The Cordova daily times., 1920-12-31
TAX BURDENS
 WILL CONTINUE
 FOR TWO YEARS
BY COL. WINFIELD JONES

relief to the taxpayers for some tune, probably two years, and perhaps long CT. in the opinion of members of con gress. Tax burdens will continue to press on the people for at least two years simply because the tremendous ly heavy expenses of the federal gov ernment will continue for that long. With a budget for the fiscal year 1922 of nearly five billions of dollars. and it will be that big when all the de- ficiency appropriation bills are in, no wonder relief from the heavy taxes is not in sight.
 There is only one way to reduce taxes-reduce expenditures. So far the wind up of the Wilson administra- tion, with it's nearly five billion bud get, indicates no intention of reduc- ing expenditures. The estimates for the next fiscal year are much heavler than for this fiscal year.
 Congress plans to make deter mined effort to slash the billions Of estimates to the bone. But it will be impossible, say senators and rep resentatives, to Top off more than one billion dollars from the huge total, Even with this done the estimates, with the coming deficiency bills. will be close to or over the four billion dollar mark for the fiscal year 1922. Truly huge sum, and one which should make the governing powers pause even in this era of govern mental extravaganza.
 One of the plans discussed i'll con gressionial committees now, to reduce the great governmen expenses, is to discharge the vast horde of govern ment clerks and other employees left over from the war period. These gre estimated to number about 400, 1000. not single one of whom is actually needed by the government now, ac- cording to congressman. The aver age government employees salary is, in round numbers. $1 600 annually. If 100000 are cut off the payrolls an economy of about s640,000,o0O an naually would be made, a tidy sum not to be overlooked when the pruning knives are applied to the annual es- inmates.
 Senator Shoot, the watchdog of the treasury, stated today that every one of these surplus employees must give up their jobs by the end of this fiscal year. which will end next June 30. They cannot be fired" before that date as appropriations were made for their salaries in the present annual budget, now being expended, but Shoot and other senate and house economists plan to eliminate all of them by the simple expedient of fail ing to appropriate for their salaries for the fiscal year 1922, in the bud get that is now under consideration by congress.
 Another big economy that will be made will be in the naval and mili- tary budgets. Congressmen say that Secretaries Baker and Daniels seem to have gone mad in their demands on the treasury for the next fiscal year. Already there is huge deficit in the war department caused by the army recruiting 45,OO0 men that they were not authorized to recruit by the last army appropriation bill.
 There is one thing that will prevent much slashing of the naval budget. The disturbed state of the world, and the fact that England, France and particularly Japan are putting through huge new naval building pro- grams will cause congressman to hes itate to cut the naval estimates. All realize that the American navy must be the peer of any in the world if the republic is to remain free, independ- ent, great and powerful.
 Should President Harding, when he assumes office, induce Japan, Eng land, and France to adopt restricted naval program this country could do likewise. If this cannot be done then the United States must keep on build ing warships along with the other first class powers, and the tax payer will get no relief from reduction of naval budgets. National defense comes even before tax reductions, in the minds of nearly every member of congress, though there are still in congress a few constitutional paci- fists, who would, if they could, scrap the whole American navy and refuse to vote another cent for the first line of defense" Some of these men were eliminated at the November elections but few still infest the