Evening star., 1936-07-10
NEXT LUMP SUM
UNCERTAIN, SAYS
AUDITOR DONOVAN
Second Series of Estimates
to Show Cost of Adopting
Standard Hours. |
IMMEDIATE NECESSITY
TO RULE NEW FIGURES
Department Heads Told to Hold
Down and Leave Nothing for
Supplemental Estimates.

Rigid economy in preparing the 1893
budget estimates was demanded of all
department heads in the District gov
eminent in the annual budget instruc.
tons sent to them today by Mai.
Daniel j. Donovan. auditor and budget
officer
AT the same time. departments not
now operating Under the approved
ClVil Service Commissions STANDARD
hours OF labor" we're instructed to sub.
NIT second series of estimates to shoy
the cost of adopting the standard
hours.
This will affect chiefly the Fire De-
partment and the Board of Public
Welfare. 1t would mean adoption of
three-platoon system for the Fire
department, instead of the present two
pIatoons, and an increase in the num-
Der OF guards at District penal institu-
tlons and the number of nurses i,
puohcly-oWned hospitals. including
Gallinger. Childrens and the Tuber.
culoSis Sanatorium.
U. 5. Contribution Uncertain.
Inc economy demands were made in
view OF the uncertainty of the size q.
Ine next Federal contribution to thu
Dlstrlct and the possibility of an in
crease in taxes.
Due to the present state of District
hnanceS,' Maj. Donoyan's letter stated
the uncertainty of the amount of the
Feoeral contribution for 1898 and the
question as to whether or not the Dis
trlct must raise additional taxes. all of
which of necessity have a material
bearing on the Districts budget for
1888, the Commissioners request de-
partment heads to exercise strict econ-
omy IN submitting their budget recon-
mendations for that year.
Particularly do the Commissioners
ask that estimates for personal services
and other items of operation and
maintenance be held to the lowest DOS.
sible figures and that no increases for
| these purposes he requested except
where justified by impelling reasons.
wherever it is possible without i'm
palrment of the public service to re.
duce estimates for operation and main.
tenance under 1887 appropriations for
those purposes, such reductions should
be made.
Estimates for capital Improvements
must be justified by the test of i'm
mediate necessity
Senator Thomas Quoted.
In giving instructions on adoption
of Standard" hours. Maj. Donovan
quoted letter from Senator Thomas,
Democrat, of Oklahoma, chairman Of
the Senate Subcommittee on District
Appropriations, calling attention to
the fact that guards at the District
Jail work Seven-day week and sug-
gesting that additional personnel be
provided in the 1888 estimates. Sen
ator Thomas made the suggestion to
the Commissioners last April.
In those cases." Donovan said,
where departments are not observing
standard hours of labor there shall
accompany the budget recommends
tions complete information showing
present hours of labor and the number
of additional employees and salaries re-
quired to establish such standard hours
of labor. This information will be
prepared on separate sheets from the
budget items proper and will show
only the additional positions and
salaries"
To carry this out, the Fire Depart
ment will have to employ approx
! imately 433 men. The standard
hours would limit firemen to 40-44
hours per week and would provide an
eight-hour day At present, the hours.
stretched over seven days. range from
| 10 to SO hours, depending on whether
the fireman is on the day or the night
shift.
Under the Board of Public Welfare.
guards at the penal institutions and
nurses would be limited to 572 hours
per quarter and average of a 44-hour
week for each three months period.
At present their hours are not limited.
Maj. Donovan, at the same time,
cautioned the department heads to in
clude all their expenses expected dur
ing the year, in order to avoid the ne
ceSsity of supplemental estimates and
deficiency appropriations.
Earlier this week, Maj. Donovan in
formed the Commissioners that the
District will face deficit of S960,365
in view of the smaller Federal appro-
priation and a continuance of the
$1.50 tax rate for another year.
The estimates are to be made by
August l in order to give the budget
officer and the Commissioners time to
study them before passing them on to