Arizona republican., 1922-05-08
GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES
FOR YEAR 1922 SHOW OVER
Sl,60Q,0O0,OOO REDUCTION
Report Submitted To House Appropriations
Committee By President Harding SholUs
What Has Been Accomplished By Budget
Bureau In First Six Months OF Operation

and savings incident to the new inn
position of executive control over
governmental expeditures in 1922 il
estimated by the director of ths
budget in this report at the lesser
sum of $25O.1s4.S35. He feels rea-
sonably assured that this estimate OF
economies and savings attributable
to the new system is an underesti-
mate, but that if effort has beer
made in this regard the savings and
economies are still so large as to
vindicate it, and will at the same
time emphasize the indispensable
policy of the budget bureau to have
its estimates confornable to the prin-
ciples of business conservation.
In these figures the director OF
the budget has found it impossible TO
make any reliable estimate of some
indefinite general savings, such as
those incident to the corrected system
of purchasing which has been estab-
lished in the government. by which
competition between departments
and the overlapping and acquiring OF
unnecessary surplus has been avoid
| ed. On the basis of the original esti-
mates made by the different depart.
4
have been eliminated. after due con-
sideration of the facts involved in the
neighborhood of s15o,O0O,0oO claimed
economies"
Tabulated Savings
Director Dawes tabulated the es4i-
mated 250000 0Oa estimated econo-
mics and savings in governmental
business for the fiscal year 1922 as
follows:
Transfer Of property: The war de-
partment, $11,597.594: navy depart
ment s3,629.6sT: shipping board.
$275,S54; ship transfers. 1Ii51, 46I;
marine corps ss5,494; public road
| bureau, $4S9375.
Other economies. co-ordinators re-
/ ports. $1.209.46 state department.
| $22&931: treasury $2.526.44S war
$41,022,001: navy, s4179l, 740: interior,
| $2,l62. 955; agriculture. $35, l60: labor
$4S1 227: justice. $3.50. 900: postoffice,
$1s,940014; library of congress, s624.-
600: office OF superintendent, build
ings and grounds, library of congress.
5000: government printing office
S1.4IS000; civil service commission,
$7,500: executive office. s21,953: Of
flee of superintendent. state. war and
navy department building, $I51,S05:
interstate commerce commission $SS-
national advisory committee for aero
nautics. $40.9S0: shipping board. $s6
407, 500: railroad administration. $50.
5S4; Panama canal. s1.S5S.ST2: em-
ployes compensation commission. 81,
S97. and Columbia Institution OF the
Deaf, $4,000.
Mr.. Dawes paid his respects to the
present archaic system of govern
mental accounting declaring that
the public can never be fully in
formed as to the business operation
of the government until it is re-
formed. He criticised particularly
"the present system of government
accounting, which calls the loan of
money to the railroads an expense
and the return OF money loaned
receipt Such operations. he said.
almost upset the estimated figures
for this year to the extent Of about
$685.. 100000
"An accounting situation like this
he asserted, might be regarded as
humorous in a small business. 1t is
nothing short Of calamity in gov
ernmental accounting"
The budget director explained in
detail the relation of deficiency and
supplemental appropriations to the
budget estimates and said that
the total deficiency estimates
submitted by the budget bu-
reau amounting to S50I,I64,
452, contain a number of resub-
missions--items which have been
submitted in one estimate and not
provided for by ppropriation--were
again submitted in a later estimate.
These resubmissions amounted to
$75,95S,001. which reduced the net
amount of the estimates submitted
by the bureau to $431, sos, 451, he as
serted
The appropriations made by con-
gress during the period covered BY
the report-from July 20, 1921, TO
March 20. 1922-are shown TO total
$974691, ,040, of which $6,S42,4S1 is
payable from the postal revenues,
and consequently does not represent
withdrawal Of money from the treas
ury,
This reduces the total expendi
lures from the treasury authorized
by congress in deficiency appropria-
tions during the period to 1867 ,S4S,
609,' said Mr. Dawes. THE expendi
lures so authorized by congress do
not, however, represent a correspond
ing increase in the expenditures as
estimated by the bureau of the bud
get in the December budget since Of
the amount so authorized S266,6SS.
769 was included by the bureau OF
the budget in the estimate OF ex-
penditures for the fiscal year 1922,
as shown in the December budget.
This leaves a total of authorized
expenditures from the treasury in
excess of those estimated in the
budget of $i03.214,S12. OF this
amount SOC, 900, 600 of the sS0.000,000
provided in the highway act Of No-
vember 8. 1921. is expected to remain
unexpended at the beginning of the
next fiscal year. according to state
ments made by the department OF
agriculture. and deducting this from
the $103.214,S12 leaves the sum of
$43.214,S12, which represents the pos
sible amount by which supplemental
and deficiency appropriations grant
ed by congress during this perioe
may increase the expenditures from
the general fund in the treasury dur
ing the fiscal year 1922 over tho
budget stimate of $S.967,922.3 1856. Al
amount more than offset By redne
tions jim expenditures under other e