Evening star., 1934-03-18
.CAPPER URGES END.
OF BUDGET RULE.
Kansan Says City Heads
Are Able to Handle
Finances.
Continued From First Page.)


with the exception Of a lump sum
appropriated annually by Congress
and which. in recent years, has been
reduced almost to the vanishing
point" He added that this Federal
lump sum lis the only possible justifi-
cation for the examination CT the
District estimates by the Bureau OF
the Budget"
CThe Federal lump sum for the cur
rent fiscal year is s5,700000, having
been reduced to that level from So
100000 few years ago.
The Budget Bureau, for most pur-
poses, Is an excellent institution,
Senator Capper said, adding:
But I cannot see how the direc-
tor and his able assistants can feel
that they know more about the needs
Of the District than the taxpayers
and the hard-working District Off
cials. who are in intimate contact
with the affairs of the Nations Cap
ital day after day. Yet each year,
after these estimates have been scru-
tinized by the Commissioners. and un-
necessary items removed, the Com
missioners must take the reduced esti-
mates to the Budget Bureau. The
director of the budget may simply
look at the total amount OF the esti-
mated expenditures and say to the
Commissioners: Cut this down to so
many millions of dollars
Then the Commissioners notify the
department heads that a number of
arbitrary cuts must be made in their
estimates. The reductions are made
and the estimates resubmitted. The
Budget Bureau may make such fur
ther revisions as it deems to be neces-
sary. And not until then are the esi-
mates accepted and submitted TO Con-
gress in the annual budget message
of the President along with the ap-
propriations for all Of the activities
Of the Federal Government.
Hard to Overcome Manhandling.
The District budget then is ready
for consideration by the subcommit-
tees of the House and Senate Appro-
priations Committees. These subcom-
mittees do their best to work out a
fair plan Of expenditures, to guard
against arbitrary or capricious action
and to see that the necessary activl-
ties of the District government are
maintained adequately. But it is hard
for Congress to overcome the man
handling of the District budget by the
Budget Bureau.
Il think that the schools and other
essential services of the District gov
ernment will be more generously pro
vided for if we remove the District
budget from the jurisdiction OF this
Federal agency"
After pointing out that 1t took seven
years to complete a five-year school
building program authorized In 1925,
Senator Capper said the District be-
gan to feel the pinch Of the depres-
sion in the following year Of 1888,
when "schoolhouse construction had
to be contented with an appropriation
of 81, ,568 500"
Even this was generous" he con-
tinued, "in comparison with the treat
ment of the District schools in the
1894 appropriations, Not one cent of
direct appropriations was made, but
s570. 900 of the Municipal Center ap-
preparation was made available for
beginning construction of the Wood
row Wilson High School and for the
erection of an eight-room colored ele-
mentary school.
Record Not Impressive.
1.-THE record on the pending appro-
priation bill is Just as bad. The bill
contemplates only the completion OF
the Wilson high school and construc-
ton of an addition to the Brown Jun
ior High School. at a total cost OF
s568,500. This record is not one OF
which Congress may be proud. In a
year when building requirements and
new construction are needed as never
before, the District is asked to contlne
its efforts to work on two school
buildings"
At the outset Senator Capper said
education has suffered throughout the
country because of the depression, and
that while Washington has not known
the extreme measures adopted in some
cities, he added that he does not be-
lieve "the depression is sufficient ex-
cuse for the ruthless reduction in ex-
penditures for our most important
municipal service"
Referring to a recent analysis OF
schoolhouse accommodations prepared
for the Board of Education by Super
intendent of Schools Ballou, Senator
Capper said it is conservative and
makes no allowance for the future an
nual increase in enrollments in the
elementary schools.
IF the report can be criticized on
any ground, it is that DR.. Ballou has
covered only the stark essentials OF
necessary schoolhouse construction
the Senator declared.
Portables Still In Use.
Discussing the need for l29 class
rooms to relieve congestion in the
elementary schools, Senator Capper
said:
Twelve of the dangerous, unsightly
and wholly undesirable portable school
buildings are still in use. These should
be abandoned at the earliest possible
date. Their existence is justified only
by the fact that our school buildings
are overcrowded.
THE undesirable rooms which DR..
Ballou mentions in his report include
all sorts of space in school buildings.
These include janitors' rooms, base
ment rooms. corridors. temporary