Evening star., 1950-02-07
District Budget
Reported Cut
S5,0O0,OO0
Not Hurt Too Much,
Chairman of House
Group Declares
By Don 5. Wurren
By Don 5. Wurren

House budgeteerS have recon-
menoed that about $5,000,00O be
sliced off the Districts record
smashing Sis, 100000 spending
program for 1851, according to
reports current today on Capitol
Hill.
There was no direct confirma-
ton, but representative Bates,
Democrat. of Kentucky. head of
the Appropriations subcommittee
in charge of the bill, responded to
queries with the remark:
Il do not think the District
program has been hurt too much. !"
Earlier, before the bill was writ
ten up, he had answered reports
of a cut of several million dollars
by saying he was looking for all
possible economies that would not
damage District services"
Heavy Cuts Reported.
From other sources at the
Capitol, there have been reports
that somewhat "heavy-handed"
cuts in various Government supply
bills were being made, in keeping
with renewed drives for national
economy.
!. If the Bates Appropriations
Subcommittee is recommending a
$5,000,000 cutback on the big city
bill, even this figure would not be
as sensational as it would have
been in prewar years. when the
budget was much smaller. Today
it, would amount to about 4 per
cent of the total proposed.
1n addition, according to some
indications. about $4,000, 900 would
be- taken off the highway fund
projects, because no final decision
yet has been reached as to the
exact location of the proposed new
bridge over the Anacostia River.
The District Commissioners have
been urging a span on the line of
East Capitol street, but the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission has been contending
for another location. At recent
House hearing, some witnesses
said this issue would have to be
settled by Congress ITSELF. in view
of the administrative tangle down.
town..
The rest of the reported reduc-
tions in the pending city budget
are said to have been spread out
among a number of city agencies.
Usually, from year to year, the
House makes cuts in the budget
as submitted by the Commissioners
and the Budget Bureau and later
some Of these are restored by the
Senate. Also. at times, even addi-
tional items are put in by the
Senate-all this to be ironed out
in House Senate conferences.
Surplus Talk Heard.
Whether this thought is in the
minds of the House subcommittee
members this year is speculative,
but there was a recent expression
on the House side that the Dis
trict should retain as much OF a
surplus as possible at the end of
the next fiscal year.
AS the sis. 100000 bill went to
Congress, it was calculated to
leave a surplus on June 80, 1851,
of about $1,700,00o. This was
based on estimates that the Dis
trict would end the present fiscal
year, next June 80, with a surplus
of little over $6,000,0 900. Most of
this surplus was expected to come
from increases in tax revenues.
some of which. it is believed, would
not be repeated in the 1851 fiscal
year.
Part of zone Package
The bill, as now drafted, will 90
first to an executive committee
of eight members of the House
Appropriations Committee.
It approved there, 1t will become
one chapter of the "one-package"
supply bill being formulated under
the direction of Chairman Cannon
of the full House Appropriations
Committee. The omnibus bill is
expected to be sent to the House
for action about April.
IS The transcript of executive
hearings on the District budget,
now sent to the printer, may be
made public within a few days,
but the draft of the supply bill,
officials said, would have to be
kept secret until it is presented