Evening star., 1952-05-30
Fight Shapes Up
In Senate for
Full D. {. Share
Hill Subcommittee
Votes to Eliminate
Some Cuts by House
By Don S. Warren

The fight for a full $12 million
Federal payment toward District
expenses may move to the floor
Iof the Senate soon.
The Hill Subcommittee in
charge Of the Senate version Of
the city budget bill voted yester-
day to restore the 20 per cent.
$2.4 million cut ordered by the
House.
It also voted to put back most
of the cuts ordered by the House,
official sources reported.
The next step for the 1853 Dis
trict budget bill will be action by
the full Senate Appropriations
Committee. This fay come some
time next week.
In 1947. Congress set the Fed
eral share at an authorized $12
million. Since then Federal econ
omy leaders have sought to pare
this down. Last year they cut OF
$500. 900.
Biggest Cut for 1853.
This year the House approved a
cut of 20 per cent-$2.4 million
the biggest in any recent year.
BY vote of 2 to l, the District
Appropriations Subcommittee in
the Senate recommended restora-
ton of the full amount.
This was backed by Democratic
Senators Hills Of Alabama, chair
man Of the subcommittee, and
Hunt of Wyoming. Opposing it
was Senator Ferguson. Republican,
of Michigan, a consistent advocate
of Federal economies.
Details of action by the subcom-
mittee on the 1853 city spending
plan are not yet public. Commit
tee sources. however. said the
group has agreed on many moves
to liberalize the House bill.
The House had cut the budget
proposals Of the Commissioners
and President Truman by about
$5.3 million. This reduced the
budget plan from $136.4 million to
q little over $131 million.
Highway Fund Revived.
Later, the Commissioners asked
that SAT million of the House cuts
be restored. Most of this request
has been granted. Senators said.
For one thing. they said. the
Senate unit voted to restore to the
bill $682, 900 needed to carry on
the District highway and bridge
program. Much of this is for con-
tinuation of the East Capitol
Street Bridge project and work
on vital road connections with the
new express highways to Balti-
more and Annapolis.
House cuts on these funds, one
Senator said, amounted to meat
ak economy.
Senators also approved the
inclusion of an item of $685.
900 for the drafting Of plans
for a new Industrial Home School
for Colored at the District Chill
dren's Center at Laurel. Md. This
would include replacement Of the
old National Training School for
Girls here.
In addition, the Senate unit is
said to have approved funds to
hire 80 additional public school
teachers to relieve the oversize
classes in the colored schools.
Much of the House cuts from
the Metropolitan Police Depart
ment budget would be restored.
The House chopped of more than
$9O0,0 from this department.
Senators said they did not move
to restore the entire fund because
the department could not recruit
the extra needed men fast enough.
The Senate unit added $40 900
to the Health Department budget
for home nursing Services on the
ground this would save larger
costs to the District by preventing
more expensive disqualification or
other institutional care.
Private hospitals caring for
many of the Districts INDECENT pa
tients also won Senate subcom-
mittee approval of some increases
in grants.
The Hill Subcommittee, officials
said, recommended that their rate
lof compensation be increased
from 50 to $3.50 per day Of indi-
gent patient care.s The hospitals
had asked for a $3.50 a day rate.
They said their actual costs ran
to between SIT and $18 day.