Evening star., 1947-10-10
Budget Pairing
Efforts Resumed
ByD.C. Heads
Commissioners Note
Live-Within-Income
Theme at Hearing

Theme at Hearing
The Commissioners today returned
, to the job of pairing down the 194s
District budget from estimates of
more than $144,0O0,00 submitted
by their department heads after
economy pleas at yesterdays public
budget hearing.
All Commissioners feel the princi-
pal theme of the citizens advice
was that the District should live
within its income next year and
should not pile additional taxes on
its residents.
Engineer Commissioner Gordon
r. Young drew an additional lesson
from the hearing. Next time, he
said, the Commissioners should boil
down departmental estimates and
produce tentative budget of their
own before calling on the civic
groups for advice. Commissioner
Guy Mason agreed.
Il am impressed with the number
OF persons who advocated caution
in spending" Commissioner John
Russell Young said.
"It has not always been that way.
1t seems to me the people are finally
beginning to realize they are the
ones who must foot the bill
Extreme Requests" Tempered.
II was most impressed by the in
creasing extent to which the city
is becoming money conscious" Gen.
Young echoed. There was less
tendency than at previous hearings
to make extreme requests"
The Engineer Commissioner added
he thought this showed "a very
healthy attitude"
Mr., Mason said that, as he saw it,
the consensus of the citizens advice
was lin the main, rather conserva-
tive"
All the city heads praised the
statements of the Federation of
Citizens Associations and the
Board of Trade, urging adoption of
a budget which could be financed
"by present taxes at present rates"
Both organizations also criticized
the current procedure of holding
public hearings before local civic
organizations have information
other than the estimates of de-
partment heads.
II agree that a hearing on the
mere total of department requests
before we have boiled them down
is a waste of time" Gen. Young told
reporters.
Tentative Budget Proposed.
Hereafter, the hearings should
be postponed until the Commission
ers have done their own boiling
down and have prepared at least a
tentative budget"
Gen. Young added, however, he
does not agree with suggestions that
the departments budget requests
should be censored in advance by
the Commissioners. Gen. Young
said 1t would be mistake to choke
them off in presenting their views"
Not all the witnesses testifying
at the hearing yesterday had econ
omy foremost in their minds. Many
who took the stand toward the end
of the session spoke of the necessity
of spending for public welfare.
Laurence F. Schmeckebier, of the
Washington Housing Association,
Endorsed the budget request Of the
Bureau OF Public Health Engineer
ing as a necessity for protection of
the public health.
The public assistance division OF
the Public Welfare Department was
defended by Benjamin Thoron of
the Family Service Association, Miss
Gertrude Evans of the Washington
Industrial Union Council, and Mrs.
Irene Koengsberger of the Jewish
Social Service Agency.
Instances of Want Cited.
The Rev. Leonard S. Edmonds,
director of the Department of Social
Walfare, Washington Federation of
Churches, also strongly recommend
ed funds for public assistance, and
cited several instances of want.
Miss Evans on another subject,
declaring her organization was in
favor of public recreation, criticized
the Recreation Boards policy of seq
regation. She said the District
should outlaw the use of Govern
ment funds for recreation services
maintained and operated on the
basis of race, color or creed.
A. H. Bacas, who said he was
speaking Tor several organizations
in southeast Washington, stressed
the need for a replacement for Hine
Junior High School and enlargement
of its grounds.
Bonus for Teachers Urged.
Mrs. Catherine G. Hurley of the
District Teachers Union, Local 8,
United Public Workers, CIO, con-
tended that teachers salaries here
were so low that teachers standard
of living was beneath the average
wage Garner in the country. She
asked the Commissioners to recon-
= mend bonus of at least $500 a year
for each teacher until such time as
further enabling legislation is
passed. This would cost, she esti-
mated somewhat less than $4,000, 900.
w. D. Nixon, president of the
Association of Oldest Inhabitants,
Inc, with headquarters at 839 Twen-
tieth street NE, protested the pol
icy of segregation in the Fire De-
partment. He said his organization
did not oppose establishment of a
firehouse at Forty-ninth and East
Capitol streets, but. protested if it
was to be manned by colored fire.
men. He contended that the segre-
cation policy was un-American and
deprived his people of working
where they wanted to or were quail
ified to work.
Civil Service Status Sought.
"We want a fire company based
on civil service rating" he said. He
contended that the Fire Department
should operate on an integrated sys-