Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-12-14

sentatives. to lop on 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 a huge sum, and one which
should make the governing powers
pause even in this era Of government
extravaganza.
One of the plans discussed in Con-
gressional committees now, to reduce
the great government expenses, Is to
discharge the vast horde Of govern
ment clerks and other employees left
over from the war period. These are
estimated to number about 100000,
not single one Of whom IL actually
needed by the Government now, ac-
cording to Congressman. The aver
age-Jgovernment employees salary is,
in round numbers, $500 annually. If
100000 are cut of the payrolls an
economy Of about s64O, 100000 anHu-
ally would be made. a tidy sum not
to be overlooked when the pruning.
knives are applied to the annual es-i
Inmates.
Senator Smoot. the watchdog Of
the Treasury. stated today that ev-
cry one of these surplus employees
must give up their jobs by the end
of this fiscal yeaf, which will end
next June 80. They cannot be fired"
before that date as appropriations
were made for their salaries in the
present annual budget now being ex-
pended, but Smoot and other Senate
and House economists plan to elm
mate all of them by the simple expe-
dent of failing to appropriate for
their salaries for the fiscal year 1922,
in the budget that is now under con-
sideration by Congress. 81.
Another big economy that will be
made will be in the naval and mill
tary budgets. Congressman say that
Secretaries Baker and Daniels seem
ITO have gone mad in their demands
on the Treasury for the next fiscal
year. Already there is a huge deficit
in the War Department, caused by
the Army recruiting $4,000 share men
that they were not authorized to re-
cruit blythe 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
hesitate 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, in
dependent, great and powerful.
Should President Harding, when
he assumes Office, induce Japan,
England and France to adopt a; re-
stricted naval program this country
could do likewise. If this cannot be
done then the United States must
keep on building warships along with
the other class powers, and the tax
payer will get no relief from reduc-
ton of naval budgets. National de-
Tense comes even before tax reduc-
tons, in the minds of nearly every
member Of Congress, though there
are still In Congress q few constitu-
tional pacifists, who would, If they
could, scrape 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 a few still
infest the halls of House and Senate.
A good stiff tariff will do some
thing toward reducing the taxes. 1t
is folly though. for certain half
baked economists in Congress to pre-
dict that the new tariff that will be
put in operation early in the Hard
ing administration, can be so framed
that it will produce an annual rev.
cnue of 100000, 900, which would
reduce the taxes that much. If the
new tariff produces s50O,O00 900 an
nually it will be doing we'll. indeed,
according to the opinion of Treasury
experts with whom your correspond
ent discussed the situation today.
The people of the country might
as we'll make up their minds that Ahey
Twill not secure any material reduc-
ton in their Federal taxes for some
time. apd that much of the talk in
Congress concerning economies that
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