The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-04-01

II
wholly good or wholly bad.
The measure reported by Representative Ross A Col
Inns of Mississippi to the Districts expenses for
the fiscal year beginning July l. follows that general
pattern.
This must be said about the BILL however, that where
it is bad it is horrid.
The measure founders in its deepest morass when it
gets beyond the province of appropriations and goes
into the field of legislative enactment.
Invariably this is a dangerous road for any appro-
priating group and the Collins committee rushes into
the detour though it were entering boulevard
highway
The subcommittee consisting largely of members who
have never served on it before, would have had its
hands full had it confined itself to solving the diff
cult and complicated financial problem presented by
the city.
It attempted an impossible task land naturally faed)
when it added to financing the detailed job Of running
a city's governmental machinery machinery which the
subcommittee we'll knows is in need of general over
hauling.
So many and so revolutionary the legislative pro-
posas which the subcommittee has written into the APP
propriatons bill that it will be necessary for civic
socations to discuss them for months before real public
sentiment will become apparent on them
The Times intends to discuss these proposals in detail
in subsequent editions.
In the meantime, the most important phase of the
appropriations BILL and the only which requires i'm
mediate congressional attention, is that dealing with
appropriations
In this field the subcommittee is on slightly happier
ground than in its voluntarily assumed legislative
duties.
The bill carries appropriations of slightly than
forty five million dollars increase of approximately
one and half million dollars the current appro-
priaons and about and quarter million less than
the amount recommended by the Bureau Of the Budget
The subcommittee very properly finds the socalled
Jacobs report" fiscal relations unsound both from
the standpoint of equity and workabty and casts the
recommendations of the fiscal relations investigators
into the discard
But instead of taking realistic attitude toward the
fiscal relations problem its account the subcom
mittee recommends Federal appropriation of five mil
lion dollars the Nations share of maintaining its
National Capital.
This throws the controversy over Federal response
bility back where it year ago and perpetuates
policy of Federal Sinking which in the end only
bring ruin to city which belongs to all the Nation.
On the basis of this fivemilon- dollar Federal lump
and the total appropriations there will be deficit
in the general fund of approximately six million dollars
at the end of the coming fiscal year unless taxes in
creased taxes imposed on local residents
AS to the gasoline tax fund this will be just about
wiped out at the end of the fiscal year-UNLESS THE
GASOLINE TAX IS INCREASED.
And as to the water fund it will wind up the year with
surplus of approximately three quarters of million
dollars-BUT THIS WILL BE BROUGHT ABOUT
THROUGH AN INCREASE IN THE RATES
! CHARGED FOR WATER AND A DECREASE IN
: THE METERED ALLOWANCE OF WATER.
Judging from its handling of the revenues which the
District normally expect to collect in the coming
fiscal year the subcommittee apparently believes that
: the time has now come to SOAK THE DISTRICT
= TAXPAYER.
; Probably Washingtonians should by now be cured of
hoping that congressional committees will take broad
and liberal view of the financing of this city the seat
of the Federal Government and show place for the
: Nation.
Nevertheless we have not been cured of hoping that
congressional committees will day get back least
to the basis of appropriations from the Federal Treasury
the minimum fair share of the Federal Government in
: the financing of the National Capital.
If the Collins subcommittee had done that it would
have tended to wipe out much of the disrepute into
which recent District subcommittee have fallen
AND IT WOULD HAVE MADE IT UNNECESSARY
ITO THREATEN COMMUNITY WITH A HEAVY
AZ