The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-13
War Costs, Past and Future
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN

! of the outlay of Government is for
martial preparations, payment for past
wars making up the larger part of the
item.
| The whole expenditure by the Gov
eminent for 1922 amounts to $3,S01, 113,
658. OF this great total, no less than
| $2,771, S97, $40 is to provide for the
Army and Navy, and pay debts in
Cured by wars of the past. The sum
/ of $72S,S74,919 is for national defense.
! The rest is the payment of interest,
pensions, and the like incurred in wars
of the past. This sum includes money
] for the United States Shipping Board
however.
For the Post Office Department about
1915, 900, 900 is provided, but this sum
/ is made up from postal revenues, and
therefore the Post Office Department
I is self-supporting. However, the sum
must be included among Government
expenses regardless of how that ex-
pense is met.
These figures may be slightly chang
ed by subsequent acts of Congress, but
as general comparison, will hold
good. Adoption of the bonus plan by
Congress and its APPROVAL by President
| Harding would add an enormous item
! to the costs of wars, and make that
item in the national burget an even
more overpowering figure than it is
now,
The normal Government expense
amounts to about II per cent of the
whole outlay Of money Public works
expenditures amount to only about 3.5
! pel ce1l OF the total.
! Against considerably more than
000,000,000 to be spent on account
of wars,-past and possible future
clashes-only little more than $780,
100000 will be spent by the Federal
Government on good roads. The
constructive Department of Agricul
ture will have to spend on its work of
scientific research and public educa-
ton only about $4,000, 900. The De-
partment of the Interior, another con-
structive arm of the Government, will
have for Its work only about $50, 600.
600.
Some Economy Shown
} Since the great expenditures of war
times, the Government actually has
economical tremendously Its ex.
penditures Of those days make the an
,nual budget of today appear small by
comparison. But those days will leave
their impression for many years to
come in the payment of interest
charges on bonds and sinking fund
for the retirement of Government OBJ
legations at their maturity.
The interest on the public debt
most of which was caused by the
! World War, amounts to nearly a bill
lion dollars year. The sinking fund
requires nearly 1920. 100000 annually
H. ~
World War it is estimated that nearly
1890. 100000 will be spent during tbs
, fiscal year 1922 This figure does mo-
! take into account the bonus legisla
ton now before Congress- If that be
7 comes law, the expenditures for this
purpose will be enormously greater
it Is impossible at this time to predict
accurately just how much greater
The Treasury Department was dis
, appointed in the income taxes paid al
the first quarterly date-March Is las
; and at present it appears that esti
/ mates of the amount of revenue to b;
derived from this source were too high
} Allowance was made for a falling of
: from the amount received last year
but the amount of unemployment anC
| the lower scale of wages cut the re
: turn to the Government materially be
; low the figure expected This vii
| mean. without any additional outla,
OF money by the Treasury Depart
ment, a deficit of possibly $1,000
600 of S250.000,000 This deficit will
? be met by the issuance of short tern
:, obligations of the United States Gov
2 eminent, and will be taken up in tn,
: course of next year.
! However, expenditures for the Gov
eminent are now fixed, to all intent.