Evening star., 1938-10-30
BY DON S. WARREN.

men haze demanded limitation of
the 1910 estimates.
BY DON S. WARREN.
Bowing to repeated public demands
for limitation of District expendi-
lures so as to avoid further increase
in the tax burden, the Commission
ers sent to the Budget Bureau yester-
day their 1910 estimates, calling for
appropriations totaling s50.383, ,9637l.
an increase of only s622,8 2,8847l over
current appropriations.
In limiting their proposals to this
hgure. the Commissioners slashed
roughly $4,000, 900 from the original
requests of their department heads.
They took full cognizance of the S18,-
100000 P. w. A. program for the
District, now being started, in cutting
the department requests.
Giving an outline of the budget plan
and review of the Districts financial
situation. Maj. Daniel J. Donovan,
auditor and budget officer. indicated
the 1910 needs could" be met by
continuation of the sl75 realty and
tangible personal property tax rate
and some other measure raising an
! additional 81 900 000 This latter sum
is less than that now being produced
by the embattled business privilege
tax levy.
School Figures Reduced.
However, Maj Donovan declared
/ the proposed permanent new tax sys-
! tenn, to be considered at the forth
coming session of Congress, could
hardly contemplate" such heavy an
nual expenditures from current reve-
nues as those needed if the District
carried out the two-year-old plea Of
the Board of Education for five
year $4,000 900 school building pro-
gram. The school building plan was
cut deeply.
On the other hand, the Commis-
sioners' estimates call for adoption
of a 44-hour work week for employees
at Gallinger Hospital, the Tubercu-
losis Sanatoria at Glenn Dale, Md,
and the various agencies under the
Board of Public Welfare, including
the jail, workhouse and reformatory.
and provision for pay increases for
employees of various departments of
the municipal government.
Among other jor items of interest
in the Commissioners estimates are
the following:
/. An increase of S325,370 In the
proposed appropriations for the Water
Department, including provision for
reorganization of the Water Regis
trar's Office. presumably to accomplish
both a strengthening of personnel and
improvement of the billing system.
need for which was revealed in the
report of the special examining board,
reported some weeks ago exclusively
in The Star
New Branch Library.
2. An appropriation of S175.000 for
new branch library in Southwest
Washington and provision for ex-
tension of the hours of service by
the Chevy Chase and Woodbridge
branches. The Commissioners omitted
from their estimates requests by the
Board of Trustees of the Free Public
Library for an appropriation of $780,
900 for starting construction on the
new Central Library Building in the
square on the northwest corner of
Pennsylvania avenue and John Mar
shall place, just below the site of
the new municipal center buildings.
It is expected this item will be
revived when the House District Sub
committee on Appropriations begins
its hearings on the 1910 estimates,
early in December.
3. Provision for an increase of so
in the number of policemen of the
Metropolitan Police Department. in an
appropriation request totaling s256, SOS
over this year. This provides for a
new $4,000 home for the old No. 2
police precinct and for construction
Of new station on Benning road
NE, at cost of $4,000. to relieve the
personnel of No. II of the wide terri
tory it now must cover.
4. Provision for increased personnel
for number of divisions of the Dis
trict Health Department, including
nurses and other professional services
and more funds for supplies and new
equipment.
S. Provision of $175,000 for a new
home for the Receiving Home for
Children, to be erected on land owned
by the District.
127 Additional Teachers.
g. Provision for employment of 127
additional teachers for the public
schools system and for a number Of
additional school officers, clerks and
custodial workers and an increase of
344,457 in appropriations for fuel, gas.
electricity, ETC., as opposed to reduc.
tions for this year ordered by Con-
gress on the theory that the school
system had been inefficient in man.
agement of such operations. The
Commissioners were swayed by reports
that some Of these services were suf-
fering by reason Of reduced appro-
priations.
Z. The Commissioners approved ex-
penditure of $5,189.350 for street i'm
provement work, under the gasoline
and highway fund. reduction Of
$6ss.96o from this year. for the
| OCortinIeC an pace IN CoI,Inon