River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1920-02-12
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
BY James A. Frear, M. G.

A comparison is interesting of ap-
preparations actually made covering
all Government expenses for 1915,
with estimates for the present year.
Only five years ago all the Govern
ment appropriations for that year
amounted to $1,O94, 16s, 102, or slight
ly over the billion dollar mark. Count
ing the estimates from the different
departments and bills strongly urged
for passage the 1920 proposals reach
S7,446, 696,358 or a jump of seven
hundred per cent in round numbers.
With the loss of license moneys due
to the prohibitory amendment and IN
significant tariff collections on I'M
ports, it is an optimist who can see
an income of over $4,000,000,000 UNI
der present methods of taxation dur
ing 1920. Some experts place the es-
innate of receipts higher but deficit
of between two and three billion dol
lars is indicated unless estimates are
carved deep and that will be done.
One reason given for high prices is
that bonds and initiation of currency
cheapens money so that twenty
eight billion dollars present bonded
indebtedness compared with one bill
lion back in 1915 makes an enormous
increase. If any business man found
his debts doubled in five years with
out proportionate increased INCOME
he would spend sleepless nights, yet
that same business man and every
other citizen should be deeply inter-
ested now in figuring out how to keep
national expenses within the income.
That is one of the duties OF the COM
mittee of which the writer is MEM
Der and it simply means cutting down
appropriations until they reach some
thing like pre-war size. Interest pay
ments on bonds to our own people VIII
reach over a billion dollars which
must be paid while foreign govern
n,ents that owe us about $4OO,OO0,ooo
interest this year, are unable to pay.
This is an illustration Of what is De-
coming slzeable problem to solve.
An Agricultural bill is before the
House carrying about $30,OO0,0OO OF
which S10,OO0,0O0 in round numbers
is for forestry, public health and 9TH
or matters not connected with agrl-
culture. The bill will pass the House
early this week and carries the usual
supplies for agricultural purposes.
Criticisms by the press and few IN
dividual Members on the Floor con-
Meeting farmers with the high cost OF
living has brought defenders to the
front who state that the farmer works
more hours than any other man on the
average and apart from his indepen-
dence he received only limited re-
ward. Before our committee the
other day, representative Wisconsin
farmer who deals in high grade stock
and is an up-to-date farmer, claimed
his personal wages for the year were
less than $1,000 after allowing ordl-
nary interest on his investment OF
farm and stock. 1t is we'll known that
the people drift from the farm to the
city in increasing numbers every year
and the cure has not been discovered.
Secretary Huston's annual report re-
Gently issued, shows that crops OF
1919 exceeded in value any previous
crops and over 1918 production by one
and one half billion dollars, but the
increase of practically ten per cent
is small compared to the increase IN
value of other products. The totai
value of farm products in the country
in 1919, including live stock, is plac-
ed at ,OOO,0OO,O00. This enormous
amount is too large to dimly compre-
bend, but comparison can be made
with the national Indebtedness which
reaches S26,000,000. One of the fact
ors entering into the high cost OF liv-
ing is the unbusinesslike- marketing
methods now in vogue. Waste IN
handling, if eliminated, would help.
The Senate and House have be !
wrestling with the print paper stu
alton during the last week, but de-
finite legislation is hard to enact to
reach the trouble. The print pro
duction of 1919 reached 1,375,OOO tons
in the United States and 808,0OO tons
for Canada. That is the highest tig-
IRE ever reached and is 100000 tons
higher than 1916 just before the wal
when the total reached 1,923,O00 tons
The present shortage is due to waste
and a greater use for commercial pur-
poses. These facts were presented
bfore our committee last week by
manufacturers.
1t is a common thought that the
climate of Virginia and Maryland Is
mild +hrouohout the winter. Ordinar-