Evening star., 1936-11-05
An Other States and Car
Member of the Associated Press.
Measuring D. C. "Service." :"

AS one approach to the determination
Of what would be an equitable payment
to the District by the National Govern
ment. the Presidents special committee
studying fiscal relations called for esti-
mates of the cost, or value, of services
rendered the Federal Government by
the municipal government. At the same
time, Federal establishments were re-
quested to make the same estimates re-
garding such services as were rendered
the District.
Major Donovan has made public the
total of estimated cost of services rem
dered the National Government. The
figure, $12.152, sos, represents something
over 81 per cent of the 1896 budget. And
for the years between 1924 and 1887 the
same thing is shown as to the value OF
services rendered by the District to the
United States as Is shown in the totals
OF appropriation bill; that is, as the
appropriations and the costs of services
to the United States have increased, the
lump sum has decreased. For the years
1925 and 1926 the Federal payment ex-
ceeded the estimated costs of services to
the United States. Since then the Fed
eral lump-sum payment has diminished
while the costs of these services and the
total Of appropriations have increased.
1t is to be hoped that the Presidents
Committee on Fiscal Relations will per.
init public examination of the offsetting
figures which are represented in the esti-
mates of costs Of Federal services rem
dered the District. For 1t would be
most interesting and informative to
determine what services are rendered
the District by the National Government
that are not, likewise, extended to every
citizen of the United States. And If
there are any services rendered exclu-
sively to the District by the United
States, their cost, of course, would be
more than overbalanced by considera-
tion OF services rendered by the United
States to the States, which are not at
the same time enjoyed by the District.
And the people of the District, OF course,
contribute to the cost Of services ex-
tended by the United contribute,
through national taxes, more than half
of the States or more than nine Of them
combined.
In its supplementary brief fled with
the Presidents committee, the Citizens
Joint Committee on Fiscal Relations,
without taking exception to the pro-
posed measurement of cost Of services
rendered by and to the District gov
ernment, pointed out some of the difh-
culties Of making such measurements.
Any such measurement is, at best, an
estimate. And any such measurement
suggests conception Of the municipal
government as an independent, self
determining agency Of the people Of the
District, when, as o matter Of fact, 1t is
|tnerely the agency established by Con-
gress for the administration OF It's ex-
elusive powers Of government over the
District. The benefits to the United
States and to the people Of the District
are 50 interviewer and overlapping Is
to be practically incapable of sharp
delineation, and 1t is difficult to deter
mine. in many cases, whether the Dis
trict or the Federal Government is the
primary or the incidental beneficiary.
The Presidents committee Is wise in
treating this attempted measurement Of
services between the District and the
Federal Government as merely one ex-
pertinent in its pursuit Of definite for
mula for measuring anew the Federal
obligation.