Evening star., 1948-04-20
Citizens Stress
Need for More
District Funds
Several Testify in
Support Of Sales Tax
At House Hearing

At House Hearing
A House Appropriations Subcom-
mittee today began hearing requests
for more money in the city's l949
supply bill to meet traftic, school,
welfare and other needs.
Chairman Horan hoped to hear
all testimony on traffic and school
problems at the morning session
and to finish the hearings late this
afternoon. About 80 witnesses were
scheduled to testify.
Several early witnesses testified in
favor of a sales tax for the District
if necessary to pay for things they
said the city needs badly.
Mr.. Horan welcomed such tes-
timony and said he is trying to
prepare budget "as adequate as
possible" for the city. To pay for
such facilities, he said, he long has
advocated and still is strongly recon-
mending a sales tax.
Supply Bill to Be Drafted.
The subcommittee tomorrow viii
begin preparation of the supply bill
for the 1949 fiscal year, beginning
July /. AS 1t now stands, the bill
totals $102, ,000, 900. More than $6,-
100000 will have to be raised by
new revenue, 1t is estimated, If the
budget total Is to be kept at that
figure.
The first witness this morning was
Col. Alvin B. Barber, chairman of
the Traffic Committee of the Wash
ington Board of Trade, who asked
for restoration of funds cut by the
Commissioners from the original
sum asked for the Department of
Vehicles and Traffic.
Col. Barber pointed to increasing
traffic problems of the city and de-
plored sharp curtailments in the
departments fund requests. He
stressed the value of the Engineer
ing Division of the department and
said its original estimate of the
funds needed should be restored.
Furthermore, he recommended,
Steps should be taken with view
to very substantial increases in the
funds available to Engineering Di-
vision in the years ahead"
Some Ask New Stanton School.
Among the witnesses were several
groups who requested various COM
munity interests in the city affected
by the budget cuts.
Some pleaded for new Stanton
School. Representative Gossett,
Democrat, of Texas was among
them. Testifying he lived on Sky
land place NE, he said he had
personal knowledge of "the emer-
gency situation" there.
"If it takes new taxes to provide
more schools for the District" he
told the committee. I'VE ought to
have sales tax"
C. O. Morrison, chairman of the
New Stanton School Committee,
stressed the great increase in school
population in the old Stanton
School. He showed a chart esti-
mating an excess of 1900 pupils by
1850.
Others who urged restoration of
funds for the Stanton school in
cluded Mrs. Charles H. Hagerty,
chairman of the Education Commit
tee of the Southeast Council of
Citizens Associations. She also
asked for funds for a site for a
new Walter B. Patterson School in
the area.
Favors Necessary Taxation.
The needs of Patterson Elemen-
tary School were stressed by Lex
L. Dodds. He said he favored
whatever taxation necessary to pro-
vide facilities for this school.
Spokesman for several groups
recommended increased appropria-
ton for more school facilities to
take care of colored pupils. Among
them were Charles J. Quander of
the Kingman Park Civic Associa-
ton, William A. Hill, executive sec
retary of the District Of Columbia
Branch, National Association for
the Advancement Of Colored Peo-
Pile, and the Rev. A. j. Edwards of
the Citizens Committee on School
Budget.
Mr.. Horan told these witnesses
that his committee had given serious
consideration to the need of colored
schools throughout the city and
would continue to do SO.
Witnesses for the Congress
Heights Parent Teacher Association
and the Citizens Association of
River Terrace pleaded for expanded
school facilities in their commu-
mites.
Overcrowded Schools Cited.
Schools there, already over
crowded, will be overwhelmed in
coming years by increased popula-
tion of the section, they said, SUBJ
mitting population growth charts to
establish the point.
Speaking for the Congress Heights
group, Mrs. Doralis A. Bloer said
that while the capacity of the pres
ent Congress Heights School was
only $50, its present enrolment was
801. BY the fiscal year 1884, she
said. the school population would
rise to 2,677.
AS for next fall, she said there is
no alternative except to put six
grades on part-time instruction.
Mrs. Arliss A. Davis, for the River
Terrace group, made plea for res
toration of $214,000 for construction
and equipment of an elementary
school in River Terrace. The Com
missioners had allowed only 5000
for a site for the building. Mrs.
Davis said the River Terrace COM
munity in seven years had grown
from nothing to a neighborhood of
s84 family units. The present ele-
mentary school population of 1856
children, she predicted, would rise
to 425 by next fall and 60 to 55S
by the fiscal year 1898.