Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-08
School, Health
And Welfare
Needs Stressed
By JAMES @. DEANE

SgrOng moral support for their
hopes for getting more generous
treatment In the city's 1859
budget.
More than so witnesses APP
peared before the District
Commissioners to state their
views on tentative spending
estimates yesterday.
There was a strong plea for
economy from the Washing
ton Board Of Trade, seconded
by one or two other witnesses.
But the rest concentrated
sometimes sharply critical at
tention on needs to which
they contended budget officers
had not allotted enough money.
The Commissioners, while
sorting through the pile Of
public testimony. tomorrow
will start hearing closed door
budget appeals from a number
Of department heads.
For Larger Budget
The board of education and
library officials head the APP
peals list. A dozen other de.
partments are scheduled for
hearings by late next week.
Then the Commissioners will
blue-penciI the entire budget,
now tagged at just under S2l2
million. and send it to the
Federal Budget Bureau for SUD-
mission to Congress. Further
action win not be made public
officially until the budget gets
10 Congress.
Commissioner Robert E. Nc
Laughlin. after yesterdays five
hours of testimony. declared
the budget should be larger, for
purposes Of meeting city needs
and also that the Federal pay
ment should be greater than
the proposed $23 million.
But Mr.. Mclaughlin was
noncommittal about prospects
for any large-scale increase. He
also indicated he had doubts
about the feasibility Of a pro-
posal made yesterday by the
League of Women Voters. and
Endorsed by several other Wit
neSseS, for submission of an
alternative. adequate" budget
to Congress in an effort to win
more sympathy for city needs.
Could Submit Budget
Mrs. Richard C. Simonson.
spokesman for the league. sug-
gested that the commissioners
at least should go to Congress
with the supplemental budget
in their pockets. with the aim
Of persuading the legislators to
vote q higher Federal payment.
Mr.. Mclaughlin said, after
the hearing. the Commissioners
could submit such a budget,
which he described as very
hypothetical" only under ques-
tioning from Congress menu
bers. since the city is not al
lowed officially to contest the
formal figures submitted by the
Budget Bureau as part of the
Presidents budget. The Budget
Bureau requires that the budget
be balanced.
He also said that the city
heads have discussed in the
past an approach similar to
that suggested by Mrs. Simon
son. He indicated that it had
not been considered feasible.
Numerous witnesses. besides
Mrs. Simonson. put the blame
on the Federal Government for
hamStringing desirable local
improvements by failing to pay
q fair share of the city's ex-
penSeS, however. And Mr.. Nc
Laughlin gave assurance that
the city heads will make as
strong a plea as possible to
Congress on the question.
School needs drew more teS-
timonN at the hearing than any
other category. but the health
department also had a large
group of vigorous Supporters.
Mrs. SimonSoo urged m
creaSeS for both departments.
So did the Federation Of Civic
Associations and the Far
Northeast Council.
City health organizations
lined up strongly for restoring
cuts made in the Health De-
partment estimate.
DR.. William p. Herbst. chair
nan Of the District Medical
Society Advisory Committee to
he department. said every Sec
ion of the department is UNI
iermanned and that the pro-
ooSed allotment for District
General Hospital is so in.
adequate" the hospitals SUPER
Intendent. DR.. Phillip A. E.
Stebbing. didn't know how to
iet priorities on what the
budget officers left him,
Substandard Service Feared
Slashes in the intern and
esident training program
"substandard medi-
al service" to hospital patients.
re asserted. He added fatty
hat Health Director Daniel L.
'inucane cannot be expected
o do an adequate job" with
he funds allowed him.
DR.. Paul B. Cornely Of the
Health and Welfare Council
described the city's mental
Iealth problem as critical and
he amount allotted to depart
nent plans to meet this and
ther preventive work as to-
ally inadequate. The slaSh.ng :
I mental health plans was also
eplored by DR.. Beaver Kehne
I the Washington Psychiatric
Iociety, DR.. Edward c. Ma
lque of the Medico- Chirurgical
ociety, and Milton c. Denbo
the District Mental Iaaitt.