Evening star., 1934-04-22
FEDERATION RAPS
SLASH IN BUDGET
Resolution Says Congress
Duty Bound to Be Fair
to District.

slaShing the appropriation bill un-
der Budget Bureau recommendations
at session in which only % members
participated in the final vote.
! The Federation Endorsed The Staf
Better Homes Contest, and followed
this with another resolution urging the
Commissioners to refuse permits fol
construction of steel and concrete
! billboards in residential sections OF
near public parks or Government
buildings.
The resolution regarding the action
of Congress was introduced by George
E. Sullivan for the Committee on Law
and Legislation, and read:
! BE is resolved by the Federation
| of Citizens Associations that it hereby
| solemnly protests against the recent
action of the House Appropriations
Committee and the putting of the seal
OF approval upon such action by the
House of Representatives acting
through an inconsiderable number of
| It's members tonly % members par
ticipating in the final vote) with re-
spect to the pending District of Co.
lumbia appropriation bill. and it here
by assigns the following grounds of
! protest:
Fairness Is Duty.
Il. 1t is not optional with the
i members of Congress whether to alto
gether Ignore or TO give diligent at
tention to matters OF legislation for
the District of Columbia The dis
franchiSed citizens of the District are
absolutely dependent upon the diligent
attention and fair -mindedneSs of the
! members of Congress, whose oaths of
! office impose such duty upon them
2. 1t is obligatory upon the mem
bers of Congress to realize that the
District of Columbia appropriation
bill is in no sense a compilat ton of
gratuitieS or grants by the Federal
Government, but constitutes almost
exclusively series of provisions for
the disbursements and applications to
the needs of the District of funds
| raised from those residing in the
District
s. NO CIVIC organization in the Dis.
trlct wants, or has requested. a re-
duction of taxes in the District if
obtained through neglect of other
needed public facilities: and least of
all, no such organization favors such
neglect of needed public facilities
being excused by pretended reduction
IN taxes. reduction in the already
grossly inadequate Federal contribu-
ton being substituted for such pro-
posed tax reduction
Fair Valuation Sought.
What this federation has been
seeking nth regard to taxes Cbut
without tangible results as yeti, is the
establishment of a system of valua-
ton for tax assessments which will be
fair and equitable. and in accord with
| the prevailing practice elsewhere. in
stead Of keeping up such assessments
on much higher scale and applying
thereto tax rate which seems to
show that less taxes are being COL
lected here than elsewhere. when the
contrary is the fact"
The billboard resolution. introduced
by A. H. Gregory and unanimously
adopted was.
Whereas the General Outdoor Ad-
vertising Co. has made application
for replacing So old billboards on %
locations in the city with modern
steel types of signs designed for per-
NANCY,
And whereas the Federation of
Citizens Associations views with ap-
prehension any action by District
authorities which might lead to the
construction of permanent billboards
in any residential section. or in the
immediate neighborhood of any pub
lie park or building,
Would Curb Blight.
Now, therefore. be it resolved,
That the District Commissioners
be urged not to grant any permit
which might result in the construction
of permanent billboards in any resi-
Dental section of the District of Co.
lumbia or in the immediate neighbor-
hood of any public park or public
building in the District of Columbia,
to the end that sections of the said
District now dedicated to residential
or governmental use may not be
blighted by commercial exploitation,
and also to the end that in sections
where such commercial exploitation
now exists, that blighted condition
shall not be made permanent"
The motion to indorse the Better
Homes Contest was made by DR..
George C. Havenner and seconded by
several delegates. DR.. Havenner re-
called the better gardens contest
conducted as part of the Bicenten-
tennial celebration of 1882, and said
The Star contest would have a benefi-
cial effect similar to the effect of
that contest.
IndOrse Loan.
The federation favored, as an
emergency matter, $20,000000 loan /
of P w. A. funds to the District, SO
long as the borrowing be not regarded |
as a precedent The following items |
were Endorsed by the federation for
expenditure of the money:
School buildings and grounds 1900. 900
Tbe 'uloSis sanitarium. ..... 1,500 600 ,
New ward to- Gallinger Mu- .
nicpal Hospital. ........ 400 900 |
Sewage dispose plant. ....... 5000. 900 !
Municipal center building. go. 1000. 600 |
Inclosure at Lorton Reforma- ~
Abolition of Michigan avenue ''''''
g ade crossing .... 100000 |
Petworth Branch Library. .... 150,OOO |
Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge. 1.OOO,O00 |
New branch libraries. ...,... SOC. 600 |
$4,000. 900 |
The resolution asked that at least !
90 per cent of the employees used in |
the construction work be bona f1de
residents of the District of at least |
two years residence.
Another resolution asked for the |
removal of the steps from the old |
Patent Office Building on F street
between Seventh and Ninth streets |
Asks tuberculosis Care.
A resolution introduced by the
Public Health Committee and adopted
asked for more adequate funds to be
appropriated by Congress to treat |
tuberculosis cases; employment of a
full time officer; cooperation of the
Health Department with the In
structive Visiting Nurses Society to
secure full utilization of all nursing
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