Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-09

DC dVdlldUle.
The cutbacks will be confined
to that proposed construction
paid for by general fund reve-
nues. Included among the agen-
cies are schools. health. welfare.
corrections and stormwater
sewers.
The budget men expect to
complete the bulk of the exam
ination by October 8.
Balance" Sought
At that time they will submit
their findings, as recommends
tions, to the District Commits
sioners.
The city heads then will bal
ance the recommendations
against the sentiments voiced by
the general public at an October
3 hearing as well as. against
whatever special appeals may be
Forthcoming from the depart
ments themselves.
AS of now nobody can do more
than snrmise which Of the more
than 10 requested construction
projects will feel the knife. That
some agencies will howl is in
evitable.
For reasons still obscure, the
Commissioners permitted the de-
partments to follow their old
procedure of filing capital out
lay requests without intervention
by the budget Office. This was
not so with respect to the oper-
ating expense requests for fiscal
1858. These cost requests were
screened by the budgeteers who
allotted to general fund agencies
only $141.2 million Of a requested
STATS million.
Leeway Allowed
The budget ONCE additionally
allows the agencies supplied by
the four other administrative
funds-highway. water. sanitary
sewage and motor vehicle park
ing-to go substantially their
own way since their operations
are sustained by their own rev.
enueS.
The general fund agencies, on
the other hand, are chronic
headache producers since none
even begins to be self-sustaining
and must be supplied by general
tax revenues.
Many Problems Presented
The necessity for cutbacks to
ut revenues underscores the fact
that higher costs and increased
demands for services character
istic of the postwar period are
still continuing.
That the Commissioners will
cut the budget requests is almost
a foregone conclusion. Their only
alternatives would be:
/. Another .ubstantial rise in
taxes on top of two that have
been instituted since 1864.
2. Another request that Con-
gresS authorize and appropriate
a higher Federal payment to the
city. Only last session the legis-
lators raised the authorization
to $23 million.
Federal Payment Questionable
To raise taxes again at this
early date would only further
spur residents and businesses to
locate beyond the District line.
Bracing Congress for a bigger
Federal payment when the leg
islators as recently as this year
appropriated SO million less than
the authorized $23 would make
legislative enemies rather than
friends for the city.
1t is even unlikely that the
Commissioners will choose to
request the appropriation in ifs
cal 1858 of the SIS million Fed
eral payment backlog the Dis
trict is entitled to claim. Under
the Public Works Act of 1854,
the District may request pay
ment Of the amount that fell
short of the full payment au-
thorized in a previous year.
Twice since 1854 the Federal
payment appropriation has been
less than the authorization: by
50 million in 1855 and by SO mill
lion in the current fiscal 1857.
Gen. Lane confirmed in his
WWDC radio broadcast last
night that the Commissioners
plan to ask Congress for only
the authorized $23 million Fed
eral payment.
Must Wait Opportune Time
He said, THE time to ask for
the back payment is when we
are faced with increased taxes.
The Federal Government should
pay its share"
He declared, 1.-THE problem now
is working out a means Of get
ting the full authorized Federal
payment each year as part of the
overall financing Of the District
government"
The reasoning among the bud
get officials is that the IS million
due" would best be held in re-
serve for some real emergency
such as another round Of Gov
eminent wage increases.
In any case, under the Public
Works Act the District is obliged
to reaSsess the works program
each year. Changes in the
original program have been made
in the last three years. 1t may