Evening star., 1935-11-10
|MA|N SUPPLY BILLS
HEARINGS T0BEG|N
ABOUT DECEMBER |.
Budget Bureau Nears End
of Work on District
Estimates.
LOCAL MEASURE DUE
TO BE AMONG LAST
House subcommittee Remain In.
tact, Enabling Conferences to
Begin Without Delay.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

BY JAMES E. CHINN.
The House Appropriations Commit
tee began preparations yesterday to
start work about December l on at
least five of the Governments major
supply bills, as the Budget Bureau
neared the end of its consideration
of the 1887 District estimates.
The appropriation bills to be taken
up first have not yet been definitely
decided That will depend on what
subcommittees first have enough men,
bers available to conduct hearings.
The District bill. however, will be
among the last to be considered. al
though the Budget Bureau will have
the estimates ready for the commit
tee early in December.
Last year the District budget was
among the first considered due to sew
eral unusual situations. 1t SO hap
pened at that time the District budget
was the first received by the committee.
And it also happened that the sub
committee which handles the District
bill was one of the first organized.
Other subcommittee, with the ex-
ception of the one headed by Repre-
sentative Woodrum, Democrat, OF Vir-
ginia, which consideres the independ-
ent Offices appropriation bill, had to
wait for Congress to convene in Janu-
ary to begin work because of incom-
plete personnel.
Subcommittee Intact.
This year, however. the subcommit-
tees are all intact and will remain SO
throughout the coming session of Con-
gress. The subcommittee on the Dis
trict bill will be composed of Repre-
sentatives Cannon of Missouri, Blan-
ton of Texas, jacobson of Iowa. Demo-
Gratis. and Otter, Republican, OF
Pennsylvania.
A delay of month or so in begin
ming consideration of the District
budget will not have any particular
significance. it is pointed out, because
the appropriations for the next fiscal
year will not become available until
July l.
Even though the District bill got
an early start last year, it was among
the last Of the supply measures to
clear the legislative hurdle, owing to
protracted deadlock among House
and Senate conferees over various
items inserted by the Senate.
The Commissioners and other Dis
trict officials spent considerable time
at the budget bureau last week
going over items that make up the
District budget. Most of the ma jor
items were disposed Of. including those
of the public schools, the Board of
Public Welfare and the Engineering
Departments.
End of Work Seen.
Estimates of the Fire, Police and
Health Departments will be among
those taken up this week, and indica-
tions are the budget bureau will
complete conferences with District
officials by the end of the week and
WHIP ttlC buOSCt lItO oildpC 4OI CllC
House Appropriations Committee.
Although some cuts in the original
estimates OF the Commissioners are
expected to be made by the bureau,
District officials believe the 1887 bud
get will be satisfactory.
The budget as it left the District
Building called for appropriations
totaling $47,482,7 ,760, an increase of
S5.276.145 over the amount voted for
the current fiscal year. It was predi-
Gated on continuance of the existing
$150 tax levy and Federal payment
of S8.317,500.
In fixing the Federal obligation at
S8,317,5O0, the Commissioners fol-
lowed a precedent established last
year when they proposed similar
sum for the 1886 budget. This was
approximately the average Federal
payment appropriated by Congress
over the preceding 10-year period.
$6,500, 900 Appropriated.
The Senate approved that figure,
but 1t was rejected finally In con-
ference at the insistence of the House
conferees. The amount appropriated
was $6,500,000.
District officials said the Budget
Bureau thus far has given no intima-
ton whether it will approve the S8,-
317,500 figure for 1887. Last year the
h,1reau recommended S5 70O 0OO the
same sum appropriated in the preced-
ing year.
Largest item in the 1887 budget is
s13.s59,046 for operation and expan-
sion of the public school system. This
would amount to an increase of ST.
506,996 over current appropriations.
The next largest item, totaling S.
422, ,655, is for the Board Of Public We'll
fare. This figure represents an in
crease of $914,453 over the amount
appropriated for this fiscal year.