Evening star., 1945-09-28
D.C.FightUrged
For Increase in
Federal Fund
Commissioners Asked
To Admit Citizens
To Budget PorIeys

To Budget PorIeys
The Commissioners today had be-
fore them vigorous pleas to fight
for an increase in the $6,0O0,000
Federal contribution to the District
and to permit greater citizen parti-
cipation in the budgetary procedure.
Harry S. Wender, FORMER presi-
dent of the Federation of Citizens
Associations, told the city heads at
a public hearing on the budget yes
terday that they must fight for
greater Federal support or the city
will face chaos.
Pointing out that the Federal
share of District appropriations has
dropped from 40 per cent in 1922
to 945 per cent in 1945, Mr.. Wender
said the city has had dirty deal"
He argued that almost so per cent
IF the land here is exempted from
taxation and that embassies now
are buying estates instead of being
satisfied with houses on Sixteenth
street. Embassy property is tax
exempt.
Mr.. Wender insisted that citizens
and their representatives should be
present during the budget confer
ences between department heads
and the Commissioners. He said
this system would give citizens a
better chance to study the budget
requests before the annual public
hearing.
Urges Equitable Payment.
Kenneth p Armstrong, chairman
Of the Committee on Fiscal Rela-
tions and Taxation of the feder-
alton, also urged a more equitable
Federal payment and greater citi-
zen-participation in budgetary pro-
cedure.
He pointed out that some 20 years
ago there was an unofficial body of
citizens known as the Citizens Ad-
visory Council, chosen from the fed
Grafton and the civic federation,
which held hearings to discuss
budget matters.
This now-abandoned method, Mr..
Armstrong continued, was defective,
since the council was not chosen by
direct election and since it had no
legal status.
THE. method, however, was super
ior to the present one, which affords
a greater opportunity for special
interests and pressure groups to pre-
sent their desires than is afforded
the citizens generally" Mr.. Arm
stong said.
Criticizes Present Practice.
Mr.. Armstrong declared that the
present practice of detailed budget
making by Congress is contrary to
American principles adding:
Members of Congress are in no
position to evaluate properly the
relative Importance of budget items,
and the opportunity is thus afforded
for undue influence by special in
terest and pressure groups to the
detriment of the citizens and tax
payers as a whole"
| Mr.. Armstrong said the present
Federal contribution falls far short
Fof being equitable Since it is not
known whether the Federal con-
tribution will be increased in 1e47,
he recommended that the Commits
sioners submit budget of needs,
with priority rating. In this way,
he said, items of least priority
could be dropped to balance the
budget.
Crosby N. Boyd, chairman of the
Joint Committee of the Council of
Social Agencies and Community
Chest on the Relationship between
Public and Private Relief Giving
Agencies, told the Commissioners
that the District has had a smaller
average number of persons on re-
lief and is given less per capita for
its assistance program than almost
any other city
Mr.. Boyd supported the budget
requests of the Public Welfare
Board, designed to bring standards
of assistance to minimum levels of
health and decency," to pay in
creased rents and to care for q
larger number of cases.
Private Agencies Pay Relief.
He testified that private relief
agencies are paying emergency re-
lief while families are establishing
their eligibility and suggested that
a system of "presumptively eligible
would enable the District to care
for such families and release the
private agencies from this burden.
DR.. E. j. Stieglitz of the Com
mittee on Aging of the Council Of
Social Agencies submitted objec-
tions to the layout of a proposed
sl,250,000 building at the Home for
the Aged to care for persons con-
fined to bed.
The District Congress of Parents
and Teachers stressed the need for
teaching smaller groups of children,
backed the proposed program of the
Mental Hygiene Bureau of the
Health Department, replacement OF
the present Industrial Home School
on Wisconsin avenue and urged an
educational program at the school
to be carried out under the Board
of Education
Earlier at the hearing, the WASH
lngton Board of Trades Municipal
Finance Committee, also had
pleaded for larger Federal con-
tribution. 1t urged that two
budgets be drawn. one showing a
balanced budget and the other in
cluding the. needs of the District
which have to be omitted to balance
the first budget.
Linn Drake to Be Feted