Evening star., 1947-07-16
Higher Revenue
Need Put Before
.SenateD.C. Unit
Problem Of SIicing
Budget by 5000, 900
Faces Subcommittee
, By Don S. Worren

A declaration of the need Of
further increases in District rev.
enues was before the Dworshak
Subcommittee of the Senate Appro-
priations Committee today, as 1t be-
gan marking up the city's, 194S sup-
ply bill.
A sales tax was suggested-for
future consideration.
The subcommittee was confronted
with the immediate problem of
slicing more than 100000 from the
latest total of requests for this year
to keep the District from running
a deficit.
This years maximum outlay
seemed to be about the $96,00O,00o
level approved by the House. But
in yesterdays hearing, which set
a record for speed, the Dworshak
Subcommittee reviewed proposals
from the Commissioners to add an
extra S914,000. Other witnesses
asked for further large additions
to an already record budget.
School Funds Favored.
The best guess was that the In
creased school construction program,
as approved recently by the House.
would fare we'll in the last-minute
slicing. There was no final COM
mitment, however. prior to a ses-
sion Of the subcommittee scheduled
for this afternoon.
More likely to bear the brunt Of
necessary cuts, some officials
thought, were the Commissioners
requests of yesterday for an added
$914,000 for projects or services de-
MED by the House.
School officials fought against the
suggestion of the Commissioners
that the cuts be made in school
building projects. The $4.7l9,0OU
granted by the House for construc-
tion to end part-time instruction Of
the 1000 pupils now in crowded
schools, they contended, already had
been pared to a bare minimum.
Senator Dworshak, Republican. Of
Idaho, subcommittee head, brought
out this sum, while about double
what the Commissioners had al
lowed in their budget, was a little
more than half the $8,500000 cap
ital outlay originally urged by school
authorities.
Revenue Program Criticized.
Aroused over the school picture
as presented by School Superin-
tendent Hobart M. Corning and his
aides, Chairman Dworshak criti-
cized the District legislative COM
mittees for failing to bring out an
adequate revenue program.
II can't understand why those in
charge of framing the revenue BILL"
he asserted, didn't visualize the
need for a sales tax or some other
means of meeting the Districts re-
quirements."
Budget officer Walter L. Fowler re-
sponded he could not see how all
the needs could be met without Q
sales tax or a similar measure.
"The income tax" he declared,
won't do it,"
An outlay of $96,000,000 this year
will be covered by available Dis
trict finances, District officials ex-
planned. but only by selling virtually
all of the remaining wartime capital
investment fund. On current rev.
enue basis, they said, outlays would
exceed the years income by several
million dollars.
Senator Dworshak warned the
question of larger revenues cannot
"be lodged much longer School
needs should have first priority, he
added.
School Situation alarming"
DR.. Corning protested that the
present situation, with 20 schools
crowded and with about 1000 pupils
deprived of full instruction, is very
alarming" He warned that, If a
start is not made now in relieving
congestion, 13 more schools would
have to 60 on the ,double-shift sys-
tenn in another year.
Not only has there been fan
tastic" increase in the total District
during the war years.
but the school situation has been
made more critical" by shifts of
population within the District and
by the wartime ban on construction,
he said. In addition, he pointed out.
a score of the schools date back to
Civil War days and are so obsolete
that health and sanitation stand
ards have to be ignored This situ-
alton, he added, is causing tension
and district among those most af-
fected by overcrowding.
Another problem bobbed up unex-
pectedly during yesterdays session.
Health Office George C. Rutland
brought out that additional funds
would be needed If all the health
projects the House wrote into Its
bill were to be financed.
Estimated at $4,000.
officials of the subcommittee cal
culated that an extra $4,000 would
be needed, unless the Health De-
partment were required to cut its
general program.
The House approved $4,000 for
the city-wide tuberculosis case find
ing survey, $4,000 for a cancer COM
troll program and approved continu-
alton Of the housekeeping aid pro-
gram and relocation of the pharn1a-
ceutical clinic in the old Gales
School Building. But the total de-
partment grant, officials said. would
wind up $4,000 shy of needs If all
approved programs were carried out
in full force.
Operation of the District National
Guard Armory was another prob
lem. Col Peyton G. Nevitt, adjutant
general of the Guard. said s266, 900
in all would be needed for its opera
ton, If necessary equipment, in
cluding lockers, we're installed. The
sum requested by the District Com
he held to be inadequate.
Shepard Protests Cut.
Recorder OF Deeds Marshall L.
Shepard appealed for restoration Of
a $4,000 cut the House made in