Evening star., 1934-04-01
II Should Work Both Ways.


When the 1888 District appropria-
ton bill was under consideration in
June. 1882. the Senate Committee
recommended a lump sum of $780,
600, and in its report explained;
The amount as recommended for
the coming fiscal year does not re-
fleet an equitable settlement of the
question Of fiscal relations between
the United States and the District
Of Columbia in normal times, but
is IN accord with the general prac-
tice Of reducing Federal expenditures
by ten per cent.
The cut proposed by the Senate, in
conformity with other cuts then being
made in Federal appropriations, was
from ss,5oo,oo But after the usual
deadlock between House and Senate
ever the District bill, with members
OF both parties anxious to get away
for the conventions, the lump sum
figure was compromised at s7,775.o0
That was. of course, more drastic
than the reductions applied to other
national appropriations.
Last March, when even more
stringent economies were being sought
by the administration in national
budget balancing, the Bureau of the
Budget sent to Congress the rewrit-
ten District estimates for the fiscal
year 1894, now coming to a close,
and in recommending a Federal lump
sum of s5,7oo,ooo. explained:
The estimate of appropriation for
1884 for the Federal contribution to
the expenditures of the District of
Columbia herewith submitted Is S.
100000, which is reduction of ap-
proximately 26S per cent from the
Federal contribution for 1888 of ST.
77S,0Oo. This reduction Is approxi-
mately the same percentage of re-
ductlon which the total of the esti-
mates herewith, both annual and
permanent, for 1884 bear to the total
appropriation for 1898.
Both the Senate Committee, in 1882,
and the Budget Bureau. in 1884, at
tempted to link reductions in lump
sum to reductions in other Federal
appropriations or In the District bill
itself. While the Bureaus formula
may have been considered fair in
principle, it was in practice unfair
because the reduction in the lump sum
vas applied to figure that had al
ready been reduced out Of all pro-
portion to other reductions.
The District estimates for 1885
have increased over the appropria tions
Of 1884, and the same principle should
be applied to increase the lump sum
that was applied to reduce the lump
sum. This should follow automati-
cally, as matter of basic equity.
The 1885 estimates were increased
by s2,747,67s over the 1894 appropria-
tions. Now that salaries have in part
been restored and automatic, or Ion
sevfty, promotions will be resumed
there has been a further increase of
e1,7o0, ,0o0-making a total increase In
the estimates over last years appro-
priations of more than thirteen per
cent.
The increase in local estimates
should exceed that amount, because
all available local revenues should be
applied to meeting delayed municipal
needs-such as school buildings, Ii
braries, etc. But whether the in
crease is thirteen per cent (which
would automatically bring the lump
sum TO about se,441 ,000), or what
ever the increase is when finally COM
puted, the lump sum should in pro-
portion increase.
Such an increase would not repre-
sent a fair or adequate Federal con-
tribution. But until Congress decides
to devote to fiscal relations the time
and study necessary to determine
permanent policy, 1t would at least
represent conformity to the prin-
ciple of making changes in the
lump sum approximate the changes in
local estimates. That principle, of
course, should work both ways.