OF
health officer. vacated by the retire
ment of DR.. William C. Fowler.
I'VE believe the committee report
ed, that a physician who has lived in
the District of Columbia and is ia
miliar with the particular problems
with which we are faced, would be
uThn UnIl1H
be selected from outside OF the city
because of political affiliation."
On recommendation of the Commit
tee on Law and Legislation, the fed
Grafton indorsed series of legislative
measures increasing the penalties
against prostitution and soliciting. 1t
was proposed to increase the penalty
for soliciting. which is now s25 fine,
to S1O0 or 80 days in jail or both, and
furthermore to make any person who
knowingly frequents or lives in a house
of i'll fame vagrant and subject to
the vagrancy statute no matter now
much money such a person may pos
sess.
BY adopting a report of its special
committee on taxation, the Federation
recommended that the experts to be
selected by President Roosevelt to pass
on the adequacy of the Federal pay
ment use per capita levies in COM
pairing the tax burden of the District
with those in other cities.
Tax Method Favored.
The report pointed out that the
"equalized or evaluated tax rate" sug-
gested by the President as yard
stick Of comparison is not the method
generally followed by experts in COM
pairing tax burdens. The usual prac-
tice of the experts is to take the as
sessment and the tax levy in cities
of comparable size and work out the
assessment and levy per capita.
Per capita statistics" the report
said, may be easily and accurately
determined and it is believed that
other standards of measurement in
addition to the average or evaluated
rate should be used"
The report further suggested that
taxes placed on public utilities here
in lieu of personal property taxes
should be considered as a part of the
general property tax for comparison
with other cities, and that it should
be noticed that much of the tax COL
lected in other cities goes for debt
service.
On the recommendation Of the
Committee on Highways. Parks and
Waterways the federation asked the
Commissioners to give serious consid-
Grafton to the use of the process of
chemical mechanical precipitation
with filtration for the sewage disposal
plant. SO as to rid the sewage of go
per cent of its putrecible matter. The
plans of the Commissioners at pres
ent contemplate only a preliminary
treatment which will remove but 80
per cent.
The matter of banning night park
ing Of automobiles on 80 downtown
streets will be taken up at a special
meeting of the federation called for
December Is.
In the absence of President James
G. Yaden the chair was taken by
First Vice President l.. A. Carruthers.
Carruthers announced the choice of
committee chairman for the coming
year by Yaden. The only major
change was that Thomas E. Lodge
succeeded George E. Sullivan as chair
man of the Committee on Laws and
Legislation.