Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-05-21
COM EREES FAIL
TO END |MPASSE
ON DISTRICT BILL
TWo-Hour Session Adjourns
With None of Differences
Settled.
SENATORS BACKING
S5,7O0,0OO SUM FIRM
No Time Set for Another Meeting,
but Efforts Are Expected
to Resume.
BACKGROUND


BACKGROUND
In his first year as chairman OF
District Appropriations Subcom-
mittee, Blanton OF TeTds jdmmed
through House supply bill carrying
only $1,000, 900 lump-Sum contribu-
ton to District. Second "teGture"
OF House bill Uas provision District
employees earning more than $4,000
yearly could hold no outside posi-
tiOnS
In Senate. District lump sum ,Das
raised to $500, 900, amount gipen
last year, but conterees between two
branches Immediately became
deddlocked.
House and Senate conferees ended
another two-hour session today with
out settling any of their differences
on the 1887 District supply bill, of
which the amount of the Federal pay
ment is the main issue.
While no time was announced for
another meeting, it is not believed the
conferees have parted indefinitely.
All indications were the Senate
members are standing their ground in
support of the budget recommended
ton for continuation of the Federal
share at S5700,000 toward a total
bill of approximately $4,000 900.
The House bill sought to slash this
Federal payment to s2,700,000, but
Representative Blanton of Texas went
even further late yesterday by intro
duclng a continuing resolution under
which no Federal payment whatever
would be made toward expenses of the
National Capital His resolution would
merely continue salaries and main
tenance items as of last year.
Hearing Made Public.
When the conference adjourned
about 1890 pm. The Senate group
made public a 53-page record of the
separate hearing it held May with
a group of tax experts containing data
to support its position on the Federal
payment.
Blanton, chief advocate of reduction
in the Federal share toward District
expenses, emerged from the conference
room still carrying the stack of books
and documents he has brought to pre-
vious conferences. He was smiling
broadly. but answered all questions by
referring newspaper men to the chair
man of the Senate group. Senator
Thomas of Oklahoma. Thomas made
no comment on the days proceedings
beyond the brief announcement that
no agreement had been reached.
Parker's Tax Data.
The supplemental hearing made
public by the Senate conferees con-
sisted mainly of an examination Of
L. H. Parker, tax expert for congress
sional committees for the past II
years, who recently prepared fac
tual report analysing the tax burden
of Washington and 43 other large
cities.
Parker told the Senators he stands
by the facts in his report, which
showed, in substance, that although
Washington ranks only fourteenth in
population, it stands third in per cap
ita total tax burdens among the A
cities, including city and county taxes
elsewhere.
He explained that he based his tables
on total tax burdens rather than OH
property taxes, because no real data
fl,l III - cI1
ratio of true value to assessed value N
the various cities. The reason the
Senators assembled this tax data Is
because the chief argument OF House
members in seeking to reduce or
eliminate the Federal contribution is
that Washington is undertaXed.
Accuracy Wanted. Says Glass.
While questioning Parker, Senator
Glass, Democrat. of Virginia, stated:
What the Senate conferees are
specially interested in is determining
SO far as they may, the accuracy OF
your summaries here, which are de-
cidedly in contravention to what has
been contended in the effort to deprive
the District of Columbia Of the lump
sum appropriation approved by the
budget and approved by the Senate,
the contention being that the taxes,
per capita tax rate, in the District of
Columbia Is lower than that in any
other comparable city in the United
States"
Parker-"I do not see how that can
be commended, Senator. 1t may be
that somebody could contend that In
respect to real property only, but I
was unable to find a basis OF fact to
support that contention"
Senator Thomas You contend
then, that the correct basis is per
(See D. c. BILL, Page -