Evening star., 1936-06-03
SENATE MAY ACT
OND. c. BILL PLAN
New Effort May Be Made
to Provide Study of
Lump Sum.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

Senate today to pass the Thomas
resolution for a commission to de-
termine what the Federal payment
should be toward District expenses in
future, in the hope that this step
would pave the way for an agree
ment on the deadlocked 1887 District
supply bill.
As introduced yesterday afternoon
by Senator Thomas, Democrat, Of Ok
lahoma. chairman OF the Senate Sub
committee on District Appropriat
1t would direct the conferees OF the
House and Senate to agree to q con-
tinua ton OF the Budget Bureau es-
innate for a $5,700.000 Federal pay
ment for the coming year, while the
commission is making its report.
Senator McNary of Oregon, Re-
publican floor leader. objected to its
passage yesterday, but merely on the
ground that a different procedure
should be followed TO accomplish the
same result, under Senate rules. Nc
Nary made 1t clear he was not OPP
posed to appointment Of the commits
sion and said he would vote to adhere
to the Senate figure Of $5,700,00 for
the coming year. He contended, how
ever, that to comply with regular
Senate procedure the conferees should
make a formal report OF disagree
ment, ask for instructions on what
the Federal payment should be for
1887. and then pass the commission
proposal as a separate piece Of legis-
lation.
Thomas Explains Plan.
In asking for action on the resolu-
ton yesterday Senator Thomas ex-
planned what he had in mind as
follows:
1T was my hope to have the reso-
luton passed and let it go to the
House, where they would probably
strike out the sum of $500 900 and
insert s2,700,000. This is the amount
the House has been contending forD
Then the resolution would come back
to the Senate. Then l thought per-
haps, the resolution would be sent to
the same conference committee which
Is responsible for the bill. Then we
could adjust the amount in the reso-
luton to the amount in the bill. That
was my hope and my plan
While there has been some discus
sion of fixing the lump sum for next
year at some figure near the Senate
amount-possibly $4,000 o00-there is
known to be strong sentiment on the
Senate side against changing the pres
ent s5,700. 900 lump sum until the
proposed commission has made its
report next January.
It was learned last night that House
members indicated at the last meeting
they would consider raising their $2,-
TOO, 900 figure if the two Houses agreed
to creation of the commission. In
other words. If the Thomas resolution
is adopted, the two branches would be
on record in favor of creating the
commission, and the conferees would
then meet to see what agreement they
could arrive at on what the Federal
payment should be for the coming
year.
If the commission basis Of COM
promise fails a continuing resolution
will have to be brought out as last
resort to keep the city going. but with
out any new Improvements after
July /.
McNary Stand Explained.
That Senator McNsry's objection to
a vote on the Thomas resolution yes
| terday was not aimed at the Senate S
stand in favor of the present $500 600
Federal payment was made plain when
| he said:
why does not the committee do in
this case as it does in all cases, report
| a disagreement and ask for further
| instructions, and I will guarantee that
the Senate, so far as I can with my
own vote, will instruct the conferees
to insist upon the amount OF money 1t
appropriated"
AS originally drafted the Thomas
resolution called for a commission OF
three experts, appointed by the Presi-
dent. The Oklahoma Senator modifled
it yesterday to have the President ap-
point the chairman of the commission,
with two other members to be ap-
pointed, one by the Speaker OF the
House and the other by the Vice
President. The members of the COM
mission would have to be non-residents
OF the District and persons who DO not
own or have any interest in property
here.
Adoption of the resolution would, In
itself, constitute slight concession by
the Senate on the lump sum for the
coming year, because $50,000 of the
| IS, 100000 would be ear-marked for
| the expenses of the commission.
Taxation Views Conflict.
Senator Thomas began his speech
in the Senate by explaining that the
underlying cause of the deadlock over
| the lump sum is difference OF
opinion between the two Houses over
District taxation. While the House
contends the District Is undertaxed,
the Senate conferees, he said. have
data to show Washingtonians have
relatively high tax burden. He called
attention to the data before the Sen
ate subcommittee. showing that, OF
the a largest cities of the country,
only two have a higher per capita
burden OF city and county taxation.
1.-The position taken by the Senate
conferees Is that the residents OF this
city pay the third highest per capita
tax" he summed up.
Continuing, Senator Thomas de-
| clared:
UNLESS the Senate will provide
some plan to break the present dead
| lock we will be here indefinitely, or