Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-07-27

/ months IN winch 10 prepare the DUO
/ get for the opening session Of congress
in December. a budget which would
outline probable expenses ana prob
able revenues for the fiscal year be-
ginning July l. 1922. Suddenly an
nouncement Is made that an attempt
will be made to accomplish much saw
ing during the fiscal year beginning
July /. 1921.
President Harding called Budget Di-
rector Dawes into consultation ana
asked him II he did not think it would
be possible to get the heads Of the
departments and of the bureaus to-
I gether and to determine IL II would
not be possible 10 save lot OF money
out of the sums already appropriated
by congress for the fiscal year which
was about TO begin.
The director said. "rIl try" In his
preliminary statement he had spoken
of five months as an exceedingly short
time In which TO prepare for savings
In the fiscal year which does not be-
gin until the summer Of 1922, and this
shows what the exertion must be TO
accomplish a like result against the
appropriations already made and
which are TO carry The government
through the fiscal year which began
July l.
OF course the fiscal year already Is
here, and expenditures are being
made. but by August 1 the hope is
that there will be an understanding
of the situation which win be thor
ough enough TO enable decisive cuts
TO be made in the expenditures for
the rest Of the year. IL Is not be-
lieved In Washington that as much
saving can be accomplished this year
as next, a belief which is natural be-
cause of the necessity OF working so
rapidly in the work of present-day
saving.
Meeting With Bureau Heads.
The day after President Harding
and Director Dawes had their confer
ence, a mass meeting OF the heads or
departments and bureaus was called.
The various officials met in the audi
forum of the department Of interior.
and President Harding presided, an
unusual thing for a president 10 do.
II was explained that the director had
been asked TO prepare an absolutely
new budget and that its maximum IL
was hoped would be below the mini
mum amount provided for any exist
ing governmental expenditures.
There seemed 10 be at the meeting
an enthusiasm on the part of the
chiefs of the various bureaus for the
work which Is In hand. They prom
lsed individually and collectively TO
study the situation and to report on
all cases in which Ii seemed that
money might be saved. and also to
report on the ways and means of saw
ing IL.
1t has been known for years that
men who have been at the heads Of
bureaus i'm Washington for a long
time always were anxious TO make a
showing Of economy in their work.
but they have been pOwerless i'm the
face of the fact that appropriations
were made for this work and that
work. and although the chiefs might
think that the cost was 10 be excess
sive, the actual spending Of the money
was In other hands. and IL has be-
come a truism that men who spend
government money are anxious TO
spend IL all, not necessarily simply
because they want to spend IL, but
because they think perhaps that bet
ter results can be obtained by big
purse methods.
Closer Supervision Needed.
1t is believed in Washington that IL
government work could be carried on
as the work of a good many private
enterprises is carried ON. great econ
omies could be accomplished. In
some government construction work
there never has been the sharp super
vision over the employees that an eco
nomical-minded superintendent of a
private corporation exercises. In soma
ways Uncle Sam Is an easy boss.
OF course as a result of a study OF
the budget, aud of the enterprises for
which the money is to be spent, at
tempts will be made to determine
whether or not the work can be done
at less cost than the original APP
praisers thought IL could be done. Sc.
for instance, If ten million dollars are
appropriated for a specific object and
the students OF the situation think IL
can be done for nine million dollars.
a, trial will be made and the treasury
may benefit to the extent OF one mill
lion dollars.
Ii must not be understood that the
institution of the budget system Will
prevent congress from making any APP
proprlations for anything that II sees
fit. Congress cannot take away
through the enactment Of laws the
movers which are granted TO IL by the