Evening star., 1934-04-22

eAiC 41odoC COIlolucIdUl6 IulSlulUTIIld-
ton about the District, its activities
and fiscal affairs, finds its way into
the Congressional Record. This year
was no exception, as the careful
reader of the Record will note
For instance, early in the discussion
on the measure in connection with
the Cannon amendment reducing the
Federal contribution. one member
shouts: Why should it not be
reduced?
The Government has spent millions
of dollars for the District in hospitals
to which the District does not con-
tribute one cent. For instance, at st.
EliZabeth's Hospital every dollar is
furnished by the Government. Take
Howard University for instance Every
dollar is furnished by the Government
and the District spends nothing on it.
II could mention enterprise after
enterprise upon which the Govern
ment has spent much money. For
instance, take the bridges here, the
Million-Dollar Bridge on Connecticut
avenue. or the s2,500,000 Key Bridge,
and the $4,000. 900 bridge that spans
lIlt IlNtl BOlllB ONcl W al llliSIOIl-
every dollar of that has been paid by
your taxpayers back home.
Here in the District people do not
pay a cent for sewers after they once
get connection. They do not pay any
thing for garbage collection or ash
collection Every tree that has been
planted here for so years the people
have not paid anything toward it,"
ID. c. Pays Its Part.
1t is true. Of course. that st.
Elizabeth's Hospital is Federal
owned institution, but the District
does pay for the District patients
quartered there. The rate is based
on the cost of maintenance and re-
pair of the institution, and averages
about 5000 year per patient.
Non-residents who become insane
while in the District and are COM
mitted to St. EliZabeths are con-
sidered charges of the District and
their expenses are paid out of District
funds which tends to increase the
Districts share of the expense despite
a reciprocal arrangement with a num-
patients who are maintained at the
institution temporarily at District
expense
Howard University also is a national
institution, over which the District
has no jurisdiction. Students from
the States have the same privileges
as those from Washington. Washing
tonianS, of course, contribute through
their national taxes (Which in the
aggregate were, according to the lat
est available figures, more than any
one of 26 States and greater than 10
Of the States combined to the MAIN
tenance of these various national
institutions.
National Tax Contributions.
The District, however, has con-
tributed directly through local taxes
toward the cost Of the Key and Taft
Million-Dollar) Bridges, and indi-
rectly toward the Arlington Memo
rial Bridge. Fifty per cent of the
cost of the Taft Bridge was paid out
of local revenues by the District. The
District likewise paid about so per
cent of the cost of the Key Bridge.
AS national taxpayers the residents
of the District contributed direct
ly TO the Sl4,000.000 Memorial Bridge
and as local taxpayers they paid,
in addition, so per cent of the
cost of widening and improving Con-
stitution avenue, the main traffic
artery leading to the new span.
far Ea
and garbage collections and tree
maintenance is concerned, the tax
payers bear that expense through
their general taxes These items all
are financed out of the general reve-
nues of the District Their cost is
an important factor in the calcula-
ton of the tax rate
A little later in the discussion an
other member. as means of justi-
flying a Sl.335. 705 cut in the Federal
contribution, claimed it represents re-
payment to the Government of 70
per cent of loan for sewer projects
and park improvements.
The Commissioners received the
funds for the sewer work and ac-
cepted it as an outright grant. They
old not, however. ask for s148,650
charged up for the park improve
ments, and, in fact, did not handle
this fund, which went to the Depart
ment of Interiors National Park
Service.
c. w. A. Money Given States.
A list of Federal allotments total
ing Sl1 ,3O5, ,S1098 was cited to illus
trate the Governments generosity to-
ward the District. There were numer-
Gus other allotments, however which
were not included in this list, and no
reason was given why only certain of
the items we're selected.
This S11 305 ,810 total includes money
spent here through the c. w. A, some
of it on Federal projects with which
the District of Columbia had nothing
in the world to do. The significant
showing would be the comparison
with amounts distributed to the States
by the c. w. A. But the comparison
now is impossible because the figures
have not been made public. A recent
request by The Star for such COM
pariSon elected the information that
while the figures are now being COM
piled. they have not been made public
because of the possibilities of jealous
dispute as to which State got the
most. At any rate, the figure for the
District, including, as it does, allot-
ments to Federal establishments, is
small in relation to totals which are
computed in terms of billions of dol
lars.
Enormous Voting Population.
Again in the discussion this state
ment is found. There are 100000
people in the District of Columbia
now who vote. Did my colleague
know that?"
But the 1880 figures of the Census
Bureau the first official tahulatiop |