698 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

you take any special steps to bolster our forces if this eventuality
arises?

A. I haven't had a chance to talk with General Gelston about this.
I think I'm going to meet with him today. The Governors' mid-
winter meeting which begins tomorrow in Washington will involve
some discussions of the National Guard. General Gelston will be in
attendance at those meetings and I should have an opportunity to be
briefed by him at that point. I don't know enough more than that
to comment about this particular matter involving the 28th Division.

(Legislative Program)

Q. Governor, are you generally optimistic or pessimistic about the
chances of your legislative program?

A. I think that there are parts of it you have to be pessimistic about
— the scholarship program, for example. Other parts I am very opti-
mistic about such as the program involving mental health — the com-
munity health centers, the tax on alcoholic beverages financing same.
Most of the programs will probably be given a good chance of at
least a modified success. By that I mean maybe they won't emerge in
the total form that I submitted them, but I think the basic ideas will
be adopted in many cases.

Q. How about water pollution, Governor?

A. I think water pollution has a very good chance of passing.

(City Request for More Funds)

Q. Governor, there is a report that Mayor D'Alesandro has asked
you to include an extra $6 million in your supplementary budget for
Baltimore City, saying that if the City doesn't get the $6 million he
will have to raise the property tax rate by $1. 82. What are his chances
of getting? (interruption — laughter)....

A. I don't know what the City's chances of getting the additional
revenue that he is looking for would develop to be. We were very dis-
couraged yesterday by the fact that there's not a great amount of
money apparently available, based on the latest revenue estimates.
The Mayor did ask for somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million
and we have under study, meaning the legislative leaders and this
office have under study, the possibility of some adjustments in the
road funds. How this is going to work out I am not sure at this junc-
ture, but I can say that a chance of a great infusion of money to the
City seems to be extremely limited. It's important to note that the
Mayor's budget target is aimed at providing the City with a 15 per-