The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-12-18
Member Of the Associated Press.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER IS, 1915.
WOULD SAVE MILLIONS.

Men who have gone deeply into the |
preparedness question almost invari- |
ably wind up by declaring that one of |
the most important steps the country
could take today would be the adoption
Of Il federal budget system.
While the connection between prepar-
edness and the budget system may not |
be quite clear at the first glance, it be
comes very apparent when, in order TO
support an adequate program of pre-
paredness, the country is faced with
the alternative of supporting such a !
sweeping revenue producing program
as that outlined by Secretary McAdoo,
and eliminating the tremendous waste
OF funds that can be traced directly to
the political jugglery and inefficiency
that goes on under the present system.
Henry Bruere, city chamberlain of
New York, declares that the methods
under which money is appropriated for
federal purposes would bring ruin to-
the metropolis.
| In advocating the adoption of the
budget system by the nation, he asserts
. that the waste probably represents as
much as s30O,O0O00o of the money APP
propriated. And, according to Mr.
Brucre, nothing at all, except politics
( perhaps, stands in the way of saving
Il large part of this sum at once
through the adoption of the system.
! To quote him:
/ Congress has the power, if it wills,
to establish a budget procedure. Con
/ gress has the power, if it wills, to
send throughout the departments of
the federal government examiners who
would interrogate division heads, de-
partment heads, subordinates and adj
ministrative officials as to plans, meth
DDS and results, as budget examiners
are accustomed to do in the depart
ments of the government of the city or
New York. This does not mean hos
tile inquiry-it means a fact-searching
inquiry often quite as helpful to adj
ministrators as to budget makers. Con
gress through the House of Represeu-
tatives has the power to establish a
budget-malling committee which will be
directed to frame a budget for the ma
tion to replace the separate unrelated
appropriation bills, and which may be
charged with the duty of basing the
, budget upon challenged and approved
facts instead of upon verbal testimony
assumption and exparte recommends
tions of the spending officials.
"This suggestion carries with it no
implication of incompetence or ire
sponsibility on the part of the admins
trative officials in charge of the ma
i tional departments, whose heads are
not able to frame all the details OF
4 their estimates. Subordinates upon
I whose recommendation such estimates
must be prepared are prone to ask fol
I sums out of proportion to the ability OF
II the government to provide them, and
II often in ignorance of better methods by
II which smaller allowance would produc,
Il the greater results desired.
Rarely is an opportunity afforded
Il such as is now given to develop popu
II lar interest in the framing of nationa
Il budget. The issue of preparedness i
/ directing the attention of the entir
II country to the financial plans of tn
II government as never before. Is not
Il vital part of the necessary preparation
II of the country for national action tn
II establishment of a financial system
H which will insure the wise use ofpub
H lie funds and supply the recurring slim
Il illus to administrative efficiency whic
H comes from thoroughgoing methods. o
Il budget making? Is not this pre-em
: inently the occasion for establishing
: federal budget system?"