Evening star., 1934-07-15
TAXPAYERS SCORE
SPENDING TREND
Welfare and School Items
Create Fear of Increased
Levy Next Year.

Calling attention TO steadily in
creased expenditures for public well
fare and public schools. the Wash
ington Taxpayers Protective Asso-
citation yesterday warned that unless
this tendency is checked in consid-
ering the 1886 budget there will be
great danger of a tax raise next
year"
The present trend of such expen-
ditures cannot continue without "un-
believably high taxes" in future
years. the association pointed out,
except at the risk of depriving the
fire, police and sewer departments
of sufficient funds to function prop
erly At the same time. the asso-
citation released study showing how
the taxpayers dollar was split up in
1910. 1920 and during the current
fiscal year The cost of public well
fare and public schools now is over
30 per cent of the cost of general
governmental outlays in 1920, these
figures revealed
Startling Increase Seen.
The statement said
While the proportion of money
now obtained by most departments
such as sewer. fire, police, etc. has
either remained about the same or
gone down. the share that goes to
public schools and public welfare has
increased in startling fashion. In
1910 the schools, hospitals, jails, etc,
altogether accounted for about 81 per
cent of the Districts general ex-
penditures. 1t remained about the
same for 1920, but in 1885 SO cents
out of every dollar, outside of water
funds, used TO run the District Gov
ernment will go for these two items.
The cost of public welfare and
schools today approaches twice the
cost Of general governmental outlays
in 910 and is over 80 per cent of the
amount appropriated in 1920.
This association, at this time does
not say this money should not be
spent in this fashion 1t merely
wishes, before the budget for 1886 is
made up. to call attention to a trend,
which if it keeps on, will lead to un-
believsbly high taxes, or else such es-
sential departments as fire, police,
sewer, etc, may not receive enough
money to function properly.
Demands for Funds.
1T is interesting to note that in one
of his first statements the new di-
rector of Public Welfare suggested a
list of proposed improvements for his
department which would cost almost
$40 100000 to be made during the
next six years. These capital expendi-
lures are only the beginning; after
the buildings are erected added
maintenance would Immediately begin
to demand more money.
There seems to be no limit to the
demands not only of some District Of
hcials but of individual groups which
work year in and year out TO see that
some new building is built or that a
novel welfare scheme is tried at the
expense of the taxpayers. Millions
are being sought and obtained for
jails schools. etc. while, for example
the Fire Department has apparatus
so old that it stays most of the time
in the repair shop; the Bureau of
| Weights and Measures functions on a
shoestring endeavoring to save the
public millions from crooked mer-
chants. and the peoples counsel help
ing to fight the battles of all the cit
liens for fair treatment from the
public utilities has only part-time
stenographer to assist him.
The following table shows the di-
vision of the taxpayers dollar, ex-
elusive of water funds, for 1910. 1920