Evening star., 1941-09-04
Oldest Inhabitants
Protest Withholding
OF Budget Requests
Association Calls for
More, Not Less, Dotu
On D. &. Estimates

A strong protest against the
decision of the Commissioners to
withhold publication of the original
budget estimates of municipal de-
partment heads was voiced by the
Association of Oldest Inhabitants OF
the District in resolution adopted
by unanimous vote at meeting last
night.
First civic group to lodge formal
protest, the association acted only
a few hours after the decision of
the city heads was made public.
Declaring the new policy would be
departure from the practice which
has grown up during a number OF
years based on experience and the
desires of the taxpayers, the resolu-
ton added:
THE modern tendency in all
municipalities is to take the tax
payers into the confidence of the
municipal officials and give full
publicity to the entire budgetary
procedure.
Reconsideration Asked.
"At the forthcoming hearings on
the budget, to which the Commits
sioners have invited the public in
dividually and as organizations, civic
spokesmen will be very much In the
dark by reason of the withholding
of the preliminary budget recon-
mendations which have for some
years been available
The resolution voiced emphatic
protest against the new policy, de-
claring that the taxpayers who must
foot the bill are entitled to the
fullest information and recon-
mendations from the various de-
partments.
I'VE can see no valid reason for
the servants of the people with
holding this public information from
them" the resolution went on. I'VE
earnestly request the Commissioners
to reconsider their action and strive
for the supplying of more rather
than less information and to CO.
operate fully with the taxpayers in
the future. We can see no valid
reason for the announced change"
The association adopted reso-
luton expressing sorrow at the
death of Melvin C. Hazen, and sew
eral members paid personal tribute
to the late Commissioner, who was
a member of the Oldest Inhabitants.
Regret Browns Retirement.
A resolution expressing regret at
the retirement of Ernest w.
Brown as superintendent of the
Metropolitan Police Department
also was adopted. The group ex-
pressed hope that he would con-
tinue his work in the Boys Club
movement.
In another resolution the asso-
citation took cogniZance Of report
that the police co-ordinators of the
Schoolboy Safety Patrol might be
withdrawn and expressed the hope
that nothing would be done by the
Commissioners or Congress to i'm
pair the efficiency Of the patrol.
John Clagett Proctor, senior vice
president of the association. was
welcomed back to the presiding Of
f1cer's chair after an illness which
had kept him away more than two
months. The writer and historian
gave a brief talk in which he
touched on the history of some of
Washington's oldest cemeteries.
One of those mentioned was Rock
Greek Cemetery, which Mr.. Proctor
said was the Oldest in the city, hav-
ing been established in 1890
The association extended felicita-
tions to Christian Heurich, who will
celebrate his Goth birthday anniver-
sary on September II.
Applications for membership in
the association were presented for
William Wallace Hill, Thomas Ed
ward Lucas and John Dalton Hill.