Evening star., 1937-04-21
KENNEDY STUDIES
MANAGERIAL FORM
|0F DISTRICT RULE
Commission Government Is
Proved Failure, Says
MaryIander.
PRESENT 3-MEMBER
BOARD is CRITICIZED
Elected or Appointed Council
Would Select Official
Under Plan.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

Striving to develop a plan that
would give the people of the District
some degree of self-government, Rep
resentative Kennedy, Democrat, of
Maryland, who is directing a study by
special subcommittee of the House
District Committee of taxation and
municipal government reform. dis
closed today he is seriously considering
city manager form of government.
The commission form of govern
ment, not only in the District, but
wherever it has been adopted. has
shown its shortcomings" he de-
clared.
Kennedy pointed out that the three
District Commissioners have individual
functions, and meet collectively to take
action on various municipal matters.
AS rule, he said, two Commissioners
VIII not oppose proposal of the other
Commissioner relating to the depart
ment under his immediate supervision.
The result he declared lis that
the District, in effect. has one-man
manager plan divided into three
parts"
city manager controlled by an ad-
vlsory council is what Kennedy has
in mind, He thinks the council
should be composed of able, well in
formed, public spirited citizens. The
council, he said, should either be
elected or appointed by the President.
1t, in turn, would select the city man
ager.
Under such set-up, Kennedy ex-
planned, the city manager would be
responsible to the council And the
council. on the other hand. would be
responsive to the wishes of the peo-
pie Of the District
Kennedy also believes that with the
adoption of any new form of gov
ernment for the District. the control
exerted over certain municipal activi-
ties by the Federal Government should
be abandoned. Specifically, he said,
the budget should be divorced entirely
from Budget Bureau consideration and
the authority to review the financial
estimates of District officials should
rest exclusively in Congress.
The present procedure whereby ius-
tlces OF the District Court appoint
members of the Board of Education
likewise should be abandoned, Ken
nedy said, and that authority placed
either in the public or an agency more
directly responsive to the wishes of
the people.
While these proposed changes are
kennedy's own personal views, he
plans to discuss them with other
members of his subcommittee, hopeful
that out Of the present investigation
will come more tangible plan for
more efficient and more economical
form of municipal government.
The subcommittee will resume its
formal hearings tomorrow at 10 am,
turning its attention temporarily on
the adequacy of taxes paid by public
utility corporations. Members of the
commission and its chief accountant
B. NICK. Bachman, are to be called
as witnesses.
Kennedy said the subcommittee
wanted to delve more deeply into
utility corporation taxes, since one of
the witnesses, H. D. SCantlin. assist
ant tax assessor, who testified at the
initial hearing yesterday, expressed
belief these corporations are now be-
ing taxed too high in comparison
with other business.
Although the subcommittee has
spent the major portion of its time
thus far prying into the existing tax
structure, since one of its duties will
be to recommend new tax legislation
to meet an anticipated S6,000000
deficit in revenue in the coming fiscal
year, it plans soon to swing into an
exhaustive study of the present ad-
ministrative set-up of the municipal
government.
The most surprising development
of the initial hearing, as far as the
subcommittee was concerned, was an
admission by District officials that
thousands of dollars in potential reve-
nue. is lost every year in tax evaSionS.
Legislation is to be designed by the
subcommittee to stop this leak.
Tax Assessor Fred D. Allen revealed
| that evasion of the tax on intangible
personal property is widespread and
that under existing law it is possible
to escape the personal property tax on
bank deposits by transferring these
deposits to another jurisdiction June
80, the day before the annual assess.
ment is levied, and return them sew.
eral days later.
Allen said no accurate estimate
could be made of the revenue loss by
such evasions, but he believed it rar
into hundreds of thousands every year.
Plans of the National Broadcasting
Co. to broadcast some of the more
important hearings had to be can.
| celed because of the objection OF
Speaker Bankhead. He told radio off.
cials he is opposed to the broadcast.
ing of House committee hearings.