Evening star., 1949-02-01
Virginia Urged
Lend Schools
Unused Capital
$S4, 300, 900 Available
In State Treasury,
Foirfox Group Says

The Virginia treasury has $S4,
100000 In unused capital outlay"
funds which could be loaned to To-
calities for school construction, a
group Of Fairfax County citizens
declared today.
Releasing report on their study
OF State fiscal affairs as related to
the school question, the group re-
newed its appeal to Gov. Tuck for
special session of the General As
sembly to tackle the construction
problem.
Its members also called on other
groups of citizens to petition the
Governor and members of the Leg
tslature for a special session.
Trick Is Chargde.
The committee, headed by w. AL
vord Sherman, asserted that by "a
slick legislative trick the $S4, 300 900
has accumulated over a period of
years because capital outlay appro-
priations have been used sparingly.
Furthermore, it said, an additional
$40, 100000 is accumulating in the
current budget biennium.
Gov. Tuck today reserved COM
ment on the groups accusations.
The Associated Press reported from
Richmond that the Governor said
he would wait until he received
copy of the citizens report.
State Senator Charles r. FenWick
OF Arlington, however, promptly de-
MED that the funds represented an
available surplus.
Every bit of the $84 300, 900 has
been definitely appropriated" Sen
ator Fenwick said. In addition,
about s22 900 900 in conditional ap-
preparations have been made in the
event we have surplus above the
sea nm 00O."
Surveys Are Cited.
The Senator explained that Vir-
ginia, like many other States,
started accumulating capital outlay
funds a number of years ago to
finance public works programs when
war-born employment began lag
ging. Mr.. Fenwick said extensive
surveys were made to determine the
States needs, and the appropria-
tions were planned accordingly.
Some Of the projects already are
underway" he said. He cited a new
receiving center under construction
for the mental hospital at Staun-
ton, Va.
Mr.. Fenwick said he was 100 per
cent" in favor of making available
for school use the first surplus
funds after existing appropriations
and conditional appropriations have
been met.
Positions Outlined.
Mr.. Fenwick and Mr.. Sherman
outlined their positions in the mat
ter last night at a meeting of
the Arlington Parent Teacher As
Sociation Council, at the Walter
Reed School. No action was taken
by the PTA Council after the dis
cussion. A PTA spokesman said
the meeting was arranged to in
form parents on the issues in
volved.
Mr.. Sherman's report said: at
seems presumptious to consider new
and oppressive additional taxes un-
til more intelligent and beneficial
use has been made of the money
already paid into the State by its
citizens"
Fairfax Is one Of the counties most
seriously concerned by a lack of
adequate schools. Heavy population
increases have come at a time when
construction legged because of the
war, high costs and a depletion of
the State literary fund for loan
purposes.
State Aid Sought.
Incapable of providing sufficient
funds from local tax sources, the
county has been in the forefront of
q movement to obtain State assist
ance for a large building program.
The Fairfax County School Emer-
gency Committee raised a point fire.
quently discussed in legislative de-
bate. Administration critics have
made frequent inquiries about the
capital outlay funds held over from
budget to budget. Customarily,
budgetary spokesmen contend each
biennium'S appropriation must be
retained as a safeguard.
The Fairfax citizens organization
said it had been difficult to get
complete information on the
financial condition of the common
wealth and could find no single
place where all the information
was available.
THE Office of the controller and
the director of the budget were both
very hesitant to release facts and
figures that are essential to a COM
plete appraisal of the financial con-
aition of the State" it said
Morrissett Attituds Cited.
1t said, too, that Tax Commits
sioner c. H. Morrissett typified the
attitude encountered when he asked
the group why it was so concerned
with State finances when the folks
in Richmond were perfectly capable
of looking after the States business.
Mr.. Morrissett said he didn't even
recall talking to any group from
Fairfax and, If he had, certainly
made no such statement as that
attributed to him.
Members of Mr.. Sherman's Com
mittee which drafted the report are
Charles M. Ellison, jr.; Richard
Geary, Ludwig Hoffman, Robert F.
Lenhart, John P. Lynch, Edwin
Kanwitt, Mrs. M. E. Oforoff, Mrs.
J. F. Wellemeyer, Mrs. Jon Mag
nuSson.