Evening star., 1952-04-13

taxes on the city, was buttressec
yesterday by a 1,60O-word state.
ment by Budget Officer Walter L
Fowler.
He declared the Congress sci.
dom had met its responsibilities
at times had repudiated its obliga.
ltions, and had used the District
as a scapegoat for Federal econ.
omy moves. He showed that whils
District costs have jumped from
SIG million to more than $131 mil
lion in the last 36 years, the size
of the uncertain Federal share ha.
been chopped down from so pei
cent to less than 8 per cent.
Text Of Outline.
The text Of Mr.. Fowler's outline
The fiscal relations between the
Federal Government and the Dis
trict of Columbia government
have now reached four phases:
Between 1870 and 1878 there
was no fixed system for Fedora
payment with result that in some
years there were lump sum pay.
ments and in other years there
were no payments at all.
| During the second period from
1879 to 1924, we were on the 50-5(
basis-this system being estab.
lished by the Act approved june
II. 1878. Notwithstanding this Act
Of Congress. in making appropri.
Iations for the District for the
fiscal year 1921. Congress provided
for a 40-60 basis.
A similar plan appeared in the
Appropriations Act for 1922, and
then in 1923 the 4O-60 basis OF
Iappropriating was made perma-
inent law.
1880 System Ignored.
The final phase in the history
of the Federal payment to the Dis
trict began in 1925 when the pres
|ent lump sum payment system
was brought into being. The 40
go system which had presumably
been established on a permanent
basis only two years before was
ignored.
From 1925 until the present the
District has received various
amounts of money, sums which
have constituted for the most
part only a bare fraction of the
cost of operating this large mu-
nicipality. The first lump sum
appropriation was for SO million.
approximately 1888 per cent of
the appropriations for the Dis
trict government in that year.
Since that time the sum of the
annual payment has undergone
changes which have tended to be
adverse to the interests of good
government in the area.
The District of Columbia Rev.
enue Act Of 1899, approved July
26, 1899, authorized to be appro-
priated. as the annual amount
by the United States toward de-
fraying the expenses of the Gov
ernment of the District of Colum-
bia, the sum of Sc million. This
was the amount of the Federal
payment for each of the fiscal
years 1910 through 1916. For the
fiscal year 1947, the Federal pay
ment was set at So million.
Water Fund Unaided.
During these years and up to
July l, 1947, the water fund re-
ceived no portion of the annual
payments made to the District
of Columbia government by the
Federal Government. After ex-
haustive hearings by the Joint
Fiscal Committee. the Congress
approved the present law in refer
ence to the annual Federal pay
ment to the District of Columbia
being the District Of Columbia
Revenue Act of 1947 approved
July Is. 1947. Article 6 of that
Act provides as follows:
For the fiscal year ending June
80, 1948. and for each fiscal year
thereafter, there is hereby author
lied to be appropriated, as the an
nual payment by the United
States toward defraying the ex-
penses of the Government of the
District of Columbia, the sum of
$12 million. of which $11 million
shall be credited to the general
fund of the District of Columbia
and 81 million shall be credited to
the water fund of the District of
Columbia. established by law"
Throughout the years. officials
representing the District Of Co
lumbia have been advocating that
Congress should pursue a definite
policy of regular and liberal ap-
preparations for the development
and upkeep of the District COM
mensurate with its status as the
Nations Capital, but just as soon
as we think policy has been
established. changes come about
which demonstrate that we can
not have any feeling Of assurance
from one year to the next just
what our relationship will be. In
the fiscal year Of 1851, a 10 per
cent reduction was made in the
general fund payment of $11 mil
lion, and in the fiscal year Of 1852,
a reduction of 5 per cent was
made. In the fiscal year of 1858,
the House has made a cut of 20
per cent.
Citizens Pay Their Share.