Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-02-26
BUDGET MESSAGE
BY TAI 7 BREAKS
PRECEDENT
President, for First Time, In
forms Congress of Condition
of Department Finances.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 26.-For the
first time in the history Of the Ameri-
can government a budget message was
submitted to congress by the chief ex-
ecutivo of the United States when Pres
ident Taft today sent to the senate and
the house Of representatives q state
ment. in budget form on the financial
conditions of the various government
departments, together with certain rec
concentrations and estimates on reve-
nues and expenditures.
This departure from precedent, the
president said. was actuated "by expe-
rience and common sense" and was
supported by the judgment and expe-
rience that has obtained in the man
agement of corporate bodies, both pub
lie and private" in which the executive
head annually sets forth what has
been done during the past year and
what it is proposed that the corpora
ton shall do during the next year"
Nd' oleSSS Gays att.
Though President Taft did not charge
directly that this failure, for more than
a century, to issue a budget from the
white house, had caused a waste of the
public's money, he at least charged
gross carelessness when he said that
this government, with expenditures Of
more than one thousand million dol
lars each year" may be said ito be
without plan or program" as to it's
finances
The president said that the advan-
tage to congress of a budget submitted
by the responsible head of the admin
istration" must be apparent, inasmuch
as it would greatly facilitate the work
of that body in making appropriations.
After reviewing, with tables of statis-
tics, the various departments of the
financial side of the government the
president concluded his message with a
number of recommendations.
He repeated his previous recommen-
dation to effect an economy by putting
postmasters upon the classified list, de-
clarng that the result would be a saw
ing of $4512,OO0
The sinking fund act, he said had
become a dead letter" and should be
revised
Uniform Building Plan.
A recommendation, that he dealt at
length with. was that the government
at Washington should be housed I'M
public buildings which should be built
in such manner as to conform to q gen
eral plan of public buildings for the
government within the city" and ne
proposed that it would be well to spend
from $15,O00,O0O to $20,000,O0O within
the next two years to carry out the
program. The saving in rent now be-
ing paid to the District of Columbia.
which would be effected by such a pro-
gram, the president said, would war
rant the investment of 500, 900, 900.
The president proposed that bonds
should be issued and money borrowed
thereon for the governments land pur-
chases, buildings and public works
with the cost proportional over a period
of twenty years, and with the bonds
payable out of a sinking fund.
In order that the government might
be more efficiently administered. the
president recommended that a bureau
of administrative control should bel
established, which would really be al
consolidation Of the six auditors offices
and the comptroller of the currency and
the other central accounting offices
into one executive bureau.
Endorsement was given to the propo
sition of certain congressman that
budget committee should be estab-
lished as a final clearing house.