Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-12-12
CONGRESS HEARS
SECOND MESSAGE
President Tells Of Treasury and
Army Affairs.
PHILIPPINES ARE INCLUDED
Bill for Natives Independence De
nounced as Premature-Progress
Of Panama Canal.

SAa|~AAiS- ~S@AAe@aH
Washington, Dec. G--Congress today re-
eeived from President Taft the second Of
his messages to the short session. It
deals with fscal5 military, insuIar and
judicial affairs and in part is as follows.
The condition Of the country with ref
serenee to business could hardly be better.
While the four years Of the administra-
ton now drawing to a close have not de-
yeloped great speculative expansion or a
vide field Of new investment, the recov-
cry and progress made from the depress-
Ing conditions following the panic Of 1907
have been steady and the Improvement
has been clear and easily traced in the
statistics. The business of the country is
now on solid basis. Credits are not
unduly extended and every phase Of the
situation seems in a state Of prepared
ness for a period Of unexampled prosper
ity. Manufacturing concerns are running
at their fun capacity and the demand for
labor was never so constant and growing.
The foreign trade of the country for this
year viii exceed s. 900. 600 co. while the
balance in our favor-that OF the excess
~ exports over fmpoTts-wiIi exceed $780,
con CO. More than half our exports are
manufactures or partly manufactured
material while our exports Of farm pro
ducts do not show the same increase of
domestic consumption. 1t is a year Of
bumper crops, Inc total money value Of
farm products viii exceed s. 100000 It
SIS a year when the busheI or unit price
Of agricultural products has gradually
fallen and yet the total value Of the en-
tire crop is greater by over SI,o9G 900
than we have known in our history.
Condition Of the Treasury.
The condition Of the treasury is very
satisfactory The total interest-b bearing
debt Is $3.50. TITO of which Sl3f 81, $50 con
stiute the Panama canal loan. The nom
Understanding debt is S3l8,30l 2S490, in
Guiding S3fGG7I Ole OF greenbacks. We have
in the treasury $780, 10000 I'm gold coin as
a reserve against the outstanding green
backs. and in addition we have cash
balance IN the treasury as q general fund
~ sls7 1872, AS. 90, or an increase Of $685.
So over the general fund last year
Receipts and Expenditures.
For three years the expenditures Of the
governments have decreased under the in
huenCe Of an effort to economic. This
year presents an apparent exception. The
estimate by the secretary Of the treasury
81 tho ordinary receipts, exclusive Of pos
tai revenues, for the year ending June
80 1914 indicates that thev will amount
to $40. coo, 900. The sum of the estimates
Of the expenditures for that same year,
exclusive of Panama canal disbursements
and postal disbursements payable from
postal revenues is 1872. 600 900, indicating a
deficit OF $4,000 600. For the year ending
June 60 1913 similarly estimated receipts
were 1857. Co., while the total CORE
spending estimate Of expenditures for that
year. submitted through the secretary of
the treasury to congress, amounted to
3g5G.O00 000 This shows an increase of
S7G 600 coo in the estimates for 1914 over
She total estimates of 1913. This is due to
an increase of $25000.OQ0 IN the estimate
for rivers and harbOrs for the next year
on T1rOTngfc and authorized
congress: to an increase under the new
pension bill Of $50, 500 900; and to an in
crease in the estimates for expenses OF
the navy department of S240OO.000. The
estimate for the navy department for the
year 1913 included two battleships Con
gress made provision for only one battle
ship and therefore the navy department
has deemed il necessary and proper to
make an estimate which includes the first
years expenditure for three battleships
in addition to the amount required for
work on the unCOmpieted ships now under
construction. In addition to the natural
increase i'm the expenditures for the UNI
completed ships, and the additional bat
tleship estimated for, the other increases
are due to the pay required for 1000 or
more additional enlisted men in the navy.
and to this must be 15sts:,S Sle additional
cost or constructor imposed by the
change I'm IT, eight-hOur law which
waite shipvards
with the exceptions of these three
items. the estimates show reduction
this year below the total estimates for
1913 of more than S5.000.000.
The estimates for Panama canal con
struction for 1914 are SIT, 100000 less than
for 1918
The president then explained at some
length the national reserve association
system recommended by the monetary
commission and urged congress to ex-
anime the plan impartiaIly from all
staudpoints and then to adopt some
plan which viii secure the benefits de
sired
Concerning the tariff he had little to
say in view of the fact that a new con
Eress has been elected on a platform
Of tariff for revenue only.
Army Reorganization.
Our small army now consists OF 50. 500
men excluding the 5000 Philippine scouts
Leaving out Of consideration the coast
artillery force, whose position is fixed in
our various seaCoast defeuses, and the
present Earrisons of our various iusular
possessions, we have today within the
continental United States a mobile army
OF only anout s.. 600 men. This little force
must be sim further drawn upon to sup
ply the new EarriSOns for the great naval
base which Is being established at Pearl
HarboT. i'm the Hawaiian islands, and to
protect the locks now rapidly approaching
completion at Panama. The forces re
naming i'm the United States are now
scattered IN nearly dfJy posts. situated
for a variety of historical reasons in
tweuty-four states These posts contain
only fractions OF regiments. averaging
less than 7o0 men each. In time of peace
# has been our historical policy to ad-
minister these units separately by a SEQ
graphical organization. In other words.
cur army IN time Of peace has never been
united organization but merely scat
tered groups OF companies. hattalions and
regiments. and the first task in time OF
war has been to create out Of these scat
tered units an army tft for effective team
work and cooperation.