New-York tribune., 1919-12-19
Majority Leader Mondcll
Tells House Department
Estimates Must Be Re-
duced TO a Minimum
,rmv To Be Hit Hard
ysvv and Pos.ofhce Alone
Ask Less Than Was Given
to Them for Last Year

vssHINGTON. Dec. ls.-All general
.,rooria:ions for 1921 Will be pared
~ ON accordance with strictcst
..oromvr except the Postoffice Depart
~.n4 and pensions, the estimates Of
..;,h are less than for the present
.,or Majority Leader Mondell. Of
vyom:ns, told the House to-day when
- first urgent deficiency bill of this
..ss;on was brought up. Greatest re-
;o,r;ons would be made in the army
.,d fortiications estimates. he SAID,
80 former request totalinr $685., $780,
no and the latter sl17,7aS,330 an in
.rease Of more than S106. 900, 900 over
ne present appropriation.
The balance Of estimated liabilities
o,cr receipts. Ny. Mondcll said, is S3.-
a70sOs.57.. Estimates of expenditures
ho said, would suggest eXcessiveness.
This lie explained. was true, adding,
~s, leas, Ne must make this excessive
re,s 5ruc when We write our appropria-
,ior bills make !, true bv reductions of
hendricks of millions of dollars"
Six Billions Requested
Total estimated receipts for the year
be said. arc S6.0S5 $4,000.
These Official estimates of the re-
rents" he added are notable in that
they carry no estimate of receipts on
sccount oi interest on our loans of
nearly $4,000. 100000 to foreign gov
ernments. This interest, if paid. would
L.
burdens for the year by nearly $780,
100000
Funding Of interest on foreign obli-
cations for two or three years would
Increase foreign loans at least two bill
lion dollars above the present figure
Mr. Mondel said.
The fact that such action has been
taken BY the Secretary Of the Treas
ury." he explained, reduces our in
comes or increases our outlaws half a
billion dollars annually"
Congress should cut the estimates At
least S Sl.000.000 900 and refuse every re-
0uest which is not imperative, he added.
No provisions for increased pay for Of
acers Of the army or navy or the
nurses corps nor estimatesGor loans,
bonuses or Development pro ets bene-
fling eX-servce men are MAZE in any
Of the appropriation bills.
Mar "Enthusiasm" Oter
Proposals OF appropriations on be-
half OF men recently composing our
great armies run all the way from a
p'an which would involve the eXpendi-
,ure OF perhaps $i00,00O,000 annually
for some years to plans which would
involve expenditures of several billions,
and one plan at least which would in
volye obligations Of tens of billions of
dollars, he said
1t is for Congress to determine" he
continued, what is to be done in all
'hese matters. but in arriving at that
determination let Us remember that we
'ave passed the period when, under the
nlmulant Of war enthusiasm, the in
'iiHct o. sef-preserva.ion and the de-
termination TO finish great job glori-
ousy, Nc co'ld spend billions without
a thought as to where the money was
10 come from, WHO was to pay it OF
when It Wa 10 be paid.
The coming fiscal year Will witness
me culminGtlon OF the growing burdens
OF the war's Aftermath. 1t presents
financial problems a. serious in THEM
way as any We met during the period
o. the war. We cannot increase taxes
We should lot issue bonds. We have
40 alternative but to economic TO the
limit"