Evening star., 1913-02-26

propriation. The formulation of a
definite plan for improvements would
enable committees of Congress. or, for
that matter, Congress in committee as
whole. to consider what the govern
ment shall undertake to do for a
period of years before the requests Tor
appropriations are taken up. rms
would be the alternative to the present
method of having large part of the
questions of organic law and every
question OF authorization to incur
liabilities-which at the present time
run some SSO0.0OO,000 ahead of appro-
priations-settled in the committee on
appropriations and brought in as riders
on the appropriation bills at the end OF
sessions. when no one has time or OPP
portunfty to consider. even in general
what the thousands Of items in appro-
priation acts contain.
After the question had been settled
as to what amount would be UNDER
taken during a definite period. the ap-
propriation bill authorizing it. in my
opinion, should indicate what part or
what project or Improvement would be
financed out of bond issues and what part
would be financed out of the general fund
In so Tar as projects are to be financed out
OF the general fund. there should be
limitation placed on the appropriation
so made, to the effect that no contract
shall be let by the administrative Off
Ger under whose jurisdiction the i'm
provement is to be made unless the
estimated revenues of the year. to-
gether with the surplus and the gen
eral fund after providing for legal re-
serves and estimated current expenses
and fixed charges as determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury, are adequate
to meet the obligations to be incurred
under such contract. This would admit
of administrative curtailment of con-
tracts against revenues automatically
in case, from loss of expected revenues
the general fund cash surplus of the
Treasury should disappear.
Organization Changes Needed.
"The government is not only in the
position of having gone along for a
century without budget but, what is
at this time even more to the point. it
has not the organic means either for
preparing or for considering one. In
the executive branch there is no estab-
lished agency which may be utilized
for the assembling of the data required
for the preparation Of budget sum-
maries. The law governing estimates
requires that they be prepared and
submitted by various heads of depart
ments and independent establishments
without executive review or revision:
this makes it impossible to submit a
budget unless the President does it on
his own initiative. In Congress nlne
standing committees are charged with
formulating bills for appropriation; a
tenth committee is charged with for
mulating plans for raising revenue
still other committees, with an entire
ly different membership, are organized
for reviewing the government eXpendl-
lures. There is little provision made
for giving coincidence Of time to their
action or for correlating the results of
their work, and in many instances
what is attempted to be done through
appropriation bills prepared by one
committee is undone through the ap-
propriation bills prepared by another
First in the list of proposed changes
in law setting forth what legislation
should be enacted in order to enable
the administration to transact the pun
lie business with greater economy and
efficiency is a recommendation for the
establishment of a bureau of central
administrative control, with a controller
at the head who would be responsible to
the President and to Congress. Concrete
ly the proposal is to consolidate the slN
auditors offices as we'll as the office OF
the controller Of the Treasury and the
other central accounting offices of the
government in one executive bureau ana
thereby without increasing cost to provide
for a central accounting, auditing ana re-
porting organization which would nclude
among it's activities the preparation OF
budget supported by a book of estimates
and a consolidated financial report for
the government. This agency would also
serve in the capacity of an Independent
agency for the preparation of special re-
ports when requested either by the Con-
gress or by the President
Budget Committee Necessary.
While it is with much hesitation that
I suggest any change in committee or
ganization in Congress, it seems to me to
be highly desirable to have some proVi-
sion such has been frequently suS-
gested by members on the floor. whereby
a budget committee may be established
as a. final clearing house through which
all the recommendations of the commit
tees having to do with revenues and eN-
penditures shall pass before they take the
form of a definite bill. The special rea-
son which l have for urging such COM
mittee is that at present the adminstra-
ton is seriously handicapped by not be-
ing able to take up proposals or construc-
tive measures affecting any particular de-
partment with any one body or commit
tee which will undertake to consider them
in all their aspects For example. the
War Department finds ii necessary to
deal with committees and subcommittee
which have charge Of the Legislative, eN-
ecutive and judicial bill. the sundry civil
bill, the army bill. the fortifications bill
the Military Academy bill, the river and
u
various special bills and resolutions and
the various recurrent appropriations may
originate The Interior Department finds
it necessary to deal with committees
which have in charge the legislative. eN-
ecutive and judicial bill. the sundry civil
BILL the Indian bill and the pension bill.
The Navy Department finds 1t necessary
to carry it's estimates before two different
standing committees to be considered in
three different bills. Neither do officers
of the administration find it possible to
get the whole OF a particular subject be-
fore any one committee.
''The subject of transportation and COM
municat ton (other than postal service)
must be considered by the appropriations
committee. agricultural committee. com
mittee on foreign affairs. committee on
military affairs. committee on naval af-
fairs, rivers and harbOrs committee, and
the committee on post offices and post
roads. Estimates for public health must
go before three different committees, etc.
For these reasons | am recommending
not only that the administration be pro-
vided with adequate means for obtaining
the information necessary to the execu-
tive direction and control of public busi-
ness and the formulation and submission
of budget, but that Congress, Also make
some organic provision whereby the ad-
ministrative and Legislative branch may
coordinate their efforts in the develop
ment of the future activities of the gov
ernment, as we'll as for the determination
of the expenditures needed for the cur
rent transaction of its business.