The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-03-19
Budget Committees in Both
Houses Will Study APP
preparations.
MONEY NOW SPENT
WITH LAVISH HAND
Idea of Senator Aldrich and Others
Expected to Work
Wonders.
By JOHN SNURE.

10 a realizing sense of the need for
holding a tight rein on the expenditures
CT the Government by taking steps for
the formation of bUdget committees in
each branch Of Congress.
In the Senate the movement for
budget committee has been completed.
That is. the Senate Republican Com
mittee on Committees has worked
out the plan for such a committee,
and is arranging its personnel The
House will follow suit. according 70
recent conferences between the House
and Senate leaders. When the House
committees are organized next Decem-
Der a new budget committee will be
created.
The Senate and the House committees
will cooperate closely and may event
ually become a joint committee
That the Sc1ate budget committee
will beccBe one of the greatest IN Con
gress is likely. The House committee
also will doubtless be Of the utmost i'm
pOrtance.
Senator Aldrich's Work
Senator AIdrich is largely responsible
for the new plan. That is, he is largely
responsible Tor working out the idea
and getting it 10 d point where it Will
doubtless be carried into effect The
English system has been borrowed from
TO a considerable extent in deciding TO
have budget committees.
But tie real reason why the budget
committee plan has been given serious
consideration is the fact the leaders on
each side of the Capitol are becoming
convinced that something drastic must
be done to curtaIl Government eNpendl-
lures. The insurgent Republicans have
had no small part in bringing about
the Senate budget committee 1neL
fight list winter over the big aPpro-
priations emphasized the need OF more
serious consideration OF expenditures,
and following that Senator Aldrlcn LOOK
the matter up and undertook TO work
out some tangible an Tor closer scra-
tiny OF finances.
Senate Committee.
It is proposed that the budget com
mittee Of the Senate shall consist OF
eight Republicans and I'VE Democrats,
and IN addition that the heads o. the
different Appropriations Committees
shall be ex-ofGcio members Of this one.
Ii is the intention 10 keep the control
OF the committee in the hands Of those
members of the Senate who are not
chairrnen Of the committees carrying
appropriations.
IL will be headed by Senator Aldrich,
who is the chairman Of the France
Committee. On the committee wIl be
the strongest men who can be picked
II will be the duty OF the budget com
mittee to scrutiniZe at the outset OF
the session Of Congress the proposed
expenditures as shown by the estl-
mates from the executive departments,
and also 20 study the probable revenue
and 70 see 10 f.. in so far as 1t can, that
the expenditures are held down 70 the
Urgent Need Seen.
When one considers how the appro-
priations are swelling, how heavy the
estimates are which are sent into Con-
gress from the executive departments,
and how extremely difficult Il is D cut
down the estimates il viii become clear
that the budget committee has a task
cut out for itself. It's efforts viii be
directed in the first place TO keeping
the estimates down, and II these are
in excess Of the expected revenues TO
keeping the appropriations down. 1t is
preSumable that the members Of the
budget committee viii not be the most
popular members OF the body but they
viii doubtless WELD an influence.
Il Is clear that II the members OF a
committee constituted as this will be
stand shoulde- to shoulder when an aP-
preparation bill comes up that needs
siashing, they viii be able 90 get il
lowered in all reasonable likelihood.
When the insurgents last session made
their fight on appropriation bills they
were handicapped by the fact that they
were not fully informed on the sub
Jects they were dealing with. They had
not had full ~--ortunity for study of
the questions l-.yolved.
To Study Estimates.
The committee I'm the Senate will be
known as the Committee on Expendi-
lures in the Executive Departments. 1t
is entirely likely that when the commit
tee is organized il will undertake 10 IN
vestigate the departmental estimates TO
prevent the duplication Of expenditures
for Ike purposes. Il is declared this
system of duplication prevails to an as
tOnlShlnE extent, and that much could
be saved II II were avoided.
One Of the great complaints against
the Navy Department Ha" been the dupll-
cation OF shops and work in the navy
yards. Efforts are now being made 10
get away from this costly practice. The
work on which former Senators Hemen-
way Of Indiana and HansDrOugh of
North EakOta are engaged for the APP
preparations Committee Of the Senate
will no doubt be found Of great value
by the Budget Committee, iuasmuch. as
they are studying into questions Of re
trenchment, along with the inquiry into
Secret Service matters
Can Save Millions.
Il is estimated by Senators who gre
qualified 10 Judge that large savings can
be made if an effective budget commit
tee is set in operation. tbs estimate
is as high as from 900, 100000 20 $780,
600 600
No little political Importance attaches
20 the action that is reing taken. The
long-headed politicians among the Sen
ate leaders see that u-uass something IS
done TO stop the swelling Of expendi-
lures the Republican party is likely 10
suffer rebuke at the polls before many
elections go by.
This is not the only step being taken
70 hold down expenditures Little at
tentiOn has been paid TO the rider car
Tied on one OF the approp .iatiOn bills,
proposed by Representative Smith II
Iowa and passed last session, which re-
Qulres the Chief Executive IN sending
the annual estimates TO Congress, to as
certain If the estimates exceed the prob
able revenues. and ii they do. have
them reduced or advise Congress how
the needed revenue can be raised.