Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-29

few thousand dollars for a postofhce in my district, are the foundation stones to this insurmountable barrier. The mem bership of the eight commit tees are jealous of their hold on the federal purse strings and they will not let go. Today there stands before con gress requests from the government departments for a total of S13,0l3, 725,- 594.e4 to run the business of this ma tion next year. What does that mean to the individual citizen?
 It means that an obligation of $1S0 will be charged up against the indi- of operating the government during war time. The individual citizen, or his children. must pay it off. The president asked for a single appropri- ations committee when he outlined his war policies at a joint session of the house and senate. That was the only part of the presidents speech which did not "get over." The question for the individual citizen is: Does he want eight committees. most of which have twenty-one members, each helping to spend that amount of his money, or does he want one committee to weigh the relative needs of each government department and appropriate money only where it is most needed?
 The chairman of each committee handling appropriations has entered a vigorous protest against a single bud get committee. Why is opposition so
 
 would mean the death knen of con gressiona1 junlzets. Members of the several committees find it is easier for them to get results from the depart ments when they in part have charge of the appropriation of money to run those departments. To the credit of most congressman they admit private 1y that vast expenditures of money ought to be handled by one commit tee of strong men. What business concern would stand for eight branch es of its business spending money without restriction or considerat ton of the demands of the others? Under the present conditions these commit tees make up appropriation bills, mili- tary, agriculture, foreign affairs, post office and post roads. rivers and har- bors, naval affairs. Indian affairs and appropriations: And the jealousy of and the adoption of a budget system seems further away than ever
 J. H. CUMMINGS. Norwich. Dec. 27, 1917.
 Something for Coal ueers to Consider. Mir Editor: The following from the Saturday Evening Post should be thoroughly considered by all who use coal:
 "We need in the next twelve months we produced during the last twelve months. Production may be increased by fifty million tons. The other fifty million tons must be saved This Is a war of industrial production, and that means coal. It is worth fabulous prices in France and Italy now. For winning the war shovelful of coal counts for as much as loaf of wheat bread. We have always burned coil extravagaptly. In factories and houses defective appliances and careless ,stok- ing waste millions of tons. furnace or stove without proper dampers will consume twice the coal in a strong wind, with no more heat. Daupers cost little. Look to them. If your furnace is out of repair. it not only wastes the nations coal. but wastes your money. In office buildings apart ments and houses our custom is to keep up 8 roaring fire. and then mod crate the temperature by opening the windows Reasonably careful stolxing alone will save millions of tons. Look at the ashes. Through worn grates or defective combustion you may be throwing away a lot of slightly burned fuel. We have net to save coal and many other things There simply, is not enough to go round for the old