Evening star., 1934-05-08
Objections to the P. w. A. Loan.

UDJecLl0nS 10 tne +. w. n. LOdI'
The bill authorizing the District to
borrow for certain specified projects
from the Public Works Administration
represents the considered opinion OF
those who took part in framing it
the Commissioners. familiar with the
city's needs; the Park Commission and
the members of the House and Senate
Legislative Committees on the District
of Columbia. who studied it in joint
session. The bill reflects, generally.
the views of Secretary Ickes, public
works administrator. as to the nature
of the projects for which the P. w. A.
would advance funds under terms of
the act. Mr.. Ickes discussed the sit
uation with the Commissioners before
they drew up the terms OF the bill
1t would be extremely unfortunate
If the objection of some individuals
against the inclusion of certain
projects be permitted to delay and
otherwise place in jeopardy this
locally important lgislation. If there
are sound objections to the inclusion
of the item for building an adequate
adult tuberculosis hospital in Wash
ington, for instance, and such objec-
tions are sustained by the opinion
of members of Congress as against
the opinion of the experts profess
sionally cognizant with the local sit
uation, the proper step would be to
amend the bill-not kill it in its en-
tirety because of objections to certain
Of its features
The same reasoning applies in the
case OF objections to the financing by
loans of excessive local revenue ex-
penditure on a Municipal Center
project which has been made more
costly by many more millions than is
necessary from the local communitys
viewpoint IN order to harmonic in
magnif1cence with the national pub
lic-building projects.
If this bill could be amended to in
clude a program of branch library
construction, as suggested, it would
go that much further toward meeting
a recognized need. The public library
facilities of Washington are made
quate, partially because the extension
of branch-library service has been
handicapped by several years of con-
tinued delay in its provision through
the regular appropriation bills. But
those who have contended that
branch libraries should be included
in the bill have not adopted the
unreasonable attitude of demanding
that branch libraries be included or
the bill, as whole, killed. Nor should
those who object to specific provisions
do so at the expense of the bill as
whole.
To draft a bill of this sort, with a
necessarily strict limitation on total
funds to be borrowed, containing all
the projects which were deemed es-
sential in Capital development and
none of those to which there might
be some objection would, of course,
be a physical impossibility. But the
principle of this bill has been gen
orally approved. The projects 1t in
cludes are considered, by those who
should know, desirable and essential.
And to obtain these projects by any
other method than borrowing and
spreading the cost over many years
is manifestly impossible under the
present system of annually appropri-
ating for little beyond current needs.
There IS time for consideration OF
this bill and all of its provisions, IN
cluding possible errors of commission
as well as omission, on its merits.
Such consideration by the exclusively
legislating Congress should not be too
much for the local community to ask.