Evening star., 1937-09-19
WH|TEHURST ASKS
%,611,6(O STREET
FUND NEXT YEAR
Plans to Launch 5-Year I'M
provement Program With
1889 Budget.
$780, 900 REQUESTED
TO REDESIGN CIRCLES
Washington Taxpayers Associa-
ton Criticizes Officials for Seek
ing Larger Appropriations.
BY DON S. WARREN.

BY DON S. WARREN.
Appropriation of $4,611 800 for Dis
trict highway improvements in the
next fiscal year, to permit the start
ing of the proposed 20,000,000 five
year plan, is requested by Capt. H. c.
Whitehurst, highway director, in his
. ANAL 1899 estimates, now being studied
by the Commissioners.
Congressional approval for the 1899
estimates is expected to be sought
by the Commissioners, since they find
there will be SUFFICIENT money avail
able in the special highway fund for
the program mapped by Capt. White
hurst.
The five-year program was outlined
recently by Capt Whitehurst and his
formal 1899 estimates list individual
items to carry out that plan. White
hurst's proposals for the five years
have total cost of more than $50, ,000,-
600, but he states he proposes to
select items that will limit the cost
to the expected revenue of some $20,-
600, 900 for the period.
100000 to Redesign Circles.
Prominent in the 1889 list were:
An item of $500 900 for redesigning of
Dupont, Thomas and Scott Circles;
an item Of $6s0,000 for starting of
construction of a $4,000, 900 bridge to
replace the old Pennsylvania Avenue
Bridge over the Anacostia River, and
. number of street widening projects,
including the development of three
lane roadway on X street from
: Twelfth street to Connecticut avenue
AL Of these had been previously
outlined as major elements of the
dve-year program.
Plans for revamping of Dupont and
Thomas Circles call for construction
OF underpasses for the street cars to
permit complete segregation of street
cars and veticular traffic.
The widening of K street is esti-
mated to cast s121, 900.
Other street-widening programs
listed by Capt. Whitehurst for the
next fiscal year include Twelfth street
from New York to Massachusetts, ave.
nue., ~, 100; New York avenue, north
side. from Fourteenth to Fifteenth
streets. $4,000. and Twelfth street,
from Constitution to Independence
avenues. s84,5oo.
$377,500 for Paving.
Local street paving items amount
ing to $377,500 were proposed, but the
list will be supplied later, Capt. White
hurst said.
Major paving projects in the 1899
program include Blair road from Pea
body to Aspen streets, costing $50 900;
Kennedy street from Kansas avenue
to Fourteenth street, $4,000; Forty
sixth street, Massachusetts, avenue to
River road. s81 900, and Branch ave-
nue. southeast from Denver street to
the District line. 100000.
Meanwhile, sharply criticising Dis
trict of1icials who have requested large
increases In their 1888 budgets, the
Washington Taxpayers Association
urged the Commissioners to cut the
1889 estimates down nearly to the level
about $46 ,000. 900.
The Commissioners already have in
dicated they planned to hold the total
to about $50000,000 to keep within
estimates Of revenues which will be re-
ceived next year if 100000 of in
creased tax levies are continued in
one form or another The departments
requested appropriations which would
raise the total TO about S67,000,0 900.
Lusk Warns Commissioners.
Speaking for the Taxpayers Associa-
ton, Rufus S. Lusk, president, warned
the Commissioners there would have
to be further increase in taxes in
1910 II the 1889 budget is made much
larger than this years appropriations.
Attacking the request of the Board
OF Public Welfare for an increase of
more than 100 per cent in funds for
public assistance, including s1,225,-
600 for the relief of 5000 cases of
employables. Lusk declared: These
are the people who presumably have
been starving for two years already
and since the appropriation, If OBJ
tained, will not be available for some
time, will have to continue their suf-
fering. This proposition has been
turned down repeatedly and there is
no more excuse for this additional
expense today than there was a year
or two ago. 1t is interesting to note
That In Baltimore, where business
conditions do not approach those in
washington, only about 1000 en-
ployables are on relief rolls.
There is only one way TO cut down
relief expenditures: Keep the money
out OF the hands of relief officials. If
$lo,ooo,00o were appropriated for re-
lief, those officials would spend it
without bit of trouble"
Lusk protested that if the re-
quests Of the Board of Education were
approved 1t would raise the per capita
cost for schools from $40 to $50. He
added: The School Board estimates
lncluding capital expenditures, would
mean per pupil cost of almost 5000
in contrast to about s142 this year
and with figures as low as from $50 to
800 in mast wears