Evening star., 1949-06-12
Groups TO Study
Loans for D. {.
Improvements
City Officials Called
To Offer Dutu on
Construction Program

CONSTRUCTION rro9Tom
Proposals for borrowing to per-
NIT the District to make real
start on its big backlog Of needed
permanent Improvements will be
considered this week by the fiscal
subcommittee of the House and
Senate District Committees.
Key city officials are asked to
attend a session Of the joint group
scheduled for Tuesday at 1890
am, as the beginning Of survey
designed to chart a more definite
course on the city's construction
program.
Meanwhile, Congressional Com
mittee action was awaited on the
question of how much money
should be granted now for making
a start on the Districts slum
clearance program. This question
was before both House and Senate
fiscal groups.
Survey Is Proposed.
The plan for a joint survey OF
improvement projects was pro-
posed by Representative Smith.
Democrat, of Virginia, and Senator
Hunt. Democrat, of Wyoming,
chairmen of the House and Sem
ate District Fiscal subcommittee.
Proposals that the District be
authorized to issue bonds for per-
manent improvements and sug-
gestions for loans from the Treas
ury for similar purposes both have
been advanced.
One reason given is that even
with the adoption of the new reve-
nue. bill. including the sales tax,
the District will not be able to
finance out of current receipts as
much Of an improvement program
as should be adopted in the next
several years.
The study is to consider a wide
variety of improvements under
suggestions made by the two sub
committee heads. These would in
clude school construction. such as
outlined in the Strayer survey. and
a long list of engineer projects.
such as are listed in the plans Of
Engineer Commissioner Gordon r..
Young.
Hunt Asks List.
Senator Hunt said he was asking
that the Commissioners submit
their latest priority listing of prof.
ects.
On the slum issue. Senator Nc
Carran, Democrat. of Nevada. au-
thor of the 1916 Redevelopment
Act. renewed his call for grant
of the full $20,O0o,000 authorized
in this act as a revolving fund for
the use of the still-penniless Re-
development Land Agency.
Several widely different pro-
'posals on this score are pending
before House and Senate fund
groups. President Truman has
forwarded to the House Appropria-
tions Committee a request for an
immediate outlay of $2,ls0.00o
for the RIA.
Spokesman for the Park and
Planning Commission, in a report
to the O'Mahoney Subcommittee
of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, have proposed a
$4,000, 900 grant, along with con-
tract authority for an equal
amount in the 1851 fiscal year.
Plans Called Too Small.
Both these proposals are too
small, in the view Of Senator
McCarran. There is the hazard" I"
he said yesterday, that if only
a partial appropriation is made
now that this will wind up as
the only sum appropriated.
II want to stress again that
the $4,000, 900 sum would be a
revolving fund. This is needed
because slum clearance and slum
redevelopment projects must go
hand in hand so that slum dwell
ers can be rehoused while rebuild
ing work on other project sites
is being carried on"
Decisions may be reached some
time this week as to whether slum
redevelopment funds will be left
to the last deficiency bill for this
fiscal year Or incorporated in the
1850 Senate bill for Independent
Ofices. now ready to be marked
UP by the O'Mahoney Subcom-
y,oitfae