MESSRS. ROBERT N. PAGE, THOMAS UPTON SISSON, JAMES MCANDREWS, IN CHARGE OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SIXTY-THIRD CONGRESS WASHINGTON 1918 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1915. HEARINGS BEFORE SUBCOMMITTEE OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, CONSISTING OF MESSRS. ROBERT N. PAGE, THOMAS UPTON SISSON, JAMES M'ANDREWS, CHARLES R. DAVIS, AND WILLIAM H. HINEBAUGH, ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1913. STATEMENTS OF MR. OLIVER P. NEWMAN, MR. FREDERICK L. SIDDONS, AND LIEUT. COL. CHESTER HARDING, COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Mr. PAGE. Gentlemen, before taking up the details of the various items contained in the District appropriation bill, it has been customary for the president of the board of commissioners to make a state ment. GENERAL STATEMENT. Mr. NEWMAN. I have not prepared any statement, Mr. Chairman, but I can make a general statement that I think will cover some of the generalities which we followed in making up these estimates. First, in accordance with the act of Congress, we had an estimate made of our revenues. Have you a copy of that? Mr. PAGE. Yes, sir. That was done in accordance with the enactment of 1909. Mr. NEWMAN. That shows the estimate of our revenues for the fiscal year 1915, or the estimates upon which we ask for appropriations for 1915. Have you seen this statement? Mr. PAGE. Yes. Mr. NEWMAN. Then you are familiar with the sums that we expect to have available, and it will not be necessary for me to go over that. In preparing the estimates we realized, as you have just stated, that we were a new body and a new régime, and we prepared them also with the further understanding that there would be no new legislation and that it was your feeling and desire about this bill that there should be no new legislation in it. We bore that in mind. At the same time, however, we have made provision in the estimates for projects which will require new legislation, in the hope that we may be able to get the new legislation in time to get the appropriation this year, and not get the necessary authorizations this year and then have to wait until next year to get the money. For instance, we have recommended the purchase of one park. Now, of course, if 3 |