The searchlight., 1911-12-29
IRE
M:eugp SHAPE
Economics Have Effected Cut
in Expenses Of Various
Departments.
MONETARY REFORM aimP0nFMT
President Hopes Il VIII Not BE Made
subject Of Party Poiltles-sur-
plus In Postal Department
Attention Called 70 Canal
Matteo-Postal Savings.


Washington. = Finances and cur
rency reform are the subject Of q spe-
eiai message TO congress. which reads
d part a. follows:
The financial condition Of the govern
ment. a. shown at the close of the last
fiscal year. June %. 1911. was very salts
factory. The ordinary receipts into the
general fund. excluding postal revenues.
amounted to t70l. .s72. .s7a.s9. and the dis
bursements from the general fund for
current expenses and capital outlays. ex-
cluding postal and Panama Canal dis
bursements. including the interest on the
public cebt. amounted 10 S65a. 81. .so7 50,
leaving q surplus Of $t7.234.s7.io.
The postal revenue receipts amounted
to ~. .ss. san. while the payments made
for the postal service from the postal
revenues amounted to s.37. $50. 7O6.<. which
left surplus Of postal receipts over dis
bursements of e.is. s.iisl2. the first time in
a years In which a surplus occurred.
The interest.bearing debt Of the United
States June 80. 1911. amounted to $9i5.-
63.lSo. Teh debt on which interest had
ceased amounted to Si.s7o. s3o.2s. and the
debt bearing no interest. including green
backs. national bank notes to be redeem
ed. and fractional currency. amounted TO
eSss. al -si7.43, or q total Of interest and
non-interest bearing debt amounting to
81. 30. 81. $500.
The actual disbursements, exclusive of
those for the Panama Canal and for the
postal service for the year ending June
% 1911. were Sss4. .l37. .s97.ss. The actual
disbursements for the year ending June
y. 1910. exclusive OF the Panama Canal
and the postal service disbursements.
were S66e, 7o6 .ssl.os. making a decrease of
t5,b61, ,SS5.E In yearly expenditures in the
year 1911 under that of 1910. For the year
ending June 30. 1912. the estimated re-
ceipts. exclusive of the postal revenues.
are S66s. .o0oo 600. while the total estimates.
exclusive of those for the Panama pay
able from the postal revenues. amounted
to S66a. So. Ts9.A This is a decrease in the
1912 estimates Of si.5A. .367.22
For the year ending June 90 1918. the
estimated receipts. exclusive of the pos
tai revenues, are 3ss7. 900 900. while the
total estimated appropriations. exclusive
Of the Panama Canal and postal dis
busements payable from postal revenues.
will amount to sss7. $40 soss5. This is a
decrease In the 1918 estimates from that
of the 1912 estimates of s7.s2i 1855.
As to the postal revenues, the expan-
sion of the business In that department,
the normal increase In the post office
and the extension Of the service. will in
crease the outlay to the sum of SEQ. $685.
tanning this year the postmaster general
In assured that next year the receipts
Will at least equal the expenditures. and
probably exceed them by more than the
surplus of this year. 1t is fair and equit-
able, therefore. In determining the econ
omy with which the government has been
run. to exclude the transactions OF a de-
partment like the post office department
which relies for its support upon its re-
ceipts. In calculations heretofore made
for comparison of economy In each year.
II has been the proper custom only to
include In the statement the deficit in the
post office department which was paid out
of the treasury.
A calculation of the actual increase
In the expenses of government arising
from the Increase In the population and
the general expansion OF governmental
functions. except those of the post office.
for a number of years shows a normal
increase Of about 4 per cent. q year. BY
directing the exercise of great care to
keep down the expenses and the estimates
we have succeeded In reducing the total
disbursements each year.
effieieney and Economy In the Treas
ury Department.
In the treasury department the efncien-
cy and economy work has been kept
steadily up. Provision Is made for the
elimination of lA positions during the
coming year. Two hundred and sixty
seven statutory positions were eliminated
during the last year in the office of the
treasury In Washington. and l4i positions
In the year 1910. making an elimination
of 542 statutory positions since March 4.
1909: and this has been done without the
discharge of anybody. because the nor
NAL designations and deaths have been
equal to the elimination of the places, a
system of transfers having taken care
s.$ he.
dropped out In the field service of the
department. too. l.2Ss positions have been
eliminated down to the present time. ma
king a total net reduction of all treasury
positions to the number of sol Mean
time the efficiency of the work OF the
department has increased.
Monetary Reform.
A matter of first Importance that will
come before congress for action at this
session is monetary reform The con-
gress has itself arranged an early intro
duction of this great question through
the report of Its monetary commission.
This commission was appointed to rec
ommend a solution of the banking and
currency problems SO long confronting
the nation and to furnish the facts and
data necessary to enable the congress
to take action.
In order to DO its work with thorough
ness and precision this commission has
taken some time to make its report The
country II undoubtedly hoping for as
prompt action on the report as the con-
veniences of the congress can permit
The recognition Of the gross imperfec-
tions and marked inadequacy Of our
banking and currency system even In our
most quiet financial periods IN of long
standing: and later there has matured q
recognition OF the fact that our system
Ii responsible for the extraordinary de-
vastation. waste and business paralysis
of our recurring periods Of penic. Though
the methods of the monetary commission
have for . considerable time been work
ing In the open. and while large numbers
Of the people have been openly working
with them. and while the press has large
~ noted and discussed this work a. II
has proceeded. % that the report Of the
commission promises to represent Q ma
donal movement. the details OF the re-
port are stin being considered I can
not. therefore. do much more at this time
than commend the Immense importance
Of monetary reform. urge prompt consid- |
Grafton and ftion whom the commission's
report b received. and express my salts
faction that the plas to b proposed |
promises 10 embrace Maln foafwr~n thar