Evening star., 1934-05-06
LUMP SUM HIKE
SEEN AS SENATE
ACTION IS NEAR
Subcommittee Members I'M
pressed by Need for Ad.
ditionaI Projects.
UPWARD REVISIONS
FAVORED BY THOMAS
Commissioners and District Audi
tor to Be Called for Final
Statements.

Is que 10 pe TepOIIeu W Ille OtIldlC
before the end of this week., with re-
liable indications the total will be in
creased and the Federal share brought
nearer to an equitable level than in
the House bill.
AS it came from the House three
weeks ago, the measure carried S32.-
650.000, toward which a Federal con-
tribution of only $4,364 ,295 was pro-
vided. Thus far the District sub
committee of the Senate Appropria-
tions Committee has devoted all its
time to hearing the testimony of Dis
trict officials and citizens, and will
not begin celebrating on proposed
changes before Tuesday.
Until the hearings end, probably
tomorrow, there will be no final con-
clusionS reached on amendments
There are signs, however, that SUBJ
committee members, individually, have
been impressed by the need for some
of the additional projects and main
tenance items brought to their atten-
ton during the hearings.
Thomas Sees Injustices.
Without undertaking to say what
the subcommittee will do when it be-
gins to mark changes in the bill, Sem
ator Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma.
chairman, said yesterday 'the evidence
on some of the items shows that sub
stantial injustice would be done with
out upward notifications.
When the subcommittee reconvenes
at 1920 am. tomorrow it will hear
final statements from the Commits
sioners and District Auditor Dono-
van. When the hearings began 10
days ago there was some discussion
of the House reduction in the lump
sum, but this is expected to be gone
into further in the closing testimony
of District officials tomorrow.
The theory on which the House cut
S1,335, ,705 from the Federal lump sum
of $5,700.000 was that the District
owed the United States that much,
representing 10 per cent of an allot-
ment made for sewer work by the
Public Works Administration last
Summer.
Hold Money Was Grant.
District officials have pointed out,
however, that this sewer allotment
was grant and not a loan. They
have emphasized that if this sewer
money had been regarded as a 80
per cent grant and 10 per cent loan
they could not have accepted it, since
the law forbids the District govern
ment from incurring any indebtedness
without specific authority from Con-
gress. The Budget Bureau and the
House Appropriations Committee both
had recommended Federal contribu-
ton of S5,700,00O.
If the District officials complete
their final statements tomorrow, the
Senate hearings will be closed, and
the subcommittee will meet probably
Tuesday to reach decisions on
changes. Within day or two after
the bill is marked up the subcommit-
tee will report its recommendations
to the entire Senate Appropriations
Committee. presided over by Senator
Glass, Democrat, of Virginia.
Relief Boost Seen.
One of the most important changes
likely to be made in the bill is for
emergency relief. AS passed by the
House, the bill contained $1,3O0,OOO
for this purpose. After the Senate
hearings began, however. the Presi-
dent transmitted supplemental esti-
mate of S1,7O0,000 additional for
emergency relief, approved by the
Budget Bureau. If the subcommittee
adopts this, as 1t is expected to do,
the bill will be reported with $3,000,-
900 for relief next year. This would
still be $1,000,000 less than the Com
missioners originally suggested.
This additional relief estimate was
part of list of supplemental needs
the Commissioners submitted to the
Budget Bureau some time ago, and,
while the other items on the supple
mental list have not been transmitted
from the Budget Bureau, there is
strong probability that some of them
will be added to the bill by the Sem
ate group.
Included in the supplementals was
approximately $500,000 for school
building projects.
School Needs Explained.
To large extent, the testimony of
ClVlC VI OlSdIllIdGlOllS uuIu ulS tlle pdSC
week has related to school needs The
discussion has included the need for
going ahead with the Anacostia
Junior High, the Jefferson Junior
High, additions to relieve congestion
at Eastern and at Roosevelt Senior
High Schools, and for a combination
elementary and junior high building
to replace the old Grant School. As
it came from the House, the bill car
ried only two school construction
projects, amounting to $568000.
A number of witnesses also have
urged the Senate to allow a larger
fund for community center activities
and for Fairgrounds.
With regard to libraries. the SEN
ate subcommittee has been urged to
retain the House item of $150,000 for
the proposed Georgetown branch IL
brary, and to restore the budget esti-
mate for library maintenance. A re-
quest also was made for a small
amount to draw plans for a Petworth
branch library, to be built later.
A number of witnesses also have
appeared in support of including $10,-
600 for engineering studies and nlanS