Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-03
]. S. BPENSESPUT
At SEVEN BILLION
Estimates Show That is To-
tai of Uncle Sans Ex-
penditureS for Year.

The United States government be-
gan a new fiscal year Thursday Last
years accounts, which closed Wednes-
day, have not been balanced. 1t will
take some time to set down in black
and white what they mean. and
officials of the Treasury are unwill-
lngly in the meantime to make fore
casts for publication. Estimates
available. however, set the total ex-
penditures by Uncle Sam last year at
something less than S7,000.O00, 900
What win the new year bring?
In the absence of budget system
it is difficult to make predictions and
the Treasury Department has not yet
begun the task of sorting over and
dlgesting the various appropriations.
There are departments which will run
over their appropriations. while there
are those which will run below; there
are unpaid appropriations which will
run over into the new year. while there
are still. appropriations to be made
when Congress conveneS in December.
1t is believed safe to say that ex-
OF the year just past, the prophecy
being based upon the figures so far
availa BILE
Summarizes Appropriations.
Chairman Good of the House appro-
prlations committee on June IA is
sued statement in which he sum-
married. appropriations made by the
second session of the Sixty-sixth
Congress. On paper the difference
S6.334 81, 929. 46-and that actually
appropriately = s4.S59Se0,327.3 = is
nearly a. billion and a half dollars.
But this does not include any deficit
the government may find when last
years accounts are balanced. 1t does
nf v,o1,, ST.
government may suffer in 1921. de-
nciencies which may result from the
"slashing" in appropriations and
which are not improba BILE because of
the billion and a half dollars cut
from the amounts estimated. 1t does
not include money which must be
paid for continuing appropriations
from previous years, for contracts
still outstanding or for interest on
the floating debt of about three bill
lions.
The government has by law assured
the railroads minimum return of
5ia per cent on their valuation,
which the carriers have estimated
will mean additional revenue. from
some source, of more than $1,000
100000 The Interstate Commerce
Commission must settle the problem
of how rates are to be adjusted to
provide the funds. and increased
answer.
No ProvisfOns for Increases.
Chairman Goods estimate does not
include anything for increased pay for
government workers. including postal
employees. Then there is the soldiers
bonus proposition, which may or may
not have been discarded. but which
will mean something like a billion and
half dollars. should a measure be
adopted based on any of the plans
SO far outlined to Congress.
The money to pay Uncle Sans ex-
penseS for the next year will come
from taxes. postal revenue, Panama
canal tolls and miscellaneous incomes,
including salvage of war materials.
This latter item amounted to $9.544-
100000 for 1918 and 1919. For the
present year they are calculated to
approximate s6.20S. 100000
Chairman Goods summary of the
appropriations of larger amounts fol-
low in part: Agriculture. s31.712,7s4:
Army, $392.55S,365; diplomatic and
consular. s9.218,537.Sl; District of
Columbia. $1S,373.004S7: Notifications.
$1S.s33,442; Indian, 10000. 65527; leg
islative. executive and judicial, s104,-
135. 726.11: military academy. SIZE
s27s. 10000; post office. s462. 575.19O:
rivers and harbors, s12,40O, 900. and
sundry civil, s437.1O6. SO692. With
the permanent annual appropriation.
miscellaneous and deficiencies a total
of 81, $3.50 327.30 is appropriated.
This does not tell the story in full.
There are other amounts to be paid
out which do not appear here. and
any prediction of the 1921 expenses.
made without the official sanction of
the Treasury Department, are hazard
Gus forecasts.