Evening star., 1941-03-04
Local Defense Problems

The addition of thousands of de-
fense workers to Washington'S al
ready large population is creating
new and serious problems for which
Congress must find immediate
remedy in the provision of essential
municipal services. For delay doubt
less will mean the repetition of costly
mistakes and unnecessary suffering
which accompanied the emergency
of the first World War twenty-four
years ago.
Much attention now is being given
to the provision of defense housing"
But the provision of housing is mere
ly one step in caring for the abnormal
population increase now taking place.
Where there is housing there are
families with children, who must be
provided with schools. New streets
must be opened, new sewers laid, new
water mains extended. New housing
requires additional fire and police
protection, new health protection,
increased service in trash and
garbage removal-expansion, in fact,
of all the municipal functions cater
ing to the needs of a rapidly growing
population.
Doctor Ballou's recent request for
deficiency appropriations Of more
than a million dollars for immediate
provision Of six new school buildings
and school sites is indicative of the
sort of emergency with which the
community is faced. In justifying
the new needs-sent to the Commis-
sioners after the annual budget had
gone to Congress-the superintendent
of schools merely listed the housing
developments planned and under
construction in the vicinity of the
schools requested and estimated the
number of children for whom school
facilities, now lacking, must be pro-
vided. The chief of engineers, in his
annual report to Congress yesterday,
recommended immediate and sub
stantial Improvements and additions
to the water supply system, including
equipment designed to prevent
sabotage.
These requests, and others which
inevitably will follow, come at time
when the normal District budget has
been cut to the bare essentials with
out providing much more than main
tenance costs. Where is the money
coming from to supply the emer-
gency needs, the needs directly re-
sulting from the defense program?
Two hearings at the Capitol this
week may offer solutions; one, the
provision of emergency funds to
finance acute needs-such as new
school buildings-and the other the
provision of a plan under which
some of the longtime expenses, so
rapidly being accumulated, may be
met.
The first hearing Is on the Lanham
bill in the House, introduced in re-
sponse to the Presidents recent re-
quest for supplemental sppropria-
ton of $15O,00o 900, to be spent In his
discretion in assisting local commu-
mites to meet the sudden demands
for new and expanded municipal
services necessitated by the defense
program. Some of the anticipated
expenditures which must be made in
washington in the near future would
seem to fall within the categories
outlined by the President in request
ing the funds.
The second hearing is the joint
consideration, by subcommittee OF
House and Senate District Commit
tees, on the Overton plan for the an
nual measurement of the Federal
payment in the District appropria-
ton bill. 1t should be so obvious
that the defense emergency demands
an increased Federal payment that
the Overton plan should be welcomed
as logical, practical method of de-
termining the extent of the imme-
diate increase. And it is only rea-
sonable that adoption of the Overton
plan should accompany provision Of
any emergency funds that the Fed
eral Government may make avail
able. For such funds would repre-
sent capital expenditures alone, pro-
ducing higher maintenance costs
which, under the present haphazard
system of dividing Capital City costs
between the national and local gov
ernments, are beyond the resources
of the District to provide.