Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-20
CUT IN DEFICIENCIES
EFFECT OF TAWNEY PROVISION
ADOPTED BY CONGRESS.
appropriations for Departments Near
ly All Carried by the
Regular Bills.

Now that all the appropriation bills of
tnls session with the exception of the gen.
eral deficiency bill, and it is known how
much that measure carries. have been re-
ported, 1t has become apparent that Con-
sress mas won victory over the various
departments of the government and has
resained In great measure it's lost prestige
Last year the ordinary deficiency esti-
mates carried by the general deficiency bill
aggregated $33,OOO,OO0 This year the total
VIII be less than $2500,O0O. The explana-
ton is simple one. AS a result of the
adoption as part of the general deficiency
Dill of last year of the Tawney anti-de-
hciency amendment heads of departments
and chiefs of bureaus have been afraid to
permit deficiencies to grow, as that offense
under the amendment is now a INSIDE
meanor.
That efficacious amendment framed by
Chairman Tawney of the House appropria-
ton committee provided that the apportion-
ment of Congress appropriations-which
must be made ~ heads of departments be-
fore expenditures can be begun-should not
be waived except on happenings of extra
ordinary emergency or other unusual cir
cumstance that could not be reasonably an
ticipated at the time of making such ap-
portionment and, If waived, should be done
only by the head of the department in
writing, the reason for such waiver being
submitted in full to Congress. As a result
of this 1t appears that the departments
have completely changed their former tao
tics and instead of the ordinary defiviencies
aggregating $53 000, GOO they are now. as
stated, less than 100000.
The amendment has resulted in heads of
departments and chiefs of bureaus-as was
brought out very plainly at the hearings on
the general deficiency bill before the appro-
penditureS to conform to the standard fixed
by Congress in making it's appropriation for
the various branches of the public service
When asked by Chairman Tawney whether
they would have deficiencies in any of their
appropriations, these department heads and
bureau chiefs uniformly answered in the
negative, and stated rather sadly that Con-
gress would not permit deficiencies any
more"
The practical result of the amendment has
been TO make the deficiencies estimated for
this year the result of happenings of extra
ordinary emergencies which occurred subse-
quent to the making of the apportionment
While the general deficiency estimate
which will be- carried in the bill to be re-
ported next week aggregates ST. 73g 1872 of
this amount $6,3S9,177 is on account of the
intervention of the United States in Cuba;
$1,CO0.000 on account of the rassaCc at this
session of the service pension law and to
provide for its execution up to the end of
the present fiscal year, when the regular
APPROPRIATION VIII take effect, and 1.94S, S66
on account of the postal service, leaving
something less than two and one-half mil
lions to be charged as ordinary deficiency.
One of the leaders of the House said to-
day that in his opinion the Tawney amend
ment was one of the most valuable pieces of
legislation that had been enacted by Com
gress for many years, and would result in a
saving to the government of vast sums.