Evening star., 1951-06-19
Ferguson Eases
|His1OqoFormuIa
For DC. Budget
Senator Is Willing
To Exempt Teachers,
Hospital Workers

Senator Ferguson, Republican.
of Michigan. sponsor of a plan
to slice 10 per cent off the re-
quested payroll funds of all Gov
ernment appropriation bills, in
dicated today willingness to
modify his formula as it applies
to the District budget.
At today's hearings on the Dis
trict supply bill where school.
welfare and other city officials
pleaded for more instead of less
help, Subcommittee Chairman Hill
suddenly asked what would be the
effect of 10 per cent payroll
fund cut.
District Budget Officer Walter
L. Fowler said the results would be
extremely bad and added that he
was very shocked" when he read
Of the Ferguson suggestion.
Teachers Excepted.
Senator Ferguson said in Dis
trict bill discussion that he con-
Sidered teachers and hospital en-
ployes as being in a different
CORY" from Government
clerks.
He indicated he probably would
be willing to exempt the teachers.
hospital attendants and PERHAPS
some others" from his 10 per cent
reduction plan.
AS result of this brief explora-
tion of the, question, Chairman
Senator Ferguson, directed that
each of the District departments,
agencies and services submit
statements to the committee
showing how they would be af-
fected if the plan were adopted.
Senator Hill indicated his per-
sonal objection to the 10 per cent
reduction plan by commenting
that after all, the Federal Gov
ernment stake in the District
supply bill was only $12 million.
This is the authorized size of the
Federal share of city costs. The
rest Of the revenue needed to
finance the pending $137.7 mill
lion 1852 bill, Senator Hill said,
would come from the District tax
payers.
District a Service Agency.
Senator Hill added it was pos
sible the Federal Government
would lose rather than save money
Iif the fiat 10 per cent payroll cut
were made. because District resi-
dents contribute heavily in Fed
eral income taxes. The loss of
Government jobs, he said, might
serve to reduce these payments.
! Mr.. Fowler said he was as much
interested in economy as any one.
but stressed that the District gov
eminent is service agency az
distinguished from big Govern
ment administrative departments.
When the Ferguson payroll plan
was first mentioned, District off,
Gals said it would mean a reduce
tlon in city government personnel
by as much as 1000, or possibly
even 1900. The District now has
about 10000 workers.
At today's hearing various wavs
IN which services would be cur
tailed II the payroll were cut were
cited.
Blue Plains Cited.
First cited was the case of the
industrial Home School for COL
ored Children at Blue Plains.
which has had no increase in the
number of its teachers since 1907.
Welfare Director Gerard M. Shea.
said this was true in spite of the
fact that the population of the
: school has increased from an aver
age OF rs to 1873 children.
) With the backing of the Com
mlssioners, he urged funds to hire
!. an additional principal and an
additional teacher.
Mr.: Shea also offered justifica-
ton for eight additional positions
at the Home for Aged and Infirm.
-Four OF these would be hospital
attendants, which Mr.. Shea said
were necessary for the care of the
homes 1913 bed patients.
Mr. Shea called the requested
extra workers for the Home for
aged the absolute minimum"
which represented only a part Of