Evening star., 1939-05-26
Move 10 Raise
Lump Sum
Indicated
Overton Asks Data
To Show Rotio of
Federal Payment
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

on District Appropriations revises
the 1910 local supply bill early next
week there are strong indications
it will consider some increase in the
s5,000,000 lump-sum Federal pay
ment to help meet additions that
may be made to the House total of
$46,915,0 900.
Earlier intimations to this effect
were strengthened at the close of
the hearings late yesterday, when
Chairman Overton, Democrat, of
Louisiana requested District Audi
tor Donovan to submit a statement
on the present status Of fiscal rela-
tions. The statement is expected
to show what ratio the $1,000 900
figure bears to the total required
for operation and development of
the National Capital today and
probably will compare this with the
percentages borne by each govern
ment in former periods of time.
On the basis of a SAG, 900 900
budget a s5 ,000,0 900 lump sum makes
the Federal share less than II per
cent.
The subcommittee is in recess
until Monday, when an inspection
tour of schools will be made pre-
liminary to acting on the numerous
requests for changes in the bill SUBJ
mitted both by District officials and
civic organizations during nearly
three weeks of hearings.
10 Schools to Be Visited.
Ten schools will be visited in
cluding both modern and ancient
types. The buildings scheduled for
the tour are the Seaton, 12-room
structure built in 1871; the Twin
ing, an Groom school erected in
1888; Armstrong Senior High, 1902;
the Brookland 1891.
New buildings to be visited in
clude the Lafayette Elementary, the
Deal Junior High and the Woodrow
Wilson Senior High.
In addition the Senators will
go to the Abbott Vocational School
for which a new building is sought
by school officials and the Wilson
Teachers College. They will also
see the Upshur street tract on which
it is proposed to locate the new
teachers college if it is included
in the 1910 supply bill.
1t was also proposed to locate
the new Abbott there, too, but OPP
position developed from the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission and number of civic
groups on the ground that two
buildings there would over-crowd
the site, especially in view of the
planning groups intent to have a
recreation center there.
Members of the Board OF Edu-
cation and school officials will ac-
company the Senate group Those
who have signif1ed their intention
of taking the tour are Senators
Overton of Louisiana, chairman of
the Appropriations Subcommittee:
Capper of Kansas, Nye of North
Dakota, Maloney of Connecticut,
and Chavez of New Mexico.
House Cut S775,000.
To start with, the House cut
$775,00O from budget estimates
throughout the bill, all but $4,000
of which came from general fund
items. Even with these reductions
the House bill leaves a deficit in
the District general revenue fund
for the coming year of s185 900 if
the Federal share remains at S.
100000 and the present SITS real
estate rate is continued, with no
new forms of taxation. A House
subcommittee has a new tax bill
before it to replace the $2,200000
business privilege tax that expires
June 30. but has taken no action.
Accordingly, Senator Overton en-
phasized at the final hearing that
more money will have to be pro-
vided for any increases the Senate
makes in the bill. The Appropria-
tions Committee cannot originate
a new local tax bill, he pointed out,
but it can consider a change in the
Federal lump sum If it concludes
the $5,000,000 is inadequate.
Senator Overton reached the con-
clusion in January that the present
lump-sum basis is inadequate and
Is sponsoring new basic act under
which Congress would return to a
fixed percentage ratio based on the
acreage of land in the Capital re-
quired for national purposes. This
acreage has been estimated at 20
per cent and, applied to the general
fund expenses, would fix the Fed
eral payment at $8,000,000. This,
however, is embodied in a separate
bill before the Senate District Com
mittee and is not before the Appro-
prlationS Committee. Therefore, If
the appropriations group considers
raising the $5,0O0,000 lump sum, it
would be a temporary adjustment
of the problem for the coming year,
entirely apart from the possible
adoption of the new formula later
on.
No Hint on Increase.
No intimation has been given as to
the amount of increase in the tenn
porary lump sum that may be con-
sidered by the subcommittee.
In addition to possible restoration
of part of the sits, 900 cut from the
budget in the House the Senate
group took testimony on the need
for larger school building pro-
gram to replace antiquated build
ings and appeals for a substantial
increase in the 100000 relief fund.
Further arguments for an in
crease in relief were made yester-
day by Martin Chancey of the Dis
trict Communist party, who urged
a SO ,00O, 900 figure to provide for un-
employed employableA 1t was testi-
fled earlier there are 5000 cases not
being provided for from local relief
funds, which are available almost
So ,ov,, ,,lnuo h1oc 0f tho