Evening star., 1941-06-17
Speedy Senate Action
On D. T.. Bill Seen
As House Approves
$52,547,0 Unchanged;
Tuition Charge Remains
For Non-Residents
By JAMES E. CHINN.

Speedy Senate action on the 1912
District appropriation bill carrying
S52. SAT ,081 to operate the municipal
government in the new fiscal year
beginning July l appeared likely
today.
Senate hearings on the bill are to
start at 10 am tomorrow, Chairman
Overton announced today after ar
informal conference with member:
of the subcommittee.
The District Commissioners are
called as first witnesses, and have
been notified to bring with them any
proposed amendments, with justifi-
cation for any additional amounts if
requested.
Senator Overton said that in view
of the short time remaining in which
this bill may become law. before the
close of the fiscal year, June 30, he
requests all citizens who testified
during the House hearings to refrain
from requesting to be heard again
unless they have additional infor-
nation or argument. In that event
he asks them to prepare a brief
statement which can be included In
the records of the hearings.
House Action Swift.
With almost unprecedented swift
ness. the House on voice vote
passed the bill at $50 o'clock yes
terday. exactly two hours and 10
minutes after it had been called
up for consideration. Chairman
Mahon of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee which framed the
measure, had appealed for hasty
action In order to give the Senate
sufficient time to pass on 1t before
close of the current fiscal year
June 80.
Only two attempts were made In
the House to alter major features
of the bill, and both were firmly
rejected, also on voice votes.
The first was an amendment by
Representative Rees, Republican, OF
Kansas which would have elimi-
mated a S6,0O0,0 900 Federal payment
toward District expenses in the
coming fiscal year.
Later Representative Sasscer,
Democrat, of Maryland sought in
vain to remove provision requiring
children of non-reSidents attending
public schools here to pay tuition.
The only noteworthy change made
In the bill as it came out OF the
Appropriations Committee last Fri
day was elimination of legislative
rider that would have paved the way
for adoption in the District OF the
Agriculture Departments food
stamp plan for distribution of sur
plus commodities. It was removed
on a point of order raised by Rep
resentative Case. Republican, of
South Dakota. He also had four
other legislative provislons-minor
in character-stricken out by the
same method.
No Change in Amount.
No alterations were made in the
appropriation items in the bill, and
none was proposed. AS the measure
went to the Senate it called for the
same amount recommended by the
Appropriations Committee-s52,547,-
O81-the largest sum ever before
recommended to finance the munic-
ipal government in a 12-month
period.
Representative Mahon opened de-
bate on the bill at $50 pm. and
spent IA minutes describing its va
rious features.
1--WE have brought out a good
bill" he said. I'VE have done our
best"
Specifically, he called attention
to some of the increases over cur
rent appropriations to provide ad-
ditional school facilities, highway
improvements to remove existing
traffic bottlenecks and to start work
on the long proposed health center
In the Northwest section.
Questioned on Taxes.
Several times Mr. Mahon was In
terrupted. Representative Rees
wanted to know If the bill was
predicated on an increase in the
existing tax rate on real and per-
sonal property, and Representative
Springer, Republican, of Indiana in
uuired if the measure proposed to
raise the local gasoline tax Of 2
cents gallon
To these questions Mr.. Mahon re-
piled his subcommittee had nothing
Whatever to do with the tax situa-
tion-that 1t was matter for the
District Legislative Committee OF
the House. He stressed, however,
that the bill was framed on the
basis of expected revenue from pres
ent tax sources in the coming fiscal
year and there would be no need
of new or higher taxes to support 1t.
Immediately following Chairman
Mahon, Representative Stefan of
Nebraska, ranking minority men,
Der OF the Appropriations Subcom-
mittee, voiced the hope that some
reasonable formula" can be worked
out that would provide fair and
equitable basis of fiscal relations be-
tween the Federal and District
governments.
Virginia Construction Protested.
Representative White, Democrat,
OF Idaho complained about plans to
erect four new temporary Govern
ment buildings in nearby Arlington
County, Va, instead of locating
them in an area south of the Capt.
tol. once this thing gets started
across the river" he declared, 1T
will be hard to end it,"
A few moments later. Representa-
tive Dirksen, Republican, of Illinois
renewed his plea for decentraliza-
ton of Federal agencies in Wash
ington to alleviate housing and
trafic conditions growing out of the
influx of national defense workers.
THE moving of Government
buildings to Arlington County will
not solve the problem" he declared.
'It would only involve the costly
construction of additional bridges
and tubes across the river"
When debate on the bill con-
cluded, Representative Rees intro
duced his amendment to abolish
the $6,000,000 Federal payment
toward District expenses.
PenreseY,tatiye MahOn took the