Evening star., 1946-06-25
u. ). Fund Issue
Promises Lone
D. {. Bill Fight
Conferees Agree
On $76,755,000
D. c. Appropriation
By Don S. Worren

n l1OuSe-OendCe DaJtle over the
size of the Federal payment to-
day remained to be settled before
the Districts ecord-breaking
supply bill for the year begin
ming next Monday can clear Con-
gress and go to the White House
for signature.
A joint Conference Committee of
the two houses last night announced
settlement of all other disputes. If
their recommendations are adopted
over S2,717,000 will be trimmed
from the s79,4O0,00O bill as passed
by the Senate. These would still
leave the District, however, with an
all-time high appropriation of s76,-
755 900, or more than S4,O0O.0O0
above the total previously approved
by the House.
The Senate demand for a s4.000,-
900 increase in the old $4,000, 900
lump sum payment toward Capital
costs probably will be placed before
the House for action tomorrow or
later this week, when the confer
ence report is called up for ap-
proval.
To Report Disagreement.
House confereeS on the bill met
today at the call of Representative
Gary, Democrat. of Virginia, acting
chairman of the District Subcom-
mlttee of the House Appropriation
Committee.
To carry out the understanding
reached last week, the group decided
to report disagreement with the
/ Senate move for the S4O000O0 in
crease in the size of the Federal
payment-thus assuring a separate
vote on this issue.
| However, after this is done, when
the conference report is called I'D
for House action, one of the House
conferees will move that the House
recede and concur with the Senate
amendment, raising the Federal
payment to s10,0O0,0O0.
Representative Gary declared last
night he was convinced some
increase in the Federal share of
costs is in order" On the other
hand, Representative Taber, Repub-
lican, of New York, ranking minority
member of the Appropriations Com
mittee, is leading fight to prevent
any increase
| School, health, welfare and police
and fire departments took substan-
tial cuts from the Senate levels. in
the actions OF the conferees. Smaller
slashes were distributed among a
number of other agencies. Many
large increases proposed by the
Senate, however, won conference ap-
proval in session that ended after
5 pm. Committee clerks were busy
until late last night figuring out the
effects Of the approved changes.
Anti-Strike Proviso.
One of these carries a specific ap-
! plication to the District Government
of the general ban written into other
appropriation bills against payment
OF salaries to any employe who
strikes against the Government. or
is a member of any organization
| which asserts" the right to strike
| against the Government.
! Under this rule, all District en-
ployes would have to sign afidavits
on the question and would be sub
jected to felony punishment of
flne up to $1,000 or imprisonment
up to one year, or both, upon con-
vlction of violating the bans if they
were found to have accepted salary
for District government employ
ment
Senate proposals for expansion of
the teaching personnel and the
physical plant of the public schools,
to eliminate parttime classes. so far
as possible now, and to move the
District schools into a position sec
ond to none" as soon as possible.
suffered slash of more than ST.
100000 at the hands of the con-
! ferees
Dropped from bill were funds for
three major projects: 311 900 for a
long-deferred addition to Taft Jun
ior High School, 100000 for Begin
ming construction of 24-room
building to replace the old Walker
and Jones schools and S439, 500 for
completion of a new elementary
school to replace the old Cranch and
Tyler schools
Funds to Improve Western.
House conferees agreed to leave in
the bill, however, funds for an addi-
ton to the Logan School. for an
100000 additional for the Richard
son School project, for a seven-room
addition to the Anacostia High
school. for the new Slowe elemen-
tary, S147,900 for improvements to
), Western High for drafting plans for
replacement of the Terrell Junior
High, for additions to the Armstrong
senior and an additional sum for the
new Eliot elementary.
i Scholastic items as passed earlier
by the House were not changed.
The conferees agreed to knock out
of the bill the House provision to
ban any future tuition free educa-
ton for nonresident pupils, beyond
those now in school, The ban al
ready had been voted down by the
Senate 1t has been estimated this
tuition-free status saves Maryland
and Virginia taxpayers several hum
dred thousand dollars year other
wise owned the District.
The conference committee also
! agreed to cut heavily into the
, S341 800 increase proposed by the
Senate for hiring extra teachers to
, reduce the number of parttime