Evening star., 1952-03-20
Fight Due Next Week
In Subcommittee on
FIuoridaiion Funds

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The fight over fluoridation Of
Washington water will come up
for action next week by the
House Appropriations subcom-
mittee handling the 1853 District
4136 million budget.
Subcommittee Chairman Bates.
Democrat, Of Kentucky said to-
day he win call a meeting, prob
ably Tuesday or Wednesday, to-
prepare the measure for presenta-
tion to the House Appropriations
Committee. He could not predict
when 1t would be ready for action
on the House floor.
Disputes over fiuoridation and
public golf courses marked the
day-long public hearing by the
subcommittee yesterday, when 4OI
witnesses were heard on District
problems.
Among the many requests for
funds to be added to the appro-
priation measure were those re-
lating to payments to voluntary
hospitals for INDECENT patient
care. public school construction,
hood control and extra pay for
public school teachers who also
serve as athletic coaches.
Miller Hits Fluoridation.
. Conflicting testimony on fiuori-
dation left the subcommittee with
the problem Of whether to leave
m or strike from the budget
$Sl. .1S5 to put fluorides in city
water. Asking the legislators to
strike the item was Representa-
tive Miller. Republican. of Nebras-
ka, who wants the city to wait
until findings are made on fur
ther scientific studies.
Urging the Bates group to ap-|
prove the fund for next year were
DR.. John A. O'Keefe, president Of
the District Dental Society, speak
ing also for the District Medical
Society and the Robert T. Freed
man Dental Society; DR.. Richard
T. Sullivan, chairman of the Pub
lie Health Subcommittee of the
Federation Of Citizens Association,
and Gordon w. Mcbride, a chem
tcal engineer.
City officials are preparing to
nuoridate water here this June to
protect teeth, under an appro-
priation granted. last year by
Congress.
The budget figure of $275, 900
for transfer Of public golf courses
from Interior Department control
to the District Recreation Board
was backed by Mrs. Leo Rawid.
president Of the District Congress
OF Parents and Teachers. But iti
was strongly opposed by Vivian
o. Hill Of 1445 Massachusetts,
avenue NV, who introduced sew
eral golfers also protesting the 4
transfer.
Washington's : voluntary hos
pitals presented a plea for increase
In the city'S reimbursement ( for
care Of INDECENT patients.
Asks $12.5O a Day. u
Witnesses, headed by Charles s.
Dewey. president of Garfield Hos
pital and chairman of the Hospital
Councils Committee on Medicarl
Charities, urged that the present
rates of So -ssday and So fOr a
clinic visit be Increased to $l2. 50
. day and $3.50 for clinic visit.
The institutions request for
&S47,500 had been cut down to-
$6O0.000 in the pending budget,
which would only continue the
current rates. Spokesman for the
higher payments insisted hospi-
tails were losing money for such
INDECENT care.
Pleas for flood control funds
came from two communities. The
Piney Branch sewer was stressed
rs public necessity by Arthur r.
Cochel, president of the Columbia
Park Community Club; P. H. Della
PLANE Of the Arkansas Avenue
Community Association and Cliff
ford H. Newell, former president Of
the Federation of Citizens Asso-
citations.
; Flood relief construction at
Watts Run was requested by How
ard D. Woodson and others Of the
Northeast Boundary Civic Associa-
tion. They also asked for opening
part Of and paving all of Dean
avenue and Grant street.
Higher Payment Urged.
To help the city provide more
funds for public schools and other !
municipal needs, Mrs. Pearl Stuart
Of the Twentieth Century Club
urged the legislators to back a
higher Federal payment toward
city costs. As q native Washing
tonian, she recalled the Federal
payment had been gradually re-
duced from half the city expenses
TO about 8 per cent.
The budget estimate for the
Motor Vehicle Parking Agency was
Endorsed by Washington I. Cleve-
land Of the District division,
American Automobile Association,
and spokesmen for the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association.
The subcommittee was urged by
Mrs. Ernest w. Howard of the
Northwest Council of Citizens
Associations and the District Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs to pro-
vide funds for completion Of the
the city's Children Center at
Laurel, Md.
More Asked for Relief.
Josephine Piccolo of the WASH
ington Industrial Union Council
(CIO) protested the inadequate
proposed welfare budget" which
she said brought the level Of pub
lie assistance here so low as to be
absolutely ridiculous" Her plea
for larger funds were concurred in
by spokesmen for Americans for
Democratic Action and the United