Evening star., 1948-03-30
D. T.. Guard Funds CuI
By House Committee
Officers Criticized
Wonton Disregard
Of Law Is Charged in
Appropriations Report
BY Harold B. ROGERS

The House Appropriations
Committee sharply reduced to-
day a deficiency appropriation
for the District National Guard,
charging Guard officials with
"wanton disregard of law"
The committee sliced a requested
s2s,578 item for operation of the
Guard for the rest of this fiscal
year to $4,000. Reporting to the
House the first deficiency appropria-
ton bill for 1948, the committee de-
clared Guard officers here made no
effort to allocate their funds as
required by the Anti-Defciency Act,
proceeded to expend as they saw fit
and now present no adequate excuse
for their action"
Col. Peyton G. Nevitt, adjutant
general OF the Guard, contendeo
during hearings before the De-
flciency Subcommittee that the
shortage of funds was due to the
fact that receipts from public use
OF the Armory had been impoundec
and were not available to the GuarC
pending settlement of a controversy
over control of the Armory.
Still at Odds Over Armory.
The controversy between the Dis.
trict Commissioners and the Nation
al Guard over control of the Armor,
still is pending in a House -passet
bill before a Senate District Sub
committee. Guard officials and tn,
Commissioners still are at odds ovel
provisions of the bill directing con
troll of the Armory by a three-mal
board.
The Appropriations Committe
denied requests of District official
for increases in contract authorize
tion for construction of several pub
lie schools, a new police station il
Northeast Washington and a laun
dry at the District Training Schoo
for Predetermined. near Laurel, Nc
Approved by the committee, how
ever. was $4,000 for the Refus
Division of the District to pay TO
the increased cost of snow remova
last winter.
| Snow Cost Put at S150,849.
| Several members of the committe
during hearings on the snow re
moval deficit, expressed the belle
/ the District needs a new law t.
make residents clear snow from thei
sidewalks or pay the snow remova
bill, possibly by way of taxes.
7 Last winters SHOWS. testified Will
liam A. Xanten, superintendent @
sanitation, cost the District $3.50,
84e and broke several records.
! The committee increased the con
tract authorizations for construc
ton of two buildings at Howar
University to enable the Publ
Buildings Administration to procee
with letting of contracts.
! Funds provided in the regular ap
preparation, act for this fiscal yea
for the University buildings prove
inadequate because of increase
cost of construction. The tw
buildings are a Women's dormitor
building and an engineering build
ing.
I Cost Limit Raised $4,000.
At the request of DR.. Mordecs
w. johnson. president of the uni
versity. the committee increased tn
limit of costs from S1.640,00O t
81, ,706, 900, an increase Of $4,000.
Although the Appropriation
Committee denied an increase i
contract authorization for a mum
Der of school buildings where th
increases proposed averaged abol
20 per cent. the committee repol
pointed out that an agreement ha
been reached with District Official
which may facilitate construction
Within the last few days" tn
committee report said, "one of tn
school projects has been contracte
for within the existing limitation
and, after consultation with Dis
trict officials, the committee ha
concluded that it should be possibl
TO secure advantageous contract
without increasing the limitation
as proposed.
10 Per Cent Limit Set.
! In collaboration with officials c
the District government a provisio
has been drafted authorizing trans
fers between limits of costs in tn
various buildings involved. In n
event could the limitation Of an
one building be increased more tina
10 per cent on such transfer.
All of these projects are neede
at the earliest practicable date an
lit is reasonable to expect that tn
authority granted will permit earl
contracting" -