Evening star., 1946-06-26

and House subcommittee on dpprO-
priationS for the District of Colum-
bla-that now is the time to recog-
nize the obligation of the National
Government to its National Capital
U. S. Holdings AZ Per Cent.
For example, between 1884 and
1945, Federal Government land
holdings increased IT. per cent and
now approximate AZ per cent of the
total area of the District, exclusive
OF streets and alleys.
During the fiscal year of 1945
the free taxes of the Federal Gov
ernment, the value of water deliver
ed and the cost of improving, oper-
ating, maintaining and policing
parks owned by the Federal Gov
ernment amounted to $14638, ,800
Substantial additional costs are
largely charged to local taxpayers,
such as the care of Federal prison.
ers and hospital patients and the
education of non-reSidentS-an of
which contribute toward requiring
of District of Columbia residents
more revenue per capita annually
than is the case in the great ma
jority of comparable major Ameri-
can cities.
During the past Is years, general
fund costs of operation alone have
increased so per cent per capita, not
including the recent IA per cent
pay raise to District employees
adopted by the Congress. During
the same period the per capita Fed
eral payment to the District of
Columbia has been cut from $2304
TO. S638, or IS per cent.
1--WE urge the Congress to recog-
nize now that Washington is the
Nations Capital which was Gre
ated for the benefit of all the peo-
pie of The United States. 1t is
governed by those people through
you, their elected representatives in
the Congress.
Now Time for Action
Moral reasons as well as those
involving fiscal equity support our
belief that the United States should
render full justice to the Nations
Capital City through bearing its
fair share of its costs
Mr. Fowler said that through the
years there had been talk, talk,
talk" about fiscal relations. but
now was the time for action
Relating briefly the history OF
fiscal relations between the District
and the Federal governments, he
emphasized the $4,0O0,000 increase
in the lump sum payment was need
ed now, but that for the future it
was important that more equitable
system of computing the Federal
lump sum should be established
Mr.. Fowler praised the new
formula for computing the Federal
payment developed by Senator
O'Mahony, Democrat, of Wyoming
and Senator Overton, Democrat, of
Louisiana. A bill for such a formula
based on the Federal land area in
the Capital, was introduced by
Senator O'Mahony, the speaker said,
and now is pending in the Senate
District Committee.
The "age-old question" presented
by the Federal Governments steady
encroachment on taxable land in
the District, Mr.. Fowler said, comes
up every year. AS the National
Government has increased its land
holdings within the District, depriv-
ing the municipality of revenues. he
emphasized, the Federal payment
has steadily declined.
Cites Growing Payroll.
The District government thought
1t was facing the postwar financial
future with $l0,000,00O saved up, he
said, but added that conditions had
radically changed principally owing
to overtime, bonuses and increased
salaries. These items, he said, had
grown from $2043,0O0 in 1943, to
1888, 900 in 1914, S3,830,O0O in l945,
S7,720,000 in 1916 and would be well
over S11 900 900" in the coming fiscal
years.
Gen. Young said Congress should
approve the $4,000,000 increase in
the lump sum because Congress had
increased municipal expenses by
mroe than that amount in raising
salaries of District government en-
ployes.
But for the future, he declared,
"the S4,000000 question. of course,
is a piker.' He warned it would
be a bad mistake for any one toI
get the impression that the $4,000
600 was intended to implement the
slX-year plan for Capital improve
ments recently made public. 1t will
take large sums" he said. to make
the Capital what it should be.
The Engineer Commissioner pre-
dicted the pending $4,000, 900 lump
sum has very good chance
despite resistance and lack of
knowledge on the part of several
members of Congress"
MIR. McGarraghy warned the