Evening star., 1934-11-11
FAV0RS
BIGGER j. s. SHARE
IN c|TY'S BUDGET
Senate Leader Would Pay
District Average Sum
Commissioners Ask.
$8,317,50O REQUEST
PROPER, HE ASSERTS
Federal Participation in This
Years Budget Declared I'm.
fair to Taxpayers.

Senator Copeland. Democrat, Of
New York, came out last night in
support of the plea of the District
Commissioners for a more equitable
lump-sum payment as the Federal
share of next years District ap-
preparation bill
In sending forward their 1886 fiscal
year estimates recently, amounting to
44,03s, 1856, the Commissioners ap-
pealed to the Budget Bureau to
recommend a Federal payment to-
ward this total of $8,3l7,500, which
would be equivalent to the average
of the annual lump-sum payments
during the past 10 years.
Secret hearings on the 1886
District budget as formulated by the
Commissioners were concluded yes
terday by the Budget Bureau after
two weeks Of consideration of the
city's needs.
Vital decisions on proposed ex-
penditures will be made this week by
the bureau when the bill is marked
up for presentation to the President
and Congress. 1t will remain secret
until laid before Congress at the
opening of the session.
Calls Increase Reasonable.
Senator Copeland. one of the best
informed members of Congress on
District problems, said yesterday he
would favor the recommendation to
raise next years lump sum up to the
10-year average, indicating he re-
garded it as q reasonable request.
AS a member Of the Senate District
Committee and also of the subcom-
mittee which handles District ap-
preparation bills, the New York
Senator has been a stanch advocate
of equitable treatment of the District
in the matter of fiscal relations be-
tween the Federal and local gov
ernmentS.
Senator Copeland, who has just
been reelected for another six-year
term, spent the past two days in
Washington and will return again
early in December to prepare for the
January session.
For the current fiscal year the Fed
eral contribution toward District ex-
penses was held down to $5,700,000
and from that figure Congress made
a further deduction by requiring re-
payment to the United States Of 20
per cent Of certain p. w. A. advances
for sewers and park improvements,
which District officials contended had
been made as grants and not as part
grant and part loan. When these
reimbursements are deducted the net
amount of the. Federal contribution
toward this years District expenses
becomes only $4,539,2 ,295.
Contributed Big Sums Before.
When Congress departed from the
substantive law. prescribing 40 per
cent as the Federal share of District
expenses, and began making arbitrary
lump-sum payments, the lump sum
remained at 100000 q year for a
flve-year period Then. after it had
been raised to s9,500,00 year for
only two years, the House began fight
ing for reduction, and for the past
three years the Federal share has been
slashed deeply.
District officials feel that their esti-
mates for next year, amounting to ap-
proximately $4,000 900, are confined
to actual necessities. They also be-
lieve the present tax rate paid by
District residents is fair and equitable.
They have urged, therefore, that the
additional amount needed to meet next
years requirements be provided by re-
storing the Federal share to the aver
age for the 1o-year period of lump
sum practice.
School Welfare Items Big.
Welfare and school estimates consti-
tute the largest items In the budget.
Proposed school appropriations amount
to $12,005, 1862, as compared with $10,-
490,927 appropriated for the present
year. The increase, however. allows
comparatively modest amount for
school expansion.
For all welfare purposes $S.612,390
is proposed for 1896, or approximately
81 ,00O,0 more than the appropria-
ton for this year. This includes an
item for emergency relief, understood
to be $3,000,000, as opposed to So
100000 appropriated this year.
Should the Budget Bureau refuse
to allow the proposed increase in the
Federal payment, drastic slashes
would have to be made in the esti-
mates and it is expected the heaviest
cuts would be made in the emergency
relief and school expansion items.