Evening star., 1936-10-18
CITIZENS TO GIVE
FISCAL TESTIMONY
viii Appear Before Jacobs
Committee Next Friday
and Saturday.

Washington's civic and business
leaders who are vitality interested In
a permanent solution of the trouble
some fiscal relations problem will
have an opportunity Friday and Sat-
urday to aid the special committee
of tax experts appointed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt to determine the fair
share of Federal participation in the
expenses of the District government.
Public hearings are to be held on
these two days by J. L. Jacobs, Chi
cago efficiency engineer and tax au-
thority, who the President selected
to direct the fiscal relations study,
as q means Of giving the diSfran-
chised residents of the District an
opportunity to voice an opinion as to
how the problem should be solved.
Units to Be Represented.
A number of organizations, rep
fesenting virtually every phase OF
civic and business life of the District,
have planned to have spokesmen at
the hearings. These include the Citi-
Eens' Joint Committee on Fiscal Re-
lations, the Washington Board OF
Trade, the Federation of Citizens
Associations, the Washington Real
Estate Board, the Central Labor Un-
ion and the Washington Taxpayers
Protective Association.
The federation will be represented
by Thomas E. Lodge, its president,
and l.. A. Carruthers, chairman of
the organizations important Fiscal
Relations Committee. The Central
Labor Union will select its representa-
Nves at a meeting tomorrow night.
In addition to the organizations,
Jacobs has invited William A. Rob-
erts, peoples counsel before the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, to explain
IN detail his own plan for solving
the fiscal relations problem. Although
Roberts has resigned, effective Novem-
ber !, he proposes to continue his
long fight for fair and equitable ad-
justment of fiscal relations between
the Federal and District Govern
mentS.
Details Of Roberts Plan.
Roberts believes Congress should
create a special fiscal relations COM
mission which each year would fix
the Federal contribution in advance
of the preparation of the annual Dis
trict budget, thus enabling the Com
nlissioners to frame estimates that
would not produce a deficit. In de-
termining the amount of the contri-
button Roberts proposes that the COM
mission take into consideration the
cost Of benefits reaped by the Federal
Government at District expense. The
commission, according to Roberts,
should be composed of the three Dis
trict Commissioners, the director Of
the Budget Bureau and another rep
resentative of the Treasury Depart
ment and a representative of the
Interior Department.
Will Report to Congress.
Data submitted by the civic and
business organizations will be con-
sidered by Jacobs and the advisory
committee the President named to
assist him before a report is prepared
for consideration of Congress. ia
cobs also will analyze more than SO
reports submitted by heads of vari-
GUS departments Of the District gov
ernment, showing the millions of dol
lars spent out of their appropriations
in the last IL years providing services
for the Federal Government.
Each of these reports was designed
10 show in dollars and cents how
much the Federal Government would
have to pay for the services it re-
ceives from the District if it could be
taxed as an ordinary taxpayer.
Details of these reports have not
been made public, but it was learned
the department heads found out that,
including the taxes the Federal Gov
ernment escapes on its property hold
ings, the amount is far in excess of
the s5,000,000 lump-sum contribution
for the current fiscal year.