New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-24

addition 10 inns, the cost of sanitation
government, without which the canal co nno
not have been built. will be about $40. Gce,N"ii
and will carry the entire cost of the eah"'
TO SI3,opV"
URGED STRICT ECONOMY.
Leaving the Panama Canal and re-
turning to the state of finances. the
President said:
repeat that the surplus for the year
ending June 80. 1911, tor which we are now
making provision in this Congress by APP
propration. viii be about So 900 600 II inc
estimates made by the departments ana
transmitted by the Secretary Of the Treas
uPe revenue ,o from the tariff Bill EQUALS that
which tho Secretary OF the Treasury has
estimated it is likely to be. This surplus
is also upon the superstition that the Ss,-
coo 900 necessary annually in the construc-
ton of the Panama Canal will be met ny
bonds.
In view of the threatened shortage for
the wear ending June 80. 1911, I directed
the heads of departments In making their
estimates to cut them to the quick and TO
avail themsey es of every possible economy
and reduction. The result was that the
total of the estimates forwarded by the
less than the total of the appropriations
for the previous year ending June 80, 1910.
river and harbor bill has now been
introduced and has passed the House which
anpropriates nearly $40,000,000 This is
very considerable increase over the amount
estimated for by the secretary OF the
biIl masses Congress, appropriating $lo,-
Geo coo or $40 900, coo for the coming fiscal
year. there may still be deficit unless the
receipts from the tariff Dill and the cor
noration tax exceed what was originally
estimated from them: l am bound to say
that the results of the, tariff bill thus far
indicate a conSlderaDle increase over TIC
estimate of the Secretary.
PRUNING THE ESTIMATES
He then discussed what it was that
was cut down in the estimates for the
coming year In the departments. saying;
The reduction in the estimate Of the
War Department below the appropria tons
of last year amounted to 100000 The
reduction in the estimate OF the Navy
Department for the expenses or the year
ending June 30 1911. also am mo nne ,o 10
Department OF estimated expenses Tor
1911 below the appropriations for 1917
amounted to IS 200, 600. The reduction in
the Treasury and in the Postoffice De-
partment made up the. balance of the SAP
600, o00
and navy it should be said that the re-
auctions were not in what may be called
the permanent expenses of the depart
ment but rather in cutting down
proposed improvements which, If TIE
plans of the departments are properly
carried out must some time be met IN
other words. il is postponement only of
expenditures that are necessary until the
income shall be sufficient to meet them
Let take the W ar Depdi tiiitHt ihNiN
was a very considerable cut in the eS-
penditures needed to complete with mod
ern appliances the coast defences on tne e
Pacific and the Atlantic sea BOARD lnefe
is needed at the mouth. of Chesapeake BAY,
between Cape Henry and cape Charles;
an artificial island, upon the so-calIeo
Middle, Ground, which shall, command the
entrance to Chesapeake Bay. chesapeake
Bay is the most important body OF water I
from strategic naval, sta napolnt on t i
whole Atlantic Coast, and 1t must be oe-
Tended. =,
SO. too. we have now determined that
the great naval base of the Pacific for us
is to be Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu.
For years there was discussion as 70
whether we Ought to MAKE make fn IN N nIih,
+ Bay, in the Philippines Ky unanimous
consent of the naval and military a a.
thorities, it is now concIuded 1ltan we a ao
not need naval base in the Philippines
at all: that we ought to make Corrigedor
Island at the mouth of Manila Bay, IN
T,regn a Bile. establish a naval. supply sta
ton in subig Bay. but rely n aI7., IL the
Sandwich Islands as our base. rms Will
all involve heavy expenditure at Homo
lulu but for the present the amount pro-
posed is comparatively small
TWO BATTLESHIPS a YEAR.
Mr.. Taft declared that in the naval
expenditures there was retained provi-
sion for, two battleships of 25,O0o-ton
capacity on the ground that until the
/ Panama Canal is completed the nation
ought to go on and add to- its naval
strength. He went onto. say
The Panama Canal will certainly be com
pleted in 1915. and if We have two battle-
Ships a year until that time, the opening
of the canal VIII so double the efficlency
of our navy for the. protection of our Pa
cific and Atlantic coasts that we can then
abate and reduce, our expenditures IN ne"
construction.
The reductions in the Treasury Depart
ment were. I think more of them in the
administration than in the expenditures Tor
improvements, and this was also the case
in the Postoffice Department.
OF the reduction in the Interior Depart
ment 100000 was due 10 reducu GU q -, %
we may reasonably hope that as the year
now go on this amount will gradually De
reduced
ON the other hand. there are certain Of
our departments to Wit, the Agricultural
Department, with its Forestry bureau; the
structive department for the Improvement
/ of rivers; the Department of Commerce
and Labor, including as it ought. 1t seems
Ia NE a bureau OF health. which, as the
opportunities for lettering the CONDITION OF
the people by governmental investigation
increase grow in Importance and in cost,
and. we ought not TO expect a reductlon
either in the expenses growing out OF
conservation of our resources .,,+ ,,,o
For some time it has been said that we
have billion-dollar Congresses. Inc state
neni in itself is an unjust one. because
II Sis generally construed to mean that the
total expense of the departments to be
maid out of taxation amounts to a billion
dollars a wear This is quite an error, for
ma reason that in making up the billion
dollars the expenses for the PoStoffice De
nartment are always included, whereas
he EXPENSES of the Postoff1ce Department
are not paid for out of the proceeds or
taxes They are paid for out of the re.
ceipts of that department from the sale OF
stamps. with the exception of *l1.oooGp.
which was the excess Of the cost OF the
Postofice Department last year over Its
receipts This, therefore. reduces the cost
IN, TAXATION of the government each year
70 something like $750,00o,Oo0
COST OF ADMINISTRATIONS
The proposition to appoint a Congress
sionaI commission to look into the ques-
lion of a general reorganiza ton of the
departments of the government then was
touched upon as follows:
The view of the commission Will be to
ra6rca the expense OF administering the
government | think | have already made
clear the distinction between those eApehui-
tnr.e Of the government that go into per
nanent improvements and that may be
reduced one year must he increased an
at her and the actual routine cost OF aufllitl-
iStration A reduction in the cost or pro-
posed Improvements il not an enlllnatlon OF
them but merely a pOstponenent OF thenl
whereas a reduction in the cost OF admin
istlation would be a permanent economy
that of course, on that account becomes
most important.
II has been stated on the floor of the
Senate that ii will be possible by means OF
This commission to reduce the cost of adj
,pIuiSr,rine the government SlOD, D0O,Uoo a