The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-16
ECONOMY AND
NEW TARIFF
The Administration Wants to
Prune the Big
Expenses.
BY Ernest G. Walker.
mail Special to the Advertiser

W <hAo1114sVIO-N, Mdren p The
pruningknife is TO take the place of
the stick. 1t seem already assured that
it will be the weapon Of all weapons
the most conspicuous with the new
administration, certainly during the
first year or two.
Quite as important as the efforts to
revise the tariff is the swirl of this new
weapon. 1t can not be applied just
now, for the appropriation bills have
all been passed-aH except one. That
is the appropriation bill to provide for
the Census. 1t is already as good as
assured that the Census expenditures
will be pruned. The powers that be
have decreed that the appropriations
for taking the Census shall be cut from
81 100000 to $10,000,0O0.
There are many sceptical men who
prefer to wait till the first regular
session of Congress has become a part
of history before they say too much
about the promised activity of the
primers. And yet it looks as though
there would be tremendous grapple
with that old, aggressive foe, extrava-
gance during the next twelve months.
The Senate has a very well equipped
special committee for that task. 1t is
headed by Senator Hale, chairman of
appropriations, and lot of other ex-
perts as well as some very good and
level headed business men, The moral
influence of that committee of experts
upon the extravagant chairmen of
certain committees can not be question
ed.
|. Then President Taft now has a
special committee of primers. His
cabinet of nine is constituted such a
committee and then inside that COM
nlittee is to be subcommittee of
cabinet officers who go over the esti-
mates of the various departments and
sail in with the pruning hook whenever
there seems to be warrant therefor.
And between the pruning of estimates
and the pruning of appropriation bills
pruning at both ends of the Avenue, it
would seem as though Old Economy
were in fair way to get back into
the saddle once in while at Washing
ton. He is a great stranger here now,
has hardly been seen in town for fif-
yCoio. anu dS dlicdOy
whether he is to be given much re-
cognition now during a Republican ad-
ministration may be open to question.
One can speak more clearly ON the
subject after some months have passed
and it becomes apparent whether the
| people will acquiesce in the curtailing
of federal appropriations. Uudoubted-
| ly there is a great educational process
working. There has been SO much money
in the Treasury that there has been
little thought among the people about
| paying the bills. Everybody knew the
Treasury was groaning under the weight
| of money. The only problem was how
| to work upon Congress to vote this
| money out of the Treasury. People
were willing to shift financial respon
+, sibility, that used to belong to the
| states, to the federal government and
| the federal government under the Roose
welt regime was not averse to meet
| ing the expense that the states had beer
meeting. Now if Congress ceases {,
appropriate for a number of purposes
and the work to be done by the state.
| is increased, the taxation will come
| nearer home to the people and will bt
| possibly more burdensome. Then the
| public has been taught to look for Ger
| tain large enterprises, of a modern
| character, like great public building
/ schemes, and great river and harbol
improvements. Congress, with the
/ primers welding their hooks at boil
ends of the Avenue, will be chary OF
voting large appropriations for either
| of those purposes and there may be /;
| great cutlery as a result.
| The primers think they are going t,
take away from Congress it's reputation
| for billion dollar sessions. They ex
pect that the totals for the next ses
| sion of Congress will not exceed 5000,
100000, which, as the sporting mel
| say would be going some. For it is tel
/ times more difficult to use the prunin;
hook than it is to pry the doors of thu
| Treasury open.
In reality, the Inauguration of
policy of economy is regarded as al
essential foundation for the successful
advent of the new tariff law. Just s.
far as Congress and President Taft cal
succeed in cutting down expenses, 81
far they will feel justified in withhold
i ing the enactment of such taxes a
those on incomes and inberitanees ant
Z! on dividends of corporations. TIL
President is apparently disposed t.
press for some. kind of an income ia.
at the next session of Congress-whicl
will convene next December-if TIL
Payne tariff bill does not raise suffi
cient revenue and if the efforts a
economy do not prevail.
Many fancy project for spending
the government money will undoubtedl
fail. The pruning hooks are to b
stuck deep into the Postoffice appro
priations. There is said to have bee
geat extravaganza in that Department
l The pruning hooks are also suspende
over the Department of Agriculture
where money has been spent yer
lavishly. There will be attempts t
swing the weapons in upon the Wa
Department and the Navy Department
The great extravaganees have bee
| there. Without the great ships of wa
and the modern army ideas the e1
, penditures would be comparativel
small. But it will be no easy task {
s prune there. The country is likely t
resent it. The military idea is ran
pant People want the splendid shiI