Evening star., 1919-12-01
SUM TO RUN ]. 5.
DURING 1921 |SPUT
At FIVE BILLIONS
Secretary Glass Proposes
Record Appropriation for
Peace-Time Activities.

The record billion-doliar Congresses
of ordinary peace time faded into the
past today when Secretary Glass. pre-
senting the annual estimates, proposed
appropriations of practically $1,000
100000 for conducting the peace-time
activities of the government duNing the
fiscal year 1921.
According to these figures, it will cost
more than five times as much to Son-
duct the peace time affairs of govern
ment as it did in the year Immediately
preceding the world war.
Heaviest to Army and Navy.
The greatest individual estimates
for expenditures, of course, go to the
Army and the Navy. The yearly in
terest on the war debt, however, is
$1,01T.500,00o which sum alone is
greater than all the appropriations for
all purposes whatsoever OF any peace
time Congress
All in all, the estimates Justify the
predictions made on the floor of Con-
sreSs, during consideration of the
war tax bills, that the present gen
ment conducted at an expense Of less
than $4,000. 100000 Il year.
Estimates for Departments.
the principal government departments
We're presented as follows:
Legislative (Congress), $9,025.29I.25
Executive white House and gov
ernment departments), S1i?.111.4s3.1T
Judicial s1,634,190.
Army, $9S9,57S, $3.50.
Navy, s542,031.S04.S0.
Pensions, S215, 100000.
Public works, S283,s21S1OI7
miscellaneous. SSSST17SS7Qf
Foreign Intercourse. S11,243,e50.91
The total of all estimates, including
some comparatively minor items no,
included in the foregoing, is S4,Ss5,-
410,ea1.S2, the greatest sum ever asked
of any Congress when the country
was not actually at war.
xsJ.OOO,OOO for National Guard.
The billion dollar estimate for the
Army includes some $S5.000,00O fol
the National Guard. The normal
peace time estimate for the Arny
before the war was between ten and
fifteen millions. The s5sc, 200, ,00e
estimate for the Navy includes provi-
sion for the program of increase and
is comparable to an annual estimate
of some fifteen millions before the
war. The $2s5.o0o.00 public works
estimate includes the Panama canal
reclamation projects, river and harboI
iihki w NcHlCui. pubIiC Dul.uluSS,~ anu
also military works. yarsenals and
Notifications.
An item of more than *S9L00O, 900 for
postal services is reimbursabie from
postal revenues.
The estimates for miscellaneous eX-
penditures contain some tremendous
sums. For the Treasury Department
moSe than S247 100000 is asked, which,
goes largely to the enforcement OF
prohibition and the collection of in
come, corporation and excess profits
taxes. For the Shipping Board nearly
$i4S.00O,0O0 IS asked to wind up its
program of restoring the American
flag to the seas. Nearly $4,000. 900 is
asked for the Federal Board for Vo-
catipnal Education, which besides
being expended in cooperation with
the states for civilian education, rs
the law provides, will be used in large
measure for the reconstruction of dis
abled soldiers of the world war.
Sinking Fund Asked.
One item which has appeared per-
ennially in estimates without ever
becoming an actuality appears again
this year with promise of being taken
seriously. 1t is an estimate of S2S7-
100000 toward a sinking fund which
ultimately is to retire the public debt.
which includes some thirty billions
spent on the war.
With annual interest payments on
this debt, now exceeding q billion
dollars, and alone surprising the to-
tai sum which the government has
hitherto spent in a year for all pur-
poses in peace times. the Treasury
experts hope to canvince Congress
that some real provision for paying
off the huge sum must be made