MESSRS. CHARLES R. DAVIS (CHAIRMAN), LOUIS C. CRAMTON, AND THOMAS UPTON SISSON IN CHARGE OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1922 SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS THIRD SESSION WASHINGTON 1920 JUDGE L. C. CRAMTON BAR 23'42 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATION BILL, 1922. HEARING BEFORE SUBCOMMITTEE OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, CONSISTING OF MESSRS. CHARLES R. DAVIS, LOUIS C. CRAMTON, GEORGE HOLDEN TINKHAM, JAMES P. BUCHANAN, AND THOMAS UPTON SISSON, ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1920. STATEMENTS OF MR. J. THILMAN HENDRICK, COL. CHARLES W. KUTZ, AND MISS MABEL T. BOARDMAN, COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MR. DANIEL J. DONOVAN, AUDITOR; AND MR. DANIEL E. GARGES, SECRETARY. GENERAL STATEMENT. Mr. DAVIS. We would like to hear a general statement concerning the District of Columbia, its wants, etc., if the commissioners desire to make it. Mr. HENDRICK. Mr. Chairman, I have prepared a very brief statement. In submitting their estimates to Congress for the fiscal year 1922, the commissioners included unchanged, except as to dates, the language of the current law providing that 60 per cent of the amounts appropriated should come from revenues of the District of Columbia. They were influenced to take this action by the knowledge that at the last session of Congress both Houses had acted upon a proposed changed in the fiscal relations between the Federal and District Governments, as laid down in the act of 1878, and that the disagreeing votes of the two Houses were then the subject of conference; and further, by the belief that until the fundamental question was settled the temporary compromise ratio of last year should be continued. The estimates submitted, exclusive of those items chargeable to the water fund, aggregate $23,956,414.99, or approximately $25,000 less than the maximum fixed by the act of March 3, 1909, which limits the total estimates chargeable in part to District of Columbia funds to twice the estimated revenues. While the total exceeds by several millions of dollars the largest estimates heretofore submitted, the commissioners were unable to include all the items that they wished to present to Congress for its consideration, by reason of the limitation of law above referred to. This was notably the case in connection with the school estimates which, as prepared by the Board of Education, exceeded ten millions of dollars, and are more than twice the amount appropriated for the current year. To fit the needs of the schools into a budget covering all District needs and still keep within the authorized limit, made it necessary to 3 |