Evening star., 1939-03-31
Overton Formula Wins Praise
Of Two Newspaper Leaders
Eugene Meyer and T. W. Noyes
Loud U. S. Share Plan

endorsements Oh LIle OVeILOH llSC0I
relations plan by Eugene Meyer,
publisher of the Washington Post,
and by Theodore w. Noyes, editor
of The Star, have been placed In
the record of congressional hearings
by Senator Overton, Democrat, OF
Louisiana.
The Overton bill, which provides
a new formula for determining fiscal
relations, won approval of the spe-
cial Senate subcommittee yesterday,
and now awaits Senate District
Committee action.
Letters from both the editor and
the publisher were IN response to an
invitation from Senator Overton
for an expression of opinion on the
plan. which would substitute for the
present arbitrary Federal lump sum
a fixed percentage, measured b. the
land area of the city required Tor
national purposes.
At the present time the formula
would make the Federal share 20 per
cent of general fund expenses. or
about $8,O0O,OOO, in place OF the cur
rent s5,OOO,OO0 lump sum.
On Logical Considerations"
"The virtues of the Overton plan.
Mr.. Moves wrote, "lie in its acknowl-
edgment and reafflrmation OF the
national obligation to participate on
a fixed basis in meeting the main
tenance and development expenses
of the District. 1t measures the
extent of this obligation by the ap-
plication of formula which Is
based on tangible and logical con-
siderations.
The existence and annual appli-
cation of this formula, with the
changes which further development
of Washington will bring, would be
a boon to those charged with mu-
nicipal planning and budgeting us
well as to the legislators response
BILE for framing the annual approprl-
alton bills. One of the great benc-
fits would be the removal of con-
slant source of irritation and fric-
ton which has been such a handi-
cap to Washingtonians and to men,
bers of Congress in their mutual
task of developing the Capital.
while the Overton plan OF meas
uring the National obligation and
establishing it in advance will
receive, as it already has received,
the warm Endorsement of the local
community, it favors the exclusively
governing Nation by lessened en-
phasis on other considerations
which, studied with the same fair
ness and open-mindedness which
have marked your committee S
examination Of this system of meas
urement, would even increase the
amount of the national payment.
1t is my belief that the marked sue
cess of the Overton plan, so readily
anticipated, would lead to the
equally effective removal of other
inequities which have accumulated
with lump-sum practice. New i'm
petus will thus be given to the de-
velopment of Washington"
Also Transmits Petition.
Mr.. Noyes transmitted with his
letter the petition and supporting
argument presented in recent years
to Congress by the Citizens Joint
Committee on Fiscal Relations. He
pointed out that, while this petition
was not framed directly in support
of the Overton plan. many of the
statements and considerations out
lined do become supporting argu-
ments for that plan"
Referring to the practice of making
an arbitrary lump-sum Federal pay
ment for one year at time, Mr..
Noyes' letter pointed out that 1t has
decreased out of all reasonable pro-
portion to the Nations obligation
and which represents nothing ex-
cept the figure at which expediency
and the pressure of other matters
dictated a compromise"
Under lump sum practice" he
continued, there has been devel-
oped in Washington spirit of re-
elimination and i'll feeling between
Congress and the local government
which, I assure you, is as distasteful