Evening star., 1946-04-11
ID. T.. Officials Ask
Additional 5 Million
ForMunicipaI Projects
Senate Subcommittee
Told Of l947 Budget
Requirements
By Don S. Worren

Urgent requests for adding
more than $5,343 900 to the 1947
District supply bill as passed by
the House were placed before the
OMahoney subcommittee of the
Senate Appropriations Commit
tee today by District officials.
If liberalized to this extent, the
outlay for the fiscal year beginning
July l would be raised to SIT .928 1854
and would provide many additional
employees for numerous departments
and expand the municipal con-
struction program, which had been
sharply slashed by the House.
Much of the total which the Com
fnissioners sought to restore to the
bill would be for the public schools,
to provide more teachers and to
permit progress on the school build
ing program.
The House has slashed nearly So
600 900 from the S81 sos, 900 budget
which had been submitted by the
Commissioners and President Tru-
man, because of the threatened f.
nancial crisis which is Anticipated
next year due to anticipated addi-
tional revenue demands already in
sight.
Fixed Formula" Due Hearing.
The question of the size of the
Federal payment is expected to be
raised during the hearings before
the Senate subcommittee. Senator
OMahoney, Democrat, of Wyoming
subcommittee chairman, has an
nounced the group will consider the
proposal OF committee staff investi-
gators for the adoption of a fixed
formula for annual adjustment of
the Federal share. One proposed
formula, based on the extent of tax
exempt Federal land and holdings
here, would nearly double the pres
ent $6,000,000 lump sum payment
and another proposal would call for
neavy boost, but to a smaller
amount. In addition, Senator Nc
Carran, Democrat, of Nevada has
announced he will propose a tenn
porary 100000 boost in the Fed
eral payment, pending enactment of
a liked formula plan.
When the Senate subcommittee
hearings opened today, the Com
mlssioners and Budget Officer Wal
ter L. Fowler proposed increases in
the House totals for the school sys-
tenn to permit the employment of l39
addltlonai teachers at cost of Sl7O,-
400. OF these, 80 teachers would be
for the colored schools. without
which, the Commissioners said, the
instruction of pupils would be seri-
ously affected. District officials said
the House was in error in saying
that teachers in schools having two
shifts for classes were employed only
three and one-half hours per day
The fact is, they said. the teachers
are employed full time and that it
is the pupils who are on part time,
Teachers Needed for Veterans.
One hundred and nine of the re-
quested extra teachers are needed,
the Commissioners said, to provide
instruction for returning war vet
Grams, who are estimated to number
some 600 next year.
The Senate subcommittee was
asked to add $64,420 to the House
total for school furniture and equip
ment and to write into the bill more
than 81 800 900 additional for school
projects. These would include COM
pletion of the addition to the Taft
Junior High, construction of an
eight-room addition to the Logan
Elementary School, construction of
a third-story addition to the Ana
costa High School and for the con-
struction of a new elementary
building in the vicinity of Eleventh
and G streets Sc. to replace the
old Cranch and Tyler Schools.
District officials also made a plea
for the employment of 125 addi-
tional policemen, eight additional
park police and so more firemen, all
of which had been denied by the
House because of the revenue situa-
ton. The additional police would
cost more than 100000 and the
extra firemen $158,000.
For the free public library sys-
tenn, the Commissioners are seeking
an additional $57 300, mostly for
employment of needed extras. For
the recreation department, an addi-
tional $31 900 is asked, for part time
play directors and for the operation
Of public swimming pools.
One Of the big new items sought
(See D. G. BUDGET, Page A-200