Evening star., 1941-06-24
6 Million Boost
In District Bill
Being Weighed
Senate Subcommittee
Ends Hearings; Cut
In W. P. A. Lightened
By ]. A. O'LEARY.


will decide today whether to hold
the 1912 District bill within existing
revenues or to include list of sup
elemental projects that would re-
quire a boost in real estate taxes and
an increase in the $4,000, 900 Federal
payment.
Hearings on the $50, SAT 900 House.
measure ended late yesterday with
the subcommittee questioning relief
officials on the effect of the i'm
pending cut in local w P A. rolls,
and the advisability of adding nearly
S6,000,000 of unbudgeted construc-
ton projects described as desirable.
necessary and essential"
If the subcommittee, presided over
by Senator Overton, Democrat, Of
Louisiana, decides to adhere to the
present Federal payment and tax
structure, the list of supplemental
projects will wait until next year,
S8O0,000 Cushion.
Even if that course is decided
upon, the Senate group could add
about $500 900 to the bill by utilizing
cushion" of that amount the
House created by trimming budget
estimates.
The Commissioners have asked the
Senators to restore approximately
S850000 in miscellaneous items the
House cut from budget figures. but
the Senate's task has been comph-
Gated by the last-minute problem
of what provision to make for the
w. P. A. workers who will be dropped
in the work-relief curtailment pro-
gram next month.
District w. P. A. Administrator
Paul Edwards told the subcommittee
yesterday afternoon that Howard
Hunter, national administrator, had
relented somewhat so that Wash
ington will have to drop only $500
instead of 1000 of its 5000 w. P. A.
workers. The additional 400 jobs
to be continued by this change in
the order presumably will take care
of some of the w. P. A. workers who
are helping to maintain welfare in
situations. such rs Gallinger Hospital
and the Home for the Aged.
The subcommittee was told that,
of the $500 who will have to be
dropped, 1,700 are on construction
projects, such as sewer, water and
highway, while 1900 are on mis-
cellaneous projects, such as the
distribution of school lunches. To
show how the curtailment will be
y.lfeI1al NJ El1roVI YNnIyNfn6
out that the force of 286 now pre-
pairing school lunches will be CUT
to $50, thereby reducing the num-
Der of children who can be served.
Idleness Seen for 1900.
Mr.. Edwards expressed belief that
regular appropriations should be
made for those who will be dropped,
and Engineer Commissioner Kutz
predicted the District would have
to have more money for these activ-
tiles or abolish the 44-hour week.
Pointing out that his problem
is what to do to help the $500 who
must go. Acting Welfare Director
Conrad Van Hyning estimated 50
per cent of them will not find
private employment He gave two
reasons for that belief: first, be-
cause there is already sufficient
labor for private needs; second,
many of the w P. A. workers are
in age groups that make private
employment hard to obtain.
Mr.. Van Hyning thought direct
relief is the only alternative, and
suggested 100000 be added to the
House figure of 100000 for public
assistance. He estimated the Dis
trict would have to furnish some
aid to 2,700 of those dropped for
one month; to 1900 of them for
three months, and to 1900 of them
for year.
Members of the Senate subcom-
mittee indicated, however, they
would rather avoid the direct re-
lief solution. Senator Overton
directed local officials to go through
the bill last night and figure out
how much would have to be added
to the appropriation for each NUM-
cipal agency TO make up for the
w. P. A. labor that will be lost. In
each case of the welfare institu-
tions. it was suggested S2700 addi-
tional per month would be needed.
The Sewer Department had in
dicated earlier it would need $780,
900 more for the year if it loses
w. P A. labor.
S5,922.025 List Considered.
The s5,922 ,025 list of supplement-
tai construction projects discussed
yesterday afternoon was submitted
by the Commissioners at the spe-
cific request of the subcommittee.
1t was the same list submitted to
members of the House last week,
except that the figures were re-
duced by including only the portion
that would actually be spent in the
coming year toward total construc-
tion costs.
A part of this supplemental pro-
gram, amounting to S1,700,OO0, was
labeled defense projects" in the
sense that their need grew out Of
the influx of population to WASH
ington. This list consisted Of:
Three public convenience sta
tions, $40 900; new fire alarm boxes,
$115,450; addition to the Benning
School. 5000, 900; additional amount
to complete the Van Ness School,
100000; a grade school in Brad
bury Heights. sl67 500; school at
Nichols avenue and Atlantic street
Sc, $175,000; new police station
at Forty-second street and Ben
ming road NE, $4,000; a new ward
building at Gallinger Hospital,
s150,000; for the emergency civilian
protection fund, under the La
Guardia program, s5O0,0oo; plans
for grade separation at Rock Creek
Park and Klingle road, $4,000, and
plans for the Georgetown bypass
in line of K street, 100000.