Evening star., 1942-06-06
Senate Expected
To Pass D. T..
Bill Monday
Sl85,l10 Increase
Recommended Brings
Total to $56, ,322,28l
By J. A. O'LEARY.

by j. "A. OLkAk1.
The Senate is expected to pass
quickly on Monday the $56, 1922 ,281
District appropriation bill for the
year beginning July l. which came
from the Appropriations Committee
yesterday with the comparatively
small net increase of $l85, ITO in the
House total.
With war priorities causing post
ponement Of public works, the Sem
ate committee added only two major
construction items, namely:
A new fire engine house at North
Capitol and Crittenden streets,
$4,000; new police precinct at
Forty-second street and Benning
road NE, $4,000.
In arriving at the net increase of
$l85,110, the Senate group made
gross additions of 1896, $50, offset
by reduction of $750,420. The revi-
sion of the bill was not as far-reach-
ing as these figures would indicate,
however, because a substantial part
of the money listed as reductions
represented items transferred from
the school budget to separate new
heading to carry out the new CO.
ordinated recreation program.
Below Current Year.
In its present form the bill is ST.
o44,008 under appropriations for the
current year And, while latest
forecasts of probable tax collections
indicate the city may have a reserve
cushion of as much as S2,000,000 in
its general fund by July, 1943, Dis
trict officials have reminded Con-
greSs recently that the war may
place heavy unforeseen obligations on
the local government after 1943.
About half of the cushion is due
to the fact that income tax COL
lections on April IS ran about ST.
100000 higher than advance esti
mates, but officials also point out
that this may be offset by later
decline in other sources of revenue
affected by the war.
Other important changes made in
the Senate bill, under the direction
of Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat,
Of wyoming. were:
To renovate and reopen the old
tuberculosis Hospital at Fourteenth
and Upshur streets NV. temporar-
lily during the war, $186,920, of which
S50,000 is for repairs and the balance
for maintenance.
r. bn corrino nf tho fran
public library system. including Sl4,-
800 to open a rented branch in Ana
costa S38,538. The balance is for
personnel.
Would Expand Inspections.
To enable the Health Department
to extend its restaurant inspection
to the 4.500 boarding houses, s22.-
800. which provides for eight new
food inspectors and three sanitary
inspectors 1920
To give effect to the new co-ordi-
nation of recreation, the Senate
took the Community Center fund
of s281 .32O out of the school budget.
increased it to 1854, 1894 and placed it
under a separate heading in the
bill. 1t also transferred the SIS 900
fund for improvement of municipal
Fairgrounds and increased 1t to
S26, 500.
With the building program slowed
down by the war, the increases in
the school budget amounted to only
s24,300, made up of small personnel
changes. Two legislative changes
affecting the schools were made,
however, as follows:
|. The Senate committee adhered
to it's long-standing policy of killing
the House effort to require tuition
from all on-resident pupils here
after enrolled in local public schools.
2. 1t added a new provision to
allow school teachers to accept out
side Jobs during the summer vaca-
ton period.
The Public Utilities Commission
was given S11, 1895 for more experts
to keep up with transportation and
other problems created by wartime
congestion.
Welfare Fund Cut.
One of the biggest cuts the COM
mittee made was S242.000 in the
social security features of public
welfare, but Senator OMahoney in
dicated the programs would not
suffer, explaining the reductions
were due to revised estimates OF
case loads and the carrying forward
OF an unexpended balance.
In the public assistance relief
fund $4,000 of new appropriation
was saved by carrying forward a
balance of that amount from this
wear. A reduced case load below
budget estimates prompted an s89,-
600 cut in home care for dependent
children. A $4,000 reduction was
made in old-age assistance, but
Senator OMahony said this still
would permit an increase OF 20 cases
each month during the year.
The committee struck out the
fixed schedule of relief payments,
based on the size OF the family,
leaving the amounts to be deter
mined on need 1t also removed
limitations on the expenditure Tor
distribution of surplus commodities
and relief milk.
The Board of Public Welfare was
given $11 ,s20 for personnel, includ-
ing restoration OF provision Tor a
principal assistant director at $500
Two reductions were made In the
House program to improve physical
training activities in the high
schools. The Senate committee cut
from $4,000 to $4,000 the item in
the school budget for physical train
ing instruction. .
1t also cut $1,000 from the sl6.5OO
the House allowed the Health De-
.partment for medical examiners for
the physical training program. In
making this change, the committee
recommended that four examiners
pe employed at $1,000 each, instead
of IL at $500 each.
Cut Out Health Center Funds.
The committee also cut out $780,
900 for completing construction oil
new Northwest health center
which hos heen held lid bY the war