Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-02-26
BUDGET MESSAGE
BY TAT 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 budget message was
submitted to congress by the chief ex-
ecutive OF the United States when Pres
ident Taft today sent to the senate and
the house of representatives 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"
Careless, Says Taft.
Though President Taft did not charge
directly that this failure, for more than
century, to issue 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 a plan or program" as to it's
finances
The president said that the advan-
tage to congress of 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 Stats
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-
dalton to effect an economy by putting
postmasters upon the classified list, de
claring that the result would be saw
ing of $4,512, 600.
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 1.-The government
at Washington should be housed in
public buildings which should be built
in such manner as to conform to a gen
eral plan of public buildings for the
government within the city" and he
proposed that it would be we'll to spend
from $15,0O0,0O0 to $20,0O0.0O 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 100000, 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 sinking fund
In order that the government might
be more efficiently administered, the
president recommended that a bureau
of administrative control should be
established, which would really be
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 a
budget committee should be estab-
lished as final clearing house.