Evening star., 1946-05-04
Senate Group Likely
To ReportD. {. Budget
OF Is Million or More
By Don S. Worren

VI ~ iIllIlVu VI IIVIS
By Don S. Warren
A greatly liberalized Distric
supply bill for the year begin
ming July l will be reported
probably today, by the O'Mah
oney Subcommittee of the Sen
ate Appropriations Committee.
While calculations of increase,
amounts agreed on by the subcom
mittee had not been completed lat
yesterday when the OMahone,
group concluded its "markup" O
the bill, it was believed the tota
would run fairly close to the record
breaking $81 sos 900 budget proposed
last January by the Commissioners
Increases over the House total O.
$72,585, 900 announced from day tt
day by Chairman O'Mahoney in.
olcated the total would be at leas
$4,000, 900, and probably more. Tht
House had sliced nearly S9,000,O0(
from the budget proposals"
Seeks Higher Lump Sums.
Though it showed the same re.
gard for keeping the District out Of
debt, the Senate subcommittee haC
found needs for extra services ano
capital Improvements so pressing
because of lean war years and the
sensational rise in population here
that it wrote one large increase
after another into the bill.
Taking note that District officials
and civic leaders are working on
proposals for possible increases in
District taxes, the OMahoney SUBJ
committee launched a move for an
immediate $4,00O,000 boost in the
S6,000,000 Federal payment toward
National Capital costs.
This is designed to serve as a
stop-gap measure until Congress
has had time to act on proposed
basic legislation calling for adoption
of formula, based on the extent
of Federal tax-exempt land hold
ings here, to measure annually the
size of the Federal share of District
costs.
Increases Water Fund.
Among latest increases ordered
by the subcommittee headed by
Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat, of
Wyoming were extra funds for eX-
pansion of the water supply system,
for the penal institutions, the Re-
ceiving Home for Children, the
schools and the Alcoholic Clinic.
Appropriations proposed by the
House for the water system were
increased by 1891, 900 to permit an
early start on expansion of facilities
at the Dalecarlia Reservoir. Projects
there include new mixing and sedi-
mentation basins and the beginning
of construction on a 30,000,000
gallon clear water basin having a
total authorized cost of s2,217.0O0.
The subcommittee also added
S470000 for expansion of facilities
at the District Training School for
Feeble Minded at Laurel, Md, in the
belief that to permit admission
there of some of the long waiting
list of patients would have the effect
of reducing the problems of de-
1inquency in the District.
S50,0O0 for Children's Home.
Seeking to break the log jam over
construction of the new Receiving
Home for Children, the O'Mahoney
Subcommittee said it was recon-
mending an additional appropriation
of $50,000. This was because open
ing of bids recently showed the
lowest offer was 100000 above the
$285,O00 fund appropriated last year
Senator -O'Mahoney, referring to a
statement submitted by Engineer
Commissioner Gordon r. Young,
said it was thought this increase
would permit award of contract for
that portion of the home to house
delinquent children and others
awaiting court action. Also he said
it should cover space to be used
for the classification center.
A later appropriation would be
needed for the section of the home
to be used for nondelinquent chill
dren.
The subcommittee added $4,000
for the board and care of child
wards of the District in foster
homes. The committee said this was
needed because of the heavy in
crease. in the per capita costs of
caring for the foster children.
The O'Mahoney subcommittee also
provided $4,000 for the construction
of an eight-room extensible ele-
mentary school (the Slowe SCHOOL,
at Fifteenth and Hamlin streets
NE.
Shop Plea Rejected.
The subcommittee rejected re-
quests by the Commissioners for
$730,600 for the construction of a
shops-and-garage building for the
refuse division. Chairman OMa-
honey said it was thought the divi-
sion could "get long" without this
building for the time being and
added that there were so many
construction projects that were "ab-
solutely necessary" it was felt it
was not wise to appropriate for i'm
provements that were desirable but
not Immediately necessary.
With some regret, Chairman
O'Mahoney also announced his SUBJ
committee, by a tie vote, had de-
feated a proposed appropriation of
$25 1000 for the National Symphony
Orchestra to cover the costs of the
concerts for school children. The
point was made that such a service
has not been specifically authorized
by Congress. Senator O'Mahoney
said legislative committees may con-
slider bill to authorize this outlay.
Marble Confoef EinnIe