Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-27
Government Run
On Smoke
By Fredcrlc J Haskln

smokers Of the United States alone, by
the taxes they pay though the Internal
Reyeaue Department on cigars ana to-
bacco. more than support the ciVli
government Of this country, Including
All of its scientific research, it's educa-
tionai activities, and its public workH'
such ss improving rivers and hsrborr,
reclalmins lands. building roads, and
| the like. For the average annual cost
| of ali thosa governmental activities Tor
| the last 10 years was considerably iess
! than the internal revenue tax on cigars 4
/ and tobacco yielded in 1920.
This Interesting fact Ia brought out 4
/ by Or ~ e. Rosa of the Bureau ~ 4
| Standards. who has set himself the I'M
! portant task Of finding out for the !
| American people just how the money I
| they spend for Federal tsyes is used.
| He recently ret forth proof that out OF
| every dollar spent by the Federal Gov
| ernruent in 1920, so cents was spent 20
pay for past wars on 20 prepare for
tho wars of the future. and only cents
| for Ai civil activities. RE has now
elaborated his study, setting forth many
fects which illuminate the current
vague and volurninous discussion ~
. governmental extravaganza Ike search
/ lights in fog
Not a Criticism.
DR. Rosa specifically disavows
critycaI attitude toward any group ~
governmental expnditures. He docs
not pretend 10 discuss whether it IL
necessary to spend more than nine
: tenths of ali our Federal money on past
and future wars But ho doeE believe
that the taxpayer should have the facts
about how thig money is used. And he
! points out that not only the taxpayer
! but journalists and legisla tors appear
: to be lamentabiy ignorant OF these
facts. Daily We hear and read much
j about tho growth of government ez-
penge We are daily told that govern
4 ment expenses are Increasing. clerk
4 hire. tho pay of government scientists.
the cost or maintaining bureaus are
d always mentioned as chief among the
creatures which devour our taxes. We
are told that in these bureaus there is
r. much duplication. waste and red tepe-
Every administration comes in with
IA promises ~ retrenchments and reforms
a which WIN save tho public money ~
cutting down the appropriations for
government bureaus and this seems
r. generally TO refer to tho civil govern
r ment primarily Array. navy and pen
sions are seldom mentioned.
HAsKINs THURSDAY
N Or Rosa sets out 70 show just how
In method has been 10 analyze the cost oi
civil government for 10 years. disrs-
gardfng war costs BY doing this ~
IT, succeeds in showing that the cost o
-. rnniraainlnR the civil government In
b. cludina All of it's scientific and engin
H. eeriug work. has increased in actua
H. dollars and cents barely az fast as m
J uopulaffon has increa sed. and inst tht
D. increase taxes no account of the failin
gsfHU
- This ia the important point n 30
express tie cost of civil government I
terms or actual commodities instead q
dollars far from increasing. u has de
creased more than 80 per cent Tha
r. the purely civil activities n -
Government cost. in bushels of whea
for instance. more than 50 per cent. les
in 1920 than they lid in 1910 ~
result during that period much 2
this ctyn governmental activity has he
come less efficient Salaries have be
come so low, az the cost of living ha
risen, that the bureaus cannot hoi
their employees, especially their scier
fifc men. The labor turnover
rapia ID would ruin any private entei
rrrsse. II means that nearly ali Of n
civil bureaus are undermanned. ar
that nearly all Of them are beconlin
merely training schools which me
raDidlv desert for more remunerau'
PLACES.
Cost of Government Lower.
Thus the figures amply refute =
charge that ;ne cost of cIvH Cover
nent has greatly increased. On u
contrary. i has greatly decreased. @
Increased tax burdens are made ne
essarv bv the burdens which the "
visited upon Us. and by the greatly !
s,raa sed Army and Navy which We a
now maintaining. II civil sovernme
we're completely abolished Il Wol
81. have saved you but per cent on 70
Federal taxes in 1920. and 4 al scie
m. 1ife aud engineering work had De
1ea- suspended 1t would have saved YOU 2
per cent. Disarmament - the OF
thing that would cut Federal taz
heavily.
DR.. Rosa shows that the expenses
Government. as usually set forth q
MOI accurate because they fail 20 SIT
the earnings Of the Government. 7
Land Office, the Reclamation Ser,
the Bureau OF Navigation. the Sor'
Service and the Post Office al have
ceipts as well as disbursements
in summarizing he expenses OF CO
ernnlent. it is usual merely 20 add
the total appropriations for the Narlc
bureaus Thus in pre-war days We Us
10 be scandaItZeC 10y the ttFih
hon-dollar Congress- BUt as q mat
Of fact. the net cost OF the Governm'
10 the Federal taxpayers before the y
was never as much as seven hundl
millions IL a year.
DIR. Rosa concludes his argument "
a plea for the support Of the scicnt
a and engineering work OF the Govc
lnent In this part of his argument
probably comes closest TO the real qu
zion at issue. That question is w
are the legitimate and necessary
uviues Of the Federal Government.
Whether certain bureaus are
+TFTr handing or contracting it is certal
true that sne activities of the Fed
CsovernmeY, as whole. ever 81
its establishment, have been stea
growing. while the Importance Of 81
and other local governments has ste
r ily dwIndled. The percentage -
lS Il population which works for the Fed
"a i Government steadily grows. In a "
y + the United States is said 10 bc turT
&: : into a bureaucracy, say the critics
- s. this expansion. For example. sem
Il i Thomas Of Colorado recently attra
nc + attention by speech in the Senat