Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-29
Tells Cabinet Heads to Prune
Their Annual Estimates.
DISTRICT OFFICIALS. TOO
Summoned to White House and Told
to Keep Down Expenses.
WANTS ECONOMY TO BE REAL
Department Heads Urged to Give
Their Personal Attention to Re-
trenching Public Ex-
penditures.

The unusual incident of President OF
the United States personally investigating
the estimated expenditure of every dol
lar of government money for a future
fiscal year was noted at the White
House today, when President Taft called
in the heads of every department. includ-
ing the Commissioners of the District of
Columbia, and spent the whole day delv
ing into the detailed figures of each
branch of the government service. Not
only did the President want to know the
why's and wherefores of each estimate
of any large amount but he repeated
his former injunctions to cabinet officers
to hold their estimates within the small
est possible sum.
BY his work during the past few months
and today the President emphatically dis
plays not only a purpose to familiarize
himself with every detail Of government
expenditure but determination to make
governmental economy and efficiency
reality, it was declared by cabinet Off
Ger today.
Every Man to His Duty
omy are to have. according to today's de-
velopments, real meaning. The President
takes the view that curtailment of ex-
penditures in the departments and
throughout the government service can
not be brought about unless every official,
from the head of the government on down,
including senators and representatives,
having to do with the making of appro-
y,rio jnrS fol mol int Act in tho
work. and uses his utmost endeavor to
accomplish something in the way of real
economy.
This is the first year. however, that Mr..
Taft has undertaken personally to super
wise the estimates and reach an agree
ment with the heads of important COM
mittees of Congress as to the appropria
tons to be made for the branches of the
service about which they have something
to say. Last year, for months before
Congress assembled the President several
times urged his cabinet officers to re-
duce their estimated expenditures for the
following year to the lowest possible
amount. Through this and the personal
mates were reduced by something like
5O,0OO,O0O Early this year the Presi-
dent again informed cabinet officerp ta.:at
the government must be brought as near
down to a business basis as possible.
Must Reduce Further, Are Orders.
AS he went over department by depart
ment today the President told each cab
met officer that estimates must be cut
still further. cut right down to the actual
necessities of the service of the respective
departments. To those who declared that
their estimates were already at the bot
tom the President demurred. and asked
that further cuts be made. He diplo-
matically suggested that each cabinet off,
Ger take a personal hand in the prepara-
ton Of the estimates to a degree not yet
attempted.
The Presidents earnestness greatly i'm
pressed his cabinet advisers, who re-
turned to their respective departments
intent upon giving all the aid possible.
River and Harbor Estimates.
Representative Alexander, chairman OF
the river and harbor committee Of the
House. was called into the conferences of
the day, as was Gen. Bixby. chief Of en-
gineers of the army, the object being to
reach an agreement, as far as practic-
able, that river and harbor appropria-
tions for the next fiscal year shall be
for approved projects. based upon thor
ough investigation by engineers of the'
army The President is on record as op-
posed to appropriations for projects hav-
ing no scientific approval. He wants
these appropriations to have the same
business basis as any other expenditure
After the conference Mr.. Alexander made
this statement:
"At the last session of Congress the
committee on rivers and harbors unani-
| mously adopted resolution favoring an
nual river and harbor bills to begin with
the fiscal year ending June 30. 1912. The
bill Of 1910, being preceded by the tri-
ennial bill of 1907, necessarily carried
projects and appropriations far In ex-
cess of the needs of an annual BILL be-
cause, three years having elapsed since
| the passage of a regular river and har-
Dor bill, more improvements and larger
appropriations were required. An annual
| BILL on the other hand, contemplates only
| the needs Of single fiscal year. This
| greatly reduces the number of items and
| the aggregate OF appropriations Here
tofore the Corps of Engineers, from long
| experience as to the uncertainties of leg
| islation, has felt the necessity Of provid-
| ing not only for the actual needs of the
ensuing year. but for possible failure of
appropriations for several years.
No "Pork BarreP' Sign.
I'm making the present estimates on the
| basis of an annual bill the chief of engi-
| neers submits only the most needed i'm
provements and provides for minimum
appropriations. In other words, the chief
Il