The Washington herald., 1921-01-04
HARDING GIVES
IETOCABINET
OFFER RUMORS
"Have Made No Tenders
Whatever" He Tells
Reporters.
CURTIS OUTLINES
ECONOMY SCHEME
Reduction in Expendi.
lures Will Be Planned
At Extra Session.
BY w, b. McNAMEE.

MARION, Ohio, Jan. 3.-President-
elect Harding, in a brief talk to the
newspaper men today. declared that
he had not yet made any Cabinet
tenders.
This fat statement came as a di-
rect answer to a rumor that he had
offered a Cabinet portfolio to fOrmer
Gov Frank o. Lowden, Of Illinois,
one of the prominent contehders for
the Republican nomination.
Il have made no Cabinet tenders
whatever, nor have l decided upon
any diplomatic appointments" said
Senator Harding.
Senator Charles Curtis, OF Kansas
Republican whip of the Senate. fol-
lowing a lengthy conference with
Harding, indicated that reduction in
governmental expenditures all along
the line, to effect a saving OF nearly
81. OOO. 900, 900, with a higher tarin
to yield an annual increase Of more
than s4OO, 90, is to be the financial
program of the new administration.
Senator Curtis in his interview
with President-elect Harding went
over in detail the Republican plan
for government economy.
To Call Extra Session.
An extra session OF Congress will
be called some time in March to
enact the needed legislation. SEN
ator Harding, it was learned today,
probably will call the Congress to-
gether shortly after his Inaugural
ton. in all probability around the
fifteenth of the month.
One of the first moves toward
economy to be made by the new
Congress will be a heavy reduction
in the number of government en-
plOyes. Senator C6rtis fndicat ed
in commenting upon the fact that
before the war there were $40, 1000
Civil Service employees, and that
this number now has grown to 7s0.-
600. The War Department and the
Bureau of War Risk Insurance
would suffer the greatest cuts,
Senator Curtis said.
Passage OF emergency tariff Iegis-
lation at this session wSs indicated
by Senator Curtis, who added. that
many Democratic Senators would
vote for the bill, as a measure OF
relief for the distressed agricul-
tural interests.
Seek Adjournment by July.
The Kansas Senator expressed the
belief that If the House Ways and
Means Committee prepares the
schedules for a protective tariff and
straightens out the taxation prob
lem, the Senate would act upon these
matters and Congress would be
able to adjourn by the early part of
July.
All the regular appropriation bills
will be off the legislative calendar
by March 4. Senator Curtis said.
and although the estimates are to
be cut without stint. yet to reduce
appropriations will be sufficient to
avoid hampering the administration
on public affairs.
Amendment of the Federal Re
plan to establish a single central
bank with branches will be sought
in a resolution to be introduced by
Senator Curtis at the extra session.
The amendment would tend to elm
mate competition between the. va
rious Federal Reserve banks. and
would make provision for proper
financial facilities without any at
tempt to earn profits.
Urges Forest Conservation.
Clifford Pinchot, chief forester un-
der President Roosevelt, also con-
ferred with Senator Harding today
and urged that the Republican ad-
ministratiOn adopt a rigid policy of
forest conservation and put into ef-
feet a broad plan OF reforestration.
Since it takes 100 years to grow
a saw log" said Pinchot, the time
to begin to ward off the threatened
shortage is now. We are cutting
down trees four times faster than
we are growing them. Our big task
is not only to stop further devasta-
tion of that virgin timber we have
left, but to keep that land that is
good for nothing except growing
trees, at work growing trees"
Paul d. Cravath the New York
banker following an interview
today with the President-elect on
questions of domestic and interna-
tional finance, said he was con-
vinced that Senator Harding's plans
for international peace and restora-
tion of the world economic eQuili-
brium were sound nd would work
out SUCCESSFULLY.