Evening star., 1960-02-27
Senators Restore
So Million TO D. c,
City Hopeful
House Will
Okoy Boost
By JAMES G. DEANE
Star stan Writer

District officials today were
hopeful of House agreement to
a So million increase in city
spending recommended by the
Senate Appropriations Commit
tee.
A $26 million Federal pay
ment-Sl million higher than
the House voted-also was
cleared by the Senate group
yesterday. 1t is the key element
in the higher budget, expected
to pass the Senate easily next
week and then go to conference.
Commissioner Robert E. Nc
Laughlin praised the Senate
group for its keen discern
ment" in restoring a sizable
portion of the cuts made by the
House in original budget pro-
posals.
Chief items restored yester-
day were 100 new policemen,
added to the so already voted
by the House, and a ST million
elementary school at Fourth
and w streets NV. The 100
extra police would add 1881 900
to the city payroll.
Branch Library
The school and a S372.OOO
Benning branch library, also
added. would be financed with
a STA million increase in the
clty's general fund borrowing.
The total recommended loan
for the general fund under the
committee action is $15.9
million.
The Senate unit also in
dorsed $250,000 extra for per-
manent school improvements,
including lighting and fire
protection. 1t declined, how
ever, to restore any cuts in
school operating allotments
made by the House, saying the
school system should absorb
the cost of any extra teachers
or others it wants to hire.
School Supt. Carl F. Hansen
said this decision was agree
able. since the committee rec
commended allowing school off,
cialS to hire some junior high
school librarians and some
extra supervisors if money can
be found within the approved
budget.
Other Increases
Among the other additions
approved by the Senators on
recommendation of a subcom-
mittee headed by Senator
Pastore, Democrat of Rhode
Island. were: Juvenile Court.
$17,420 for additional staff:
Welfare Department, $145.000
for higher payments for foster
care; Fire Department, $4,000
for a psychiatrist; Civil De-
fense, $47,000 for more staff;
executive offices, $32,959 for
staff; Zoo, S44, 900 for operating
purposes; regulatory agencies,
$l8,600 for staff and Highway
Department, $4,000 for line
painting.
The Health Department was
allotted the biggest operational
increase, totaling S358,997,
mostly to raise fees paid to
hospitals for charity patients to
$25 a day for patients and 81
a day for out-patients. The
House allowed $21.20 and $3.50.
Underground Parking Study
The Senate unit left intact
the capital outlay programs
of the Highway, Motor Vehicle
Parking and Sanitary Engi-
neering budgets, including a
$25, 900 study of a possible
parking garage under Farra-
gut square, which drew fire
from private parking operators
at a hearing last week.
The total budget as it will
go to the Senate allows some
l40 extra staff positions out
of 172 asked by the city after
House cuts. The budget stands
at $240,089,152, an increase of
2,970,896 over the House bill.
The Commissioners original
ly, and again before the Sen
ate subcommittee, asked a $32
million Federal payment. Sem
ator PaStore after yesterdays
committee session said he
thinks the 81 million increase
recommended over the House
voted $25 million is modest
enough in view of the in
creased spending estimates ap-
proved by the committee and
the $84 million in extra taxes
proposed by the Commissioners.