The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-16
UNCLE SAM IS
DEEP IN DEBT
The Federal Treasury Already
Faces Deficit of More Than
Three and Half
Billions.
AN ORGY OF SPENDING
Economy Must be PractIeed to Limit
Says Congressman Good Of
Iowa in Making
Report.

lUnfted Press Leased Wire Service. ]
WASHINGTON, Sept 16.-The fed
eral treasury already faces deficit OF
1881 .273, ,345.26 for the present fiscal
year, Representative Good, Iowa, chair.
man of the house appropriations com
mfttee declared in speech to the
house today.
Good sounded a warning that "the
, actual condition confronting the treas.
ury is so alarming that we may well
pause and calmly consider obligations
already existing and that must be met
before entering on enlarged programs
which call for additional expendt
lures"
The demands on the treasury during
the present fiscal year are staggering,
Good said. While the average peace
time expenditure of the government is
slightly more than 81 900, 900 900, Good
declared that the total requirements
of the government, outside of the pres
ent urgent deficiency bill and appro-
priations that will be asked for by
June 80, 1920, will be 0,S31 POI ,585 26.
The revenues for the fiscal year, he
said will be 81 ,239, ,92S, ,240. 4s..-44-s;s
Good strongly recommended the ap.
pointment by President Wilson of a
national finance officer to have com.
plete oversight Of all government ex-
penditures so that economy may be
practiced to the limit by the govern
ment, adding that the high cost Of liv-
ing probably can not be materially re-
.6uced while the government continues
its "orgy of spending"
Good enumerated the revenues of
the country as follows.
Internal revenue, income, excess
profits and estate taxes. s4,940,000,
coo; customs $260,000,000; public
lands s3,000,000; war salvage s600,000,-
600; victory loan installments ST.
032.000,000; postal service s404,92S,240.
OF the expenditures, Good said ST.
345, GIT. .2S35s is for direct appropria-
tions while the balance will be ex-
pended this year under appropriations
previously made.
Good called upon the president to
use his authority to practice the strict
est governmental economy.
"He has the authority under the
law and should exercise it to the end
that estimates for appropriations may
be greatly reduced and that the treas
ury, which is the first line of defense
puDiiN CSti e
establish it's lines on policy Of eff
cheney and economy" the chairman de-
clared, in explaining the big reduc-
tions made in the estimates embodied
in the deficiency bill. which he called
up today. u
The committee cut estimates down
to one third the amounts asked
Regarding the high cost of living,
Good said it was due to the following
causes:
AN increase in the circulating
medium, the amount being doubled.
Increased prices are made neces-
sary to meet increased cost OF proauc
ton, due in turn to increased wages,
decrease in labor efficiency and in
crease in. taxes. The increase in the
wage scale in many industries Is as
much as 100 percent and yet labor is
only from so to 60 percent as efficient
as before. according to testimony be-
fore the committee. A tax OF almost
S5,000,000, 900 year has been passed
on in the long run to the consumer
Large increases in exports,
amounting, in the case of food stuffs,
to six times the amount in 1914
"The tremendous losses in man
power and property, with its effect on
world production, the great world
shortage affecting prices in this codn-
try"