Evening star., 1936-08-02
duce the amount from the Federal

the Burroughs Bulletin were put
into operation, the District would
receive very substantial help. 1t
will be recalled that this proposal
was that the internal revenue
taxes collected from the District of
Columbia taxpayers should 60 to
the credit Of the District of Colum-
bia. The recent preliminary figures
from the United States Bureau of
Internal Revenue indicate that
there was collected from the Dis
trict Of Columbia during the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1896. S17,323,-
900, which was greater than the
amount collected in each of Is
States and more than the COM
bined payments received from 8
States.
Citizens cognizant of such facts
believe that by no stretch of the
imagination can the District Com
missioners or local civic bodies be
regarded as mendicants in asking
for equitable fiscal treatment at
the hands of the United States
Government.
Mass Transportation
A Major Civic Problem.
Upon resumption of activities
in the Fall, civic organizations
anticipate increased interest in the
local mass transportation problem.
There seems to be marked divi-
sion of opinion among members of
these groups regarding some of
the fundamentals involved and the
attitude to be maintained. On the
one hand, there are those who
make insistent demands for in
creased and improved service with
out regard to the expenditures
involved or the company's ability
to meet such demands. Aimed
with this group are those who be-
lieve in public ownership and
operation, who frankly admit that
they will be satisfied with nothing
short Of that
On the other hand, there are
those who maintain more SYM
pathetic attitude toward the COM
pany. They believe that substan-
tial improvements can be made in
both service and equipment through
a more conservative course. This
group is inclined to question the
advisability of further heavy out
lays, particularly in the outlying
sections, for rail construction. They
nrnfPSS ha r111IrI1 vx,;t
the rapid improvements in bus
transportation and believe that the
riding public will be far better
served through expenditures for
new up-to-date rolling stock, rather
than through hundreds of thou
sands Of dollars in new rails and
road beds.
District Budget for 1888
Now in Its Early Stages.
RUDGET making for 1898 is
under way in the various de-
partments and agencies OF the
District Of Columbia Government.
The Commissioners and Auditor
Donovan, as preliminary to the
undertaking Of this work, have
admonished the official heads to
follow a course Of rigid economy.
The Commissioners are most en-
phatic in urging that the cuts be
made at the beginning rather than
from the completed budget.
The Commissioners and their
cphnrHir taeJ enrfa,,c11y hay
capped, as usual, in the prepara-
ton of the budget because they
have no knowledge whatever of
what the Federal share will be.
The Fiscal Relations Committee,
to be appointed by the President
as provided in the current appro-
priation act, presents another elc-
ment Of uncertainty. 1t is estab-
lShed as fundamental in any
budgeting that there be fair
idea as to the amount of money
available for expenditure. With
out such information, budget
making Is the merest guesswork.
This condition is fully recognized
by both Commissioner Hazen and
Auditor Donovan.
The tentative budget is due for
presentation to the Bureau of the
Budget in August, prior to which
time representatives Of civic or
ganizations expect to have a hear
ing before the Commissioners.
Such course has been followed
heretofore by the present Board
Of Commissioners and there has
been no suggestion Of a departure
from that plan.
The local taxpayers, however,
will be unable to learn whether
their requests are needed and in
cluded in the recommendations
made by the Commissioners to the
Budget Bureau. At later stage.
some citizens may be accorded the
privilege of appearing before the
Budget Bureau. But they will
continue in the dark as to whether
their pleas have succeeded. The
public will continue in the dark
until the budget goes to the Capt.
tol upon the corvening of Con-
gress.
It cannot be foreseen whether
or not the policy Of secrecy sur
rounding the Districts annual
supply bill will be continued by the
Seventy fifth Congress or a more
liberal policy adopted. Some citi-
zens have pointed to the incon-
sistency Of Congress, which In
creasingly Is requiring private
business to be made public and
continues to surround public busi-
ness with such strict secrecy.
The District budget is regarded
by Washingtonians as the business
Of local taxpayers and many OF
them profess their inability to see
any sound reason for withholding
the information from them, as the
budget passes through its various
stages of preparation and enact
ment into law.
| B. P.O. ELKS