Evening star., 1937-06-13
Last Pleas Made for 1888 Budget Items
Civic Representatives More Numerous at Senate Than at
House Hearings Record Reveals.
BY ALEXANDER R. PRESTON.

on Appropriations at the hearings be-
fore similar subcommittee of the
Senate, published reports Of the recent
hearings reveal.
1t seems to be generally true almost
every year that after the House has
passed the 1898 District appropriation
bill, representatives OF Washington S
citizens associations turn out In larger
numbers at the Senate hearings either
to protest deletion of certain items by
the House or to urge the Senate to
uphold the action of the House in ap-
proving certain other projects.
AS was the case when the House
held its hearings. the Federation Of
Citizens Associations representatives
were the first delegates from organized
civic bodies to be heard by the Senate
subcommittee
Lodge Presents Witnesses.
Thomas Ellis Lodge, federation presi-
dent, introduced members of various
committees to the federation to present
their own appeals in their respective
fields of endeavor
First to be presented was Miss Elaine
Eppley, federation vice president and
vice chairman of the Committee on
Highways. Parks and Waterways, who
deplored the action of the House In
eliminating an item of 1925 900 to be-
gin construction of new Pennsylvania
avenue southeast bridge. The present
bridge has been condemned as unsafe,
she pointed out, and the need for a
new span has been conceded for many
years.
An appropriation Of $3.50 900 to start
construction on the Oxon Run inter-
ceptor, as approved in the House bill,
was asked
Other items asked for by Miss Eppley
were that the proposed cost Of repair
ing Chain Bridge be shared by Mont
gomery and Arlington Counties Of
Maryland and Virginia. A fund Of
$2l6,000 for the maintenance of the
new sewage treatment plant was also
sought. The federation, Miss Eppley
stated, did not object to the reduction
OF this item by the House to the sum
of s150,0o0 providing the balance of
s66 900 would be forthcoming later, Op-
position to diversion of the gasoline
tax funds to other funds was expressed
by Miss Eppley. She said the District
did not want to be deprived of the
Federal road-aid funds when the Sen
ate bill granting the District that
privilege becomes law She urged that
no diversion be made which would de-
prive the District OF funds under the
Hay ayden-Cartwright act.
Traffic Funds Asked.
Harry S. Wender, chairman OF the
federation's Committee on Safety,
urged reinstatement OF an item Of
s76,440 for personal services in the
Traffic Bureau and an additional
$4,000 appropriation for issuance Of
license plates.
He urged that a $4,000 item for
Identification plates on automobiles
be reinstated in the appropriation bill.
Support was given Miss Eppley's stand
on gasoline tax diversion.
q
situation Wender recommended that
no further permits be given to con-
struct apartment houses unless ade-
quate parking space is provided for
each family to occupy the building.
He also urged funds to train police
men in traffic matters.
L. A. Carruthers, chairman of the
Fiscal Relations Committee, said the
federation opposed the income tax;
favored retention OF the intangible
personal property tax and suggested
there were other forms of taxation
than the income tax
The other means" Of taxation sug-
gested by the federation, Carruthers
explained, include sales tax on to-
bacco and perhaps other articles" and
an increased liquor tax To question
from Chairman Thomas on the atti-
tude Of the federation on proposed
increase IN the direct property tax
from $3.50 to $3.50, Carruthers replied
we have always consistently opposed
an increased tax on real property"
Other action taken by the fedora
ton, Carruthers said, included ap-
proval OF tax on gross receipts Of
insurance companies; favored an in
heritance tax, and an increased tax on
amusements
Boys Club Fund Asked.
Lodge, appearing again at q later
hearing, presented pleas for other fed
GRAFTON committee chairmen who could
not be present. For the Education
Committee he asked that the action Of
the House in apprppriating 100000
for Community Center Department
activities with $25 900 earmarked for
boys clubs, be sustained by the Senate
group with the addition of $4,000 for
Community Center use. He also
urged retention Of the s45O,OOO item
provided by the House to start con-
struction of new Northern junior
high school at Fifth and Sheridan
streets with authorization of contracts
for $l,350,000 for completion. A
statement was presented on the fol-
lowing three projects, also from the
Education Committee: $115,OOO to re-
place the Bunker Hill School, which
was not in the House bill; completion
OF the Anacostia Junior-Senior High
School with seven-room addition;
and 100000 for second-story addi-
ton to the Crosby S. Noyes School.
Funds were asked for maintaining
the office OF peoples counsel, and two
letters from Burd w. Payne, vice
chairman, Public Utilities Committee
OF the Citizens Forum OF Columbia
Heights. were submitted supporting
the request.
The federation does not feel there
is need for a bonding commissioner
at present, Lodge testified. The pro-
posed transfer in control Of public
hospitals from the Board of Public
Welfare to the Health Department
should not be considered by the Ap-
preparations Committee, but should
have special hearings to consider the
question. The federation is opposed
to abolition Of the Childrens Receiv-
| ing Home and opposed to boarding