Evening star., 1938-02-21
MORE FEDERAL AID
VITAL TO DISTRICT,
SENATE UNIT TOLD
Increased Health Allotment
Urged at Hearing on
Supply Bill.
UNDERPASS AT CIRCLE
ALSO WINS SUPPORT
Group of Women Cites Necessity
= Of Added Help in Hospital
Maintenance.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

PetltlOnS Tor more equitable
Federal payment toward District ex-
penses, more adequate allotments for
health and hospitals and renewed
support for the Dupont Circle traffic
underpaSs were presented to the
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
when it resumed hearings today on
the 1899 District supply bill
A group from the Voteless League
OF Women Voters stressed the need
for additional funds for maintenance
OF Gallinger Hospital and the District
Home for Feeble Minded, and also
urged that the Children's Receiving
Home be kept instead of sending
children to the House of Detention.
While this delegation was discussing
public health and relief generally,
photographs were exhibited to the sub
committee intended to draw a COM
parison of food rations and buildings
provided for animals at the Zoo with
conditions in some needy homes, where
illness and lack of food exist 1t was
explained that the argument was pre-
sented, not in opposition to maintain
ing a Zoo, but to support the plea for
additional funds for the care of needy
families.
The League of Women Voters Com
. mittee included Mrs. Floyd Welsh,
Mrs. Gordon Wagenet, Mrs. Louis
Gutenberg, Mrs. Lester Buchanan and
Mrs. Walter S. Ufford.
Rule on Maintenance.
The fiscal relations problem was
raised in a petition filed by j. Nelson
Anderson. counsel for the Federation
of Business Mems Associations, who
reminded the subcommittee the 6O-4O
rule of maintaining Washington as
between the local community and the
Federal Government is still substan-
tive law and should be complied with.
THE fact that the Federal Gov
'rnment owns approximately 81 per
cent in value of the real estate in the
District of Columbia constitutes o,lr
main argument for adherence to that
law" Mr.. Anderson stated I'm ad-
dition, the percentage of Federal
owned property is ever increasing If
the Federal appropriation toward the
maintenance was in accordance with
the provisions of law, there would be
no need for additional taxation"
The business federation opposed
raising the new budget above 1888 and
suggested that the Federal payment
should be at least the difference be-
tween the total appropriated and the
estimated normal income of the local
government
Answers Underpass Foes.
Washington I. Cleveland. American
Automobile Association manager. filed
letter in reply to opponents of the
trafhc underpaSs at Dupont Circle,
provided for in the House bill He
'argued traffic difficulties there would
not be solved by moving street car
tracks to the east side of the circle.
Such rerouting. he wrote, would
merely make Dupont similar to
Thomas Circle, where traffic conges-
ton has also become intolerable" He
pointed out Dupont Circle is a 10
point intersection with a traffic load
Of $4,000 vehicles day, while Thomas
Circle is an eight-point intersection
with $4,000 vehicles day He argued
also that funds collected from motor
lists are available in the highway fund
to meet the cost of the underpass. The
bill also contains an item for Thomas
Circle underpaSs.
The subcommitte is scheduled to
hear spokesmen for the Washington
Board of Trade later today. Another
session. tomorrow or Wednesday, will
be devoted to the general problem of
unemployment relief, when argu-
ments will be presented in support of
increasing the 100000 fund allowed
BY the House for that purpose.
The subcommittee may conclude the
hearings by Wednesday. after which
decisions will be reached on the vari-
GUS changes urged in approximately
two weeks of hearings.