Evening star., 1947-03-23
Horan Discusses
100000 Million
DC. Program
Indirectly Backs Plan
. For improvements,
Sees Money Problem
a., Nan Wnr,an
By Don S. Warren

II the money could be found,
Washington might well spend be-
tween 100000, 900 and $4,000 900 900
in the next five or six years on
permanent improvements, Repre-
sentative Horan, Republican, OF
Washington, chairman of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee in
charge of District expenditures, said
yesterday.
While giving indirect support to
the six-year Capital improvement
program outlined by Engineer Com
missioner Gordon R. Young, which
proposes outlays of about $780,
100000, Mr.. Horan said:
Where are we going to get the
money!"
For his part he said that his COM
mittee would seek in every instance
"to cut out waste and abuses in the
existing budget pattern"
Need Seen for Highways.
He added, I'VE intend to pass on
the sanity of all appropriation re-
quests for the District"
Mr.. Horan expressed the convic-
tion there was great need for more
modern expresshighWay system. mo
one can estimate" he said, 'the loss
of time that is due to the present
ccngested streets and highways of
this city, particularly during the
evening rush hours"
Even of greater Importance, he
stressed, is the question of traffic
safety through proper highway facil-
tiles.
Public hearings on the Districts
$19,0O0,000 additional tax program
are to be resumed Tuesday morn
ing. First witnesses at this session
nefore a joint meeting of the fiscal
subcommittee of the House and
Senate District Committee are slated
to be Rent Administrator Robert F.
Cogswell, the spokesmen for the
Washington Free Public Library.
Others Will Testify.
After these, perhaps at a meet
ing latel this week. will be spokes-
men for the public school system, the
District purchasing officer, Roland
Brennan. and various divisions of
the Engineer Department of the
District.
Chairmen Cain and Bates respec-
lively of the Senate and House Fls-
cal Subcommittee expect to get di-
rectly to the question of the eight
fold tax bills by the end of this week.
Before this is done. however, ad-
ditional testimony is to be taken on
the need for adoption of fixed for
mula for measuring the size Of the
Federal payment Senator Cain,
Republican, of Washington, declared
last week he was convinced the size
of the Federal payment should be
determined before the joint COM
mittee goes into the question of how
much additional District taxes
should be levied.
In response to requests form the
Joint Committee, District officials
are preparing a compilation OF the
services rendered by the municipal
government of the United States.
Data along these lines will be sub
mitted this week.
Higher Outlays Expected.
Current outlays for the District
government during the rest of this
fiscal year soon are expected to be
increased considerably. Represen-
tative Koran and other members OF
the House Appropriations committee
now are marking up" that portion
of the pending first deficiency bill
relating to District expenses.
On February the Budget Bureau
forwarded to Congress deficiency re-
quests from the Commissioners to-
falling $4,252,188, to cover new or
extraordinary requests for a long
list of District departments.
BY far the largest of these was
$2,234,OOO to cover the cost of Dis
trict patients at st. Elizabeth's Hos
pital, made necessary by last years
heavy increase in the per capita
daily cost of patients there. Most OF
the hospitals patients are charged
to the District government.
Most Emergency Requests.
Since most of the deficiency ap-
preparation requests deal with emer-
gency matters, it was indicated
members of the deficiency subcom-
mittee of the House Appropriations
Committee would sanction their ap-
proval.
Mr.. Horan added he would con-
tinue his fight to change social Sc
curity law regulations which forbid
a check-up on the way relief money
is spent here and throughout the
Nation. He said he would go to the
House floor with third demand
that Congress take action in the
matter.