Evening star., 1948-10-22
District Budget
Pairing beginsas
Hearings Close
Commissioner Must
Lop OFF ST., ,443,376
In Next Five Doys
~ Jerry O'Leory, Jr.

sy Jerry O'leoy. Jr. r.
With public hearings on the Dis
trict's 1850 budget out of the way
the Commissioners prepared today
to mark up" the estimates and
send them back to department
heads for rewriting.
Budget Ofiicer Walter F. Fowler
said it Is hoped to get the revised
budget into the hands Of the Fed
eral Budget Bureau by November IS.
When the public hearings ended
late yesterday on the $110,188, ,64S
budget estimate, the Commissioners
tentatively planned to complete
their economy pairing within the
next five days.
$l3,443,376 Cut Needed.
With general fund estimates now
standing at $94, 1894, 1881, and the gen.
eral fund revenue availability esti-
mated at about $50, ,951, Ass, the
Commissioners would have to cut
the budget by $13.443,376 to balance
the books.
As soon as the Commissioners
have made their cuts in the budget
estimates, the marked up copies will
be returned to individual District
government department heads. This
move serves to inform the heads OF
changes in their individual re-
quests. The department heads and
their aides then must prepare
clean" copies Of their own budgets
based on the Commissioners re-
vised version.
Until the District budget is sent
to Congress next January, there will
be no public announcements as to
the changes the Commissioners an6
the Budget Bureau have elected te
make in 1t. Most of the changes
in past years. have been made by
the Commissioners.
Views of 20 Groups.
Commissioners John Russell
Young and Gordon r. Young-Com-
missioner Guy Mason was confined
to his home with d cold-heard
spokesmen for 20 civic, labor ano
business organizations give their
views on the citys fiscal outlook fol
the next fiscal year at yesterday &
hearing in the District Building
Board Room.
A majority of the spokesmer
called on the Commissioners to ask
Congress again for enactment of 9
2 per cent sales tax here, a create,
Federal payment and a $3.50 Federal
pay raise for District employees.
In yesterdays report of the hear
ing, The Star enormously stated
that Rufus s. Lusk, president OF
the Washington Taxpayers Asso-
ciation, called for IAN increase OF
as much as 81 in the real estate
and personal property taxes here,
as well as imposition Of a sales tax
This was incorrect. Mr.. Lusk's
entire testimony was concerned
with listing detailed means to make
drastic cuts in the budget estimates
50 that increased taxes might be
avoided. His listing Of new taxes
was in the nature of o warning as
to the only alternatives II drastic
cuts are not made.
Most of the spokesmen agreed
that q strict economy line was in
order for fiscal 1850 unless new leg
Islation grants the District more
revenue.
Witnesses Heard.
The witnesses included: Maj. Gen
David I. McCoach, jr., Washington
Board Of Trade; Rufus S. Lusk
Washington Taxpayers Association;
Mrs. Monroe Burk, League Of Wom-
en- Voters: Sydney Maslen, Wash
Ington Housing Association: Wash
lngton I. Cleveland, American Au-
tomoblle Association; Charles J
Bauer, Building Owners and Man
ayers Association; William E
Leahy, Washington Chest x-Ray
Survey: William A. Maio, Southeast
Washington Citizens Association.
Miss Eta L. Taggart. the WASH
Ernest H. Pullman
Manor Park Citizens Association
DR.. James j. Feffer, D. c. Tuber-
culosis Association; Robert Brooks
Terrell nt-Teacher Association;
Mrs. Gertrude Evans, Progressive
Party of the District; Michael Lane
Capitol Hill Lions Club; Mrs
Samuel J. Hogan, ST., Hine Parent
Teacher Association; Mrs. David F
jr., Friendship Citizens
Association; Robert N. Burrows
Burroughs Citizens Association.
r. s. Sanford, American Univer-
sity Park Citizens Association; Mrs
Lawrence Koenigsberger, Jewish So
cial Service Agency; DR.. Ellis Ha-
worth, Wilson Teachers College; DR.
L. S. Bate, Miner Teachers College;
Ernest r. Harper, Federation OF
Civic Associations. a.
Mrs. Vincent Jones, Women's As
sociation of Allied Beverage Indus
tries; Louis r. Prick, Southeast
Businessmen's Association; Howard
ID. Woodson, Northeast Boundary
Citizens Association; Mrs. Rather
inc H. Norton. American Association
of Social Workers; Mrs. Franklin G
Sartwe,l, Metropolis View Citizens
Association; Milton s.. Kronheim
who spoke as an individual, and DR.
Benjamin Striner, Federation o1
Business Mems Associations.