Evening star., 1936-05-10
SENATE MANAGERS
TO FIGHT CUTTING
S5,7OO,0DD ASKED
BIanton Protests Figure in
Letter to Chairman
Thomas.
CONFERENCE ON BILL
REOPENS WEDNESDAY
High Basis of Assessment Here
Cited in Defense of
Sum Sought.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

With conferences on the 1887 Dis
trict appropriation bill due to be re-
sumed Wednesday, the Senate man.
ayers are gathering tax and assessment
data to support their position in stand
ing by the Budget Bureau recon-
mendation for continuation OF the
IS, 700 900 Federal share of measure
that will carry total between s42,-
600, 1000 and S43.000,o00.
Aside from developments in confer
ence, it came to light yesterday that
Representative Blanton of Texas, lead
ing the fight to slash the Federal pay
nent to $2,700, ,0O6. wrote letter two
months ago to Chairman Thomas OF
Oklahoma, in charge of the bill for the
Senate, suggesting that the people Of
Oklahoma would not agree with the
Senate's policy on District approprla-
ton matters. The letter also is un-
derstood to have intimated that the
question might be presented to the
people of Senator Thomas State.
The letter was written in March,
before the Senate subcommittee had
made any changes in the House pro-
visions of the bill. The text. OF the
missive has not been made public, but
it is understood to have stated, among
other things, that Blanton believed
the people of Oklahoma. like the peo-
ple of Texas, would not approve OF the
expenditure of from s8.000.0 900 to SILL
600 900 a year toward the maintenance
OF the District.
Thomas Assemblies Figures.
To support his position in being
willing to contribute a reasonable
amount as the Federal share OF the
expenses of the District, Senator
Thomas, 1t was learned, has assembled
figures on the assessment of property
and what is required to maintain the
Federal Capital, as compared with
the State of Oklahoma. including the
following:
That Washington. according to the
1880 census. had a population OF 1885,
600. That the cost of the State gov
ernment of Oklahoma is $4,000. 600
year for a population of 2,500,000 per-
SOIlS. LluSs IllC oA14O0AAS ASAAAA~A ~S-
the National Capital for one year is as
much as the State government OF
Oklahoma. with five times the popu-
lation, requires for two years.
That the total assessment OF all
real property in Washington is ST.
800 900 900. and the total assessment
of Oklahoma is s124O,000 900. This
shows Washington's property assess
ment is $500 900 900 above the assessed
value of property in Oklahoma.
Assessment Base High.
The local taxes collected on this
high basis of assessment provide the
bulk of the revenue needed to detray
the cost of maintaining Washington in
a way to meet the requirements OF a
National Capital.
Members of the Senate frequently
in recent years have cited Washing
factor to be borne in mind in conSid-
ering the tax rate of $3.50 per hum
dred of assessment, pointing out that
the general practice elsewhere Is to
have a lower basis Of assessment,
which makes the rate higher. They
have emphasized that the rates alone
do not indicate relative tax burdens,
unless the basis of assessment is taken
into account.
District officials have shown that
Washington's property assessment,
taking the city as whole, is between
80 and 100 per cent of true value.
Even with the Federal payment at
the Budget Bureau figure of s5,700,-
600. the share to be met locally would
be about 86 per cent of the total in
the pending bill for next year.
Record of Payments.
During the IL years of lump-sum
practice, the Federal payment has
never gone above s9,500,000, and
reached that limit for only two years.
In the earlier period of lump-sum his
tory, the Senate several times advo-
Gated a larger amount. but had to
kyield to the lower amounts advocated
by the House. Since July of 1888 the
Federal payment has not gone above
the present figure of $5,700,000, the
amount the Senate is now standing
for firmly.
If the confereeS fail to agree on
this figure, a continuing resolution
may be substituted for the bill. which
would continue maintenance items at
the current amounts, without the new
construction projects that are in the
bill. 1t would be possible for the
House to again cut down or eliminate
the Federal payment in the continuing
resolution. If the situation should
reach that point, with Congress near
ing adjournment, however, it is be-
lieved likely the administration would
take hand to bring about an agree
mnet.