Evening star., 1940-03-28
District Appropriations

District Appropriations
Facing the necessity of keeping
District appropriations in line with
curtailed revenues, the House sub
committee in charge of the local sup
ply bill has made an earnest effort to
WELD the economy knife with min
imum of injury to the municipal
establishment.
Chairman Caldwell and his asso-
ciates on the subcommittee, in
reducing the Budget Bureau recon-
mendations by $1,317,7O1, have
endeavored to avoid working undue
hardship on any single local agency
by spreading the cuts over virtually
the entire list of items covered in the
bill. That there will be criticism of
particular reductions is to be ex-
pected, for there can never be much
agreement on whose OK should be
gored. The tragedy of the situation
is the continued, chronic neglect of
vital community institutions which
results, year after year, from an in
equitable and unwise system of ap-
propriating for Washington.
AS matters stand the District is
faced with what Chairman Caldwell
called bookkeeping" deficit of
$800,515 at the end of the next fiscal
year. He was referring, of course, to
the fact that the local income tax is
payable in two installments, which
results in part of the tax being paid
In one fiscal year and the balance in
the ensuing fiscal year, but whether
there will be bookkeeping" deficit
or a real one will depend on the total
of receipts from the present
income tax.
District officials expected to receive
during the calendar year about
$3200,oo0 from this source. But that
estimate was made before the Court
of Appeals ruled that a man domi-
ciled in Massachusetts, could not be
made to pay the local tax on in
tangible property-a ruling expected
to be applicable to the present
income tax. The full effect of the
courts ruling, which the Commits
sioners hope to counteract by taxing
income earned in the District at its
source, will not be revealed until the
returns for this year are filed on
April IS. but if the indicated receipts
at that time should fall appreciably
short of the estimated revenue some
new means of raising money will
have to be found, and it is in antici-
patton of that condition that the
Commissioners are moving imme-
diately to increase the yield from the
income tax and by specific amend
ment make it apply to all income
earned in the District.
The subcommittee made its largest
single reduction-nearly $500 ,OOO-in
the public school budget. This was
accompanied by recommendation
that nonresident pupils enrolling in
the future be made to pay tuition,
which, if finally approved, should
ultimately save the District some
$265,0O0 year on the basis of pres
ent costs. But if the Senate commit
tee follows customary procedure, it
will kill the tuition provision. Other
important recommendation of the
subcommittee are designed to i'm
prove administrative and other ia
cilities in public welfare work, no.
tably at the Home for the Aged at
Blue Plains and the National Train
ing School for Girls, and in the han
ding of the general relief problem.
It should be noted, however, that in
no case did the subcommittee recon-
mend the increased appropriations
sought by critics of relief and welfare
facilities. This failure, of course, is
merely another reflection of the
shortage of funds.
1t is gratifying that the subcom-
mittee saw fit to recommend $1,1O0,-
100000 to continue construction of
the new main public library building
and smaller appropriations for addi-
tional snow removal equipment and
the preparation of plans for an
underpass at Scott Circle.
Without doubt, these and the other
recommended improvements do not
measure up to the program of mu-
nicipal betterment which should be
set for the Nations Capital. But as
long as Congress declines to increase
the Federal payment and refuses to
consider local revenue-raising meas
ures which affect members of Con-
gress or their voting constituents,
adequate provision of Capital City
needs is out of question.
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