Jerome B. McKee, chairman, special tax and legislation committee, Federa-Page tion of Business Men's Association, Inc., Washington, D. C------- Rufus S. Lusk, president, Washington Taxpayers Association, Washington, Donald Murray, legislative representative for the United Public Workers, 372 Woodrow L. Derricote, Randall Junior High School, Washington, D. C---- Mrs. Raymond Cole, 3164 Westover Drive SE., Washington, D. C_ Mrs. Etta L. Taggert, Highland Apartments, Washington, D. C__ W. Arthur Shelton, 3211 Tennyson Avenue NW., Washington, D. C_-. Mrs. Lichtenberg, 5604 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington, D. C‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ 396, 751 William G. Wilding, Deputy District Budget Officer, District of Columbia_- Jerome B. Mckee, executive director, D. C. Retail Liquor Dealers' Associa- tion, 321 Colorado Building, Washington, D. C---- Gordon M. Atherholtz, representing the Northeast Council of Citizens Maj. Gen. David McCoach, Jr., chairman, municipal finance committee of the Washington Board of Trade, Washington, D. C------ David L. Gordon, member of the legislative committee, Americans for Dem- ocratic Action, 3807 W Street SW., Washington, D. C--- Vera M. Lundquist, Business and Professional Women's Club of the District Kenneth P. Armstrong, chairman, committee on fiscal relations and taxa- tion, Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia, 1840 Shepherd Street NE., Washington, D. C----- Washington I. Cleveland, manager, District of Columbia division, Ameri- Mrs. B G. McIlwee, 517 Peabody Street NW., Washington, D. C...- Mrs. Elizabeth T. Sullivan, representing Progressive Citizens Association Joseph E. Keller, secretary, District of Columbia Petroleum Industries Committee, 30 Munsey Building, Washington, D. C------- P. Y. K. Howat, president. Howat Concrete Co., Washington, D. C.- Herbert C. Whitehurst, Director of Highways, Engineer Department, S. R. Harrison, Deputy Engineer of Streets, Department of Highways, Engineer Department, District of Columbia. William E. Humphreys, chairman, legislative committee of the District of Columbia Trucking Association, Washington, D. C------ James B. Carry, superintendent of transportation, Chestnut Farms-Chevy Lester Scott, representing the oil heating division and the coal division of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association, Washington, D. C‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ E. L. Merzereau, representing the North Randall Community Association__ Mrs. R. B. Rands, chairman of the District of Columbia Women's Anti- C. E. Steidel, vice president, Fannie May Candy Co., Washington, D. C-- Philip P. Gott, president, National Confectioners' Association___. Leslie Wright, District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs Vernis Absher, Southeast Washington Citizens' Association__- Guy Mason, Board of Commissioners, District of Columbia_. Adelbert W Lee, member, Board of Education, chairman, legislative com- Mrs. Anna B. Kenefick, president, Childhood Education Association__. Miss Caroline B. Manns, president, Elementary Classroom Teachers Asso- Mrs. Isabel R. Ward, president, Attendance Officers' Association, District Mary C. Dent, president, Teachers Union, Local 8, AFL, Woodrow Wilson Mrs. Vivian Vestal, legislative chairman, Teachers Union, Local 8, AFL_. Donald Murray, legislative representative, UPWA, CIO; Catherine G. Hur- ley, president, Teachers Union, UPWA, CIO; and Josephine H. Ross, vice president, Teachers Union, UPWA, CIO.... Mrs. Merle Whitford, chairman of the legislative committee, Washington Chapter of ADA (read by Mrs. Francis Adams, member of ADA). Rolland J. Lund, chairman, Physical Education Teachers Coaching, Inter- BILLS OFFERED IN EXHIBIT H. R. 148, gasoline bill_ 399 H. R. 2283, tax on motor-vehicle fuels__ H. R. 1325, annual payment to the District of Columbia.. H. R. 1706, payments for water and water services_ 401 402 403 H. R. 2284, a bill to amend the District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage Con- 510 H. R. 2290, a bill to provide additional revenue for the District of Columbia- 513 BUDGET REQUIREMENTS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1947 JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISCAL AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEES ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D. C. The joint subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to call, in the Senate District Committee room, Capitol, Washington, D. C., Senator Harry P. Cain (chairman of the joint subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Cain, McGrath; Representatives Bates (cochairman of the joint subcommittee), O'Hara, Talle, Smith, and Klein. Present also: James R. Kirkland, counsel, Senate Committee on the District of Columbia; Parker L. Jackson, special adviser to the House Committee on the District of Columbia. Senator CAIN. The committee will please come to order. May I ask for your attention, please. I think that everyone here knows that the two subcommittees, Subcommittees on Fiscal Affairs, of the District of Columbia Committees of the House and Senate, are jointly gathered for the single purpose of being of assistance to the Congress and to the District of Columbia in a full and comprehensive and helpful consideration of the fiscal problems and considerations within the District itself. This, so far as I know, is the first time, at least in some years, that counterpart committees of the House and Senate have endeavored to cooperate from the very outset of any extended hearing such as this is likely to be. As one who represents the Senate, I am very grateful for the willingness of Mr. George Bates, who acts as chairman of the Subcommittee on Fiscal Affairs on the House side, to join with the Senate, and the Senate, and I think I speak for its Members, are very grateful to have them with us. I want it known to those who are present who the Senators and who the Congressmen are who are sitting at this table. Other duties will not permit all of them to come, but the gentleman on my right is Mr. George J. Bates, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Fiscal Affairs of the District of Columbia Committee; his associates are Congressmen Joseph P. O'Hara, Henry O. Talle, Howard W. Smith, and Mr. Arthur G. Klein. The Senate is represented by myself, Mr. Cain, acting as chairman for the Subcommittee of Fiscal Affairs of the Committee on the District of Columbia; Senator Ralph E. Flanders, who is not present for the reason that he is out of town; and Mr. J. Howard McGrath, the Senator from Rhode Island, who is expected very soon. 1 It is our intention this morning to proceed until 10 minutes to 12, at which time we will recess until 2 o'clock, following which we shall reconvene in this room to continue our considerations until 4:30, at which time we will adjourn for the present, announcing at that time, I think, the time and place of our next gathering. It is the intention of both the House and Senate to encourage a full presentation of what they have in mind, by the three Commissioners of the District of Columbia, together with their technicians and assistants. I would very much like to think that during the course of the presentations, particularly of the Commissioners, that there would be no unnecessary interruptions of those presentations. It will better serve our joint and individual purposes to listen thoughtfully to what it is they have in mind. The President of the Board of Commissioners, Commissioner John Russell Young, is encouraged, if he will, to take the chair. Commissioner YOUNG. Thank you. Senator CAIN. Take the chair, sir, at the head of the table, and proceed as you think best for the benefit of those who are here to listen to your problems. STATEMENT OF JOHN RUSSELL YOUNG, PRESIDENT, BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, D. C. Commissioner YOUNG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It will be my purpose to summarize and not go into details. I want to say that the Commissioners for whom I am speaking, are very happy to have this opportunity to appear before your joint meeting. and we have with us our principal department heads, to discuss for your benefit the operations of the government of the Capital City, and to explain the need for a new and higher revenue to support a budget that has doubled in the past 10 years in amount. We are extremely fortunate that the cochairmen of this joint meeting have had personal experience in operating a city government and, therefore, will more readily understand some of the problems confronting us. First of all, virtually every other city in the United States has the same problem that our principal one is, finances. We can point out that while the local revenues have jumped nearly 100 percent, the Federal Government is paying proportionately less now than it was 10 years ago for its share in running the national Capital City. Besides this, our break-down will show that despite the increase in our budget over the years our city is far behind in furnishing the vital needs of our citizens and at the same time adding to the beauty and charm of the Capital City. The fiscal relationship between the District of Columbia and the Federal Government is a long and complex story. Briefly, though, it can be shown easily that in 10 years the Federal Government has increased its holdings of tax-exempt property by more than 18 percent in our city during the past 10 years, and taking into account what the District loses in taxes from all this land owned by the Federal Government as well as the cost of the various services, we furnish to the Federal Government, and paid for by local taxpayers, an itemized break-down will show something like $14,000,000 last year. This fact |