The New York herald., 1922-05-08

were set against the Ordinary ex-
penditures for the operation of the
routine business OF Government, gen.
orally subject to Executive control"
The result OF this passing the buck
will be specially noted later In a de-
ficiency naval appropriation. Con-
gress handed out a lot more OF def
cheney appropriations that fell within
the expenditures over which the Ex-
ecutive has no control, except as they
may come under his veto in the way
the bonus raid might.
President HARDING's administrative
departments, however, got down to
genuine economies and savings at the
start and stuck to it. They set aside
out of the funds appropriated for
them by Congress a savings re-
serve" That is to say, they deter
mined to spend, If possible, as much
less of their appropriations as their
voluntary savings reserve amounted
to in each instance. These reserve
savings, within the budgets economy
estimates and the Congress appropri-
ations, depended absolutely on the
Executive supervision and control
over the departments spendings af-
ter they got the money to spend. The
control was there under the Harding
business administration, and the saw
ings reserve plan was a success.
The State Department set out to
save for the reserve $1,171,9S2 and
it actually Increased its savings re-
serve to s1,32S,4s2. The Treasury
Department itself failed to accumu-
late the savings of more than $780,
100000 it laid out for Itself, but did
have a net reserve on March 81 OF
more than $2S,000,000. The War De-
partment put up the mark for an
original reserve OF S13,250,000 and
swelled it to more than $26,250,0 900,
although the Navy Department saved
only $3,000,O00 of it's promised $10,-
100000 reserve for reasons explained
later. And so it went in depart
ment after department, bureau after
bureau.
The original amount OF the total
savings reserve agreed upon by the
department heads with the Executive
was S112,512.62S.32 This way further
increased as the department opera
tions went on through the year by
more than $30,600,0 900 of new savings.
This $143,171,S16.63, however, looked
too good to Congress not to be
tapped, and in the deficiency act of
March 20, 1922, Congress sliced
$7,22S,S41.62 for a naval transfer"
out of the savings which the Har-
ding economizers had piled up within
their reduced appropriations.
But at that the Harding savings
reserve in the hands of his depart
ments stands to-day at $135,942,-
975.01-the result OF business sense,
business self-denial and business de-
termination to get down to the stern
work of saving in the management
of the public affairs of the American
people and keep at it.
AS for the total estimated expen-
ditures of the Government for the
fiscal year to end on the thirtieth
day of next month, they stand at
$3.922,S72,0 900. This is reduction OF
more than 100000 from General
DAwEs's own estimates of six months
ago. OF the s3,922,372,030 expendi-
lures this year S1,765, 5,S76,672 is
classified as generally subject to Ex-
ecutive control in the operation of
the routine business OF the Govern
ment." 1t compares with expendi-
lures under Executive control in 1921
of $2,673,435 .079.77, out of total ex-
penditures of $5,538, ,040, ,6S9.30. The
Executive control saving in the year,
therefore, is some $907 100000. That
is the direct work, the very big work,
OF the Harding economizers.
The grand total of all expenditures
for the year is reduction of S1,615,-
S,659.30 from the actual expendi-
lures OF 1921-more than a thousand
and six hundred millions of dollars
saved in the year by the business ad-
ministration now in charge for the
American people of their United
States Government, the largest busi-
ness In the world!