Evening star., 1946-03-31
D. {. Building
Schedule Upset
ByContro| Order
Increased AT Tuxes
May Not Be Needed,
Officials Declare
By John W. Thompson, Jr.

~ Souh w. thompson, JT.
The tight building controls set u,
by the Civilian Production Admin
istration order last Tuesday are ex
pected by District officials to hay,
a double effect on the city govern
ment:
l. They unquestionably will upse
materially the time schedule of tn,
multi-million dollar District post
war construction program to hel,
capital Improvements catch up witt
the war growth of the city.
2. They may make unnecessar,
any increased or new taxes at leas
for 1947.
With $16,OOO,OOO worth of new
construction in the 1947 bulge,
they sent to the Capitol in JANUARY
and backlog of several million dol.
lars worth of building from war.
time priorities, the Commissioner.
were ready to begin a big catch.
up program as fast as the supply
OF building materials would permit.
Orders Effect Felt Already.
Already, however, they are feeling
the braking power of the Wyatt
order Tuesday which places all
building behind housing for veter-
ans. Except for one major project
and several minor ones now under
way, all District planned construc-
tion will have to be screened" by
the CPA. This will undoubtedly
throw many projects into future
fiscal years even though money is
already on hand for them.
AT the Capitol the impact of the
order is being reflected in reported
s6y000,000 cut the House subcom-
mittee Is making in the $81 500 900
barrel-scraping budget for 1947 Dis
trict expenditures. A number of the
projects in the $16,OOO,OO0 program
submitted by the Commissioners are
expected to be dropped out.
Curtailment of the non housing
building, therefore, will permit Con-
gress and District officials to re-
adjust their budget around the
mounting operating expenses which
are eating up the city income, rather
than construction. 1t will also leave
money available for a cushion
against heavy financial demands
that may be made on the city dur
ing 1947. for which no provision
was made when the budget orig
inally went to Congress.
Pay Increases Cited.
These demands will include such
items as the impending pay increase
to Government employees, which will
probably apply to the District, and
cost several millions of dollars. They
also include the normal demands
for supplemental appropriations
that appear every year.
Provision of this cushion" will
partially pull the city out of its
desperate financial plight brought
on by trying to provide service for
a swollen population with income
from a tax structure geared to
much smaller prewar citizenry and
from a $6,000,000 annual payment
from the Federal Government. To
this extent, officials think new taxes
may not be required this fiscal year
beginning July l. However, a spe-
clal tax committee of 18 citizens
and officials expects to continue its
study of increased and new taxes
and report within a few weeks to
the city heads.
District officials point out that
the postponement of the bulk of the
building program also will free the
city of the operating and main
tenance costs that will 60 with
those buildings.
Little Building in Progress.
The trickle of construction now
going on and due to be completed.
according to Assistant Engineer
Commissioner Joseph D. Arthur, ir..
includes the s4,5OO,OOO South Cap
ital Street Bridge across the Ana
costa River, the Stanton Road
School, the Parkside School, a
poWerhouse at the Blue Plains
Home for the Aged and Infirm. and
a laundry at Gallinger Hospital.
Projects for which money is
available and which were due to
be started before July include
the new Receiving Home for Child
rem on land adjacent to the Colum-
bia Institution for the Deaf, a new
laboratory and pediatrics building
at Gallinger, the Sousa Junior High
School, the replacement for the
Cranch-Tyler School, the Lucy
Slowe School and additions to the
Logan, Randall Junior High and
Kimball Schools.
Col. Arthur, director of District
construction, said the District would
do its own screening" of waiting
projects in an effort to submit con-
vincing Justification to the CPA
screeners for the essential ones, The
Dupont Circle underpass and K
street viaduct may not be affected
by the order.
Just what priorities the city will
set up for itself are not yet known.
Other Projects Face Delay.
Several other projects scheduled
for the city may be slowed up by
the housing order. These include
the $10,0O0,000 new federal court
building on part of the municipal
center tract, the $20,0OO,OO0 hospital
center to replace outmoded facili-
ties, and the SAL 100000 water sys-
tenn expansion slated for the next
43 years. In the case of the water
improvements, revised building
schedule may become necessary in
the program of yearly changes
planned, if CPA and Congress do not
find it essential.
Projects now before Congress and
subject to elimination in line with
the order include: $4,000 900 worth
of improvements to the water sys-
tenn; sl,200,000 in new buildings at
Home for the Aged in Blue Plains
s600,000 to build at Laurel, Md, a
replacement for the Industrial Home
School on Wisconsin avenue; 81 ,O06..
600 to expand the District Training
School at Laurel; new Health
Center at Seventh and o streets
NV; $577,00 for three branch H.
brsries in Cleveland Park, Anacostia
and Pleasant Plains; $105 900 for a
new police precinct in Benning: in