Evening star., 1920-06-24
SLASHES IN ESTIMATES
CURIAH FEDERAL WORK
Iwo Bureaus Of Commerce Department Find
Their Plans Upset BY Lack
of Appropriation.

Slashes in the estimates presented
to Congress last winter will curtail
seriously the work Of at least two
bureaus of the Department of Com
merce, it was stated by officials to-
day. While the money appropriated
for carrying on the work Of all the
bureaus was less than the estimates
for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
1920, the bureau of standards and the
bureau of foreign and domestic COM
merce are the two bureaus of the De-
partment of Commerce which will find
their work and the expansion planned
for the new fiscal year seriously cur
tailed.
The bureau of foreign and domes-
tic commerce sent in estimates pro-
v1ding for an appropriation Of $685.
420. The appropriation granted was
$916,510, a deduction of $741,910 from
the estimate. With this additional
money the bureau had planned to en-
large it's district ofices and to enlarge
its stan of commercial and trade at
taches in foreign lands. 1t was only
after many business organizations. in
cluding the Chamber of Commerce of
the United States, had thrown their
weight behind the bureau that it got
the appropriation granted, which. is
$4,000 more than was appropriated
last year for it's work
Had Planned Research Work.
The bureau of standards, which sent
in estimates of $3,246,440, got $685.
coming fiscal year the bureau had
planned a great deal of research work
which. it was expected, would be of
benefit to American manufacturers,
particularly those engaged in metal
lurgical and compounding industries.
Further research into the dye indus
try and the optical glass industry was
planned. By the cut the bureau will
be able only to carry on it's usual
work and will not be able to go as
deeply into the scientific field as it
had planned.
The most serious result of the cut
in appropriations is said to be the
are leaving the bureau for more re-
munerative outside work. Scores of
men. trained in research work, have
left the bureau and will continue to
leave, officials say
The sum of $5.OOo,ooo was appro-
priated for the work of the decennial
census. as against estimates of So
215.000. This bureau carries on it's
work separately from the department
during the decennial census years and
has not been seriously hampered by
the cut in the appropriation. A large
part of the appropriation is going to
$1,000 enumerators and supervisors
and to the 1000 clerks now in the en-
ploy of the bureau to complete the
work Of the 1920 census.
Other Cuts in Allowances.
The Secretary's contingent fund
was cut from estimates of $343.45O to
$314,550. The appropriation for the
bureau of lighthouses was cut more
than half from estimates of S15,144,-
56S.40 to $7.s37,290. The cut has
recessitated the severance from the
pay roll of many members of the
lighthouse service and will seriously
curtail the duty of safeguarding ships
along the coast of the United States
Other cuts from the estimates in the
Department of Commerce are as fol-
lows: Steamboat inspection service
Estimate, $1.0S3, ,210; appropriation, $685.
$50. Observation-Disclosures $4l2,149;
appropriation. s315.14o. Coast and
geodetic survey-Estimate. $3,737.-
2s1; appropriation. $2,041,447. Fish