The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-05
TAFT SAYS BUDGET
CAN SAVE MILLIONS
Former President Shows
House Members Chance
for Big Economy.
REVENUES NOW LIMITED
Enormous Expenditures for
War Have Made System
Necessary, He Says.
Special Despatch to TIE Sun.

Special Despatch to THE Sun.
WASHINGTON. Oct. = "A national bud
get system. making the President d.
rectly responsible for all Government
appropriations. should be inaugurated at
once as an economic measure that will
assist the Government in meeting Its
war debt, William H Taft declared to-
day before the special House Committee
on the budget.
Mr.. Taft stated that from his expe-
rience as President. Governmental APP
propriations would be reduced hundreds
of millions IL such a plan were adopted.
He urged the creation of special budget
staff under direction of the President
that would investigate all requests of
Government departments for appropria-
tons. cut out Implications and useless
expenditures and make them conform
to the estimated receipts OF the Treasury
for each fiscal year. He asserted he
personally introduced sort of budget
system by carefully going over esu-
able to reduce estimates during his term
more than t100.000.o00
Examine Cabinet Members.
Should the budget system be adopted.
Mr.. Taft advocated that Cabinet MEM
bers be allowed to come before the
House, explain their respective needs
and undergo cross examination. Should
Cabinet members disagree with the bud
get staff recommendations, they can re-
tire to private life. he said.
From my experience. that isn't 80
bad. after ALL" he added.
Mr.. Taft.s testimony closed the hear
ings on the budget system and Repre-
the committee. stated that budget bill
probably would be reported to the House
late next week.
Mr.. Taft said in part:
Every great nation except the United
States has n budget and could not live
without one. The United States has
been able to live without one because
its revenues have been so large that
little need was felt for economy. The
consciousness that II the revenues were
not sufficient, new fitlds of taxation were
open, gave an unsafe sense of FREEDOM
| to the executive and legislative branches
of the Government In the matter Of
expenditure The States have beer
brought to a realization of the necessity
for economy to meet their expenditures
with any reasonable amount Of taxation
and they have been driven to the budget
The necessary enormous expenditures fol
| the war, with the heavy taxation re-
quired by II. have now forced the at
| tention of Congress to the same subject
1T Is of the utmost Importance tha
! the authority which Is to prepare thu
| budget shall have sufficient power ant
prestige to bend to his judgment an(
will the enthusiastic tendency to spen(
4 ~ 80 H. nf IA
partments develop.
President Needs Experts.
f"Of course the President cannot d,
| this alone. II he is to be charged witt
this duty he must have n stan compe
| tent to do a great deal of the work fol
him and to submit to him question o.
difference where differences arise be
| tween his budget stan and the various
/ departments and bureaus. He has tn,
responsibility for carrying on the Gov
eminent and seeing that the laws arr
| faithfully executed. He should b.
given by Congress the opportunity 4
say to that body bow much he think
It will take to run the Government effec
lively and give his reasons therefore
and give them in detail through the as
| sistance Of reports and estimates from
his departmental heads and his burea,
| chiefs modified as he thinks they ough
| to be.
when was in office I was mucf
interested in cutting down expenses.
exercised the control had over Cabinet
officers and made them bring in theii
estimates before they sent them, through
the Secretary of the Treasury. 1 forced
down expenses and thought ! was saw
Ing money My cutting involved the
reduction OF 800. 00o. 900 or more Of the
estimates. But / found that without
full information. without stan to make
the information Independent of all de-
partments. such cuts in the end were not
likely to prove economical and often
might interfere with efficiency. More
over, there should be some means by
which the President can be constantly
advised from quarter to quarter OF what
It Is Costing each department and each
bureau to run, and he should have the
means Of noting by comparison the DIFF
ference between one department and an
other In the cost Of the same functions.
Through this knowledge he could slim
ulate emulation between departments In
the matter of supervising expenditures
under appropriations already made. A
great deal of money could be saved
to the Government under such a system.
The presentation OF a budget by the
President will put him on record, will
make him responsible, will require him
to Justify himself before the people, 1t
will put him on record with reference to
the kind OF taxation that he urges in
order to meet the requirements OF the
budget It tends to fix responsibility and
that should be one of the chief objects
in framing the machinery OF popular
government"
New bond Issue Possible.
Greater Governmental economy must
be put into practice Immediately, Secre-