Evening star., 1947-03-17
Buck Approves
Greater Federal
Aid 70 District
Says Residents Should
Not Beur u. S. Part:
Backs Home Rule

Chairman Buck of the Senate Dis
tr1ct Committee is convinced that
Washington taxpayers should not be
expected to carry the Federal Gov
ernment's share of city expenses
here.
He favors the principle Of the
OMahoney- Hebert bill to Ak an
nually the size of the lump sum due
the city from the United States.
He pointed out that application Of
the OMahoney-Hebert bill would
increase the Federal Governments
payment towards city costs about so
per cent.
The Senator also favored home
rule" for Washington.
Hearings Start Tuesday.
These pronouncements came with
congressional hearings scheduled to
open tomorrow on the Districts
complex fiscal affairs. The aty
faces deficit of about $4,000, 900
for the next fiscal year beginning
July l. The District Commissioners
big tax program to help meet the
deficit Is before Congress for action.
Senator Buck. in a radio inter-
view with Charles Farmer, over Sta
ton WPIK, said he considered the
most important problem" facing the
city to be its fiscal affairs.
Whats the trouble?" he was
asked.
"The area of the District of CO.
lumbia is fixed responded Senator
Buck. TT cannot expand. Therefore,
when the Federal Government pur-
chases property the tax revenue
previously received on that property
is lost-cannot be replaced.
81 Per Cent of Land Not Taxable.
Il want to say in all fairness"
continued the Senator, "the resi-
dents of the District should not be
expected to make up such loss in
revenue by increased taxes.
THE fact Is. only 40 per cent of
the District land is taxable. The
other 81 per cent is land set aside
for the Federal Government, the
District government, foreign embas-
sizes, to say nothing of organizations
OF a charitable, ecclesiastical and
scholastic nature
Explaining that the way out"
of this situation for the city was
application of the O'Mahoney-H Her
bert bill, Senator Buck estimated
1t would call for a lump sum from
the Federal Government of about
$12,000,000, instead of the $8,0O0,000
appropriated for this year.
This, he explained would give
the District four million extra doll
lars" or an increase of so per cent.
Describes Fiscal Relations.
Senator Buck went into the his
tory of fiscal relations between the
Federal and District Governments.
He charged the United States had
not lived up to it's statutory obliga-
tions to the city during several
years.
From 1879 to 1924, he pointed out.
there was a $3.50 basic payment
toward expenses of the District.
From 1925 to 1888, he said the
Federal Government went on
1880 percentage basis, with the
United States on the small end.D =
did Congress appropriate the
necessary funds?" he was asked.
mo" came the reply" In the
IA years that the law was in effect,
the records show that Congress
failed to appropriate on the pre-
Scribed 40-60 basis, and instead
authorized during the IA years only
$l06,71 714,295 when according to the
statute $229,o00,00O should have
been appropriated. In other words
the District of Columbia failed to
receive $123, 100000 under the Fed
eral agreement"
Won't Call 1t "Short Changing"
TN plain words" interjected Mr..
Parker, "the District was short
changed"
I'D hardly :"
"No you couldn't use that phrase"
interrupted the interviewer, but
1t seems that's what it was, Senator.
Why?"
II have no way of knowing the
exact cause" replied the Senator.
But I'd say that economic circum-
stances and conditions at the vari-
Gus yearly intervals during this IA
year period were responsible for
the failure to appropriate these
funds"
Senator Buck explained the tax
bills submitted by the District Com
missioners, and the OMahoney-
Herbert bill on fiscal relations will
come up for hearings tomorrow
morning before the subcommittee
OIL fiscal relations of the Senate and
House District Committees. He also
said the McGrath daylight saving
bill is on the Senate calendar.
"All this sounds like you are in
favor of home rule for the District"
said Mr.. Farmer.
I'm in favor of democracy of
the people speaking for what they
want" Senator Buck concluded,