Milford chronicle., 1923-02-09
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
LAST BUDGET MEETING SHOWS
TREMENDOUS ECONOMY

it?" said Uncle Ted after Freddie had
been talking about his fathers COM
ment on the income tax.
81 know it's bad enough but we all
ought to be mighty thankful that we
are living right here in the United
States. In England the government is
getting about 25 cents out of every
dollar earned. France is taxed to the
last drop and everybody knows what
condition Germany is in. AS for the
other countries of Europe 1 can't
think of any would want to live in
as compared with the good old U. S.
A.
Besides, children, our President
and those who are working with him
at Washington have accomplished
wonders in bringing down the expen-
ses of running the government, which
means that our taxes of all kinds will
be greatly relieved. In face of the tre-
mendous expenses incurred during the
war and the natural results following
the war, it seems to me that we can
feel justly proud of the genuine busi-
ness methods that have been used in
running our national affairs from
Washington.
"As long as we are on this subject
let me tell you something about the
recent meeting of the budget star.
President Harding has been attending
all meetings of the budget staff but
this last time he was unable to do so
because of illness. Vice President
Coolidge was there and read a mes
sage from President Harding, and the
big thing that was reported was that
the receipts for next year will exceed
the expenses by $120,O00,000! That's
what you call real business methods.
When any big corporation can make
S12O,O0O,000 more than it spends It
shows highly efficient management.
Better than that is the fact that
this new budget system is showing the
various departments that they can so
plan their work year ahead that they
can ask for much less money from
Congress. Then too there are many
things needed in every branch OF the
government that can be bought in bulk
where they formerly were purchased
by the individual departments in
small lots. This meant much higher
prices. At the meeting last July it was
estimated that there would be a de-
fcit this fiscal year in running the
government of about $700,O00,000. In
stead of this, after six months Of real
economy, the deficit has been cut 10
less than $100,000,00O.
However, President Harding is not
content with this record. He urged
that the departments keep on cooper
ating as they have, so that the re-
mainder of the deficit may be wiped
entirely out. AS Ben Franklin said:
"A penny saved is a penny earned
"I cannot imagine what more the
taxpayers could want than this record
to give them the utmost confidence in
the present administration. After all,
it is the way the Federal government
is run and the way our domestic prob
lens are handled that mean success
or failure to the United States. 1t
shows that the Harding policy of more
business in governmen thas brought
results.
"After praising the cooperation of
the department heads and pointing out
the economies Of which have told
you, President Harding, in his mes
sage, said:
att is a pleasure to state that
the estimates of appropriations
submitted to Congress for the fis-
cal year, 1924, are $12O,OOO,OOO
less than the estimated receipts
for the current year. Whatever
pressure may have been brought
to bear on the executive depart
ments of the government with ref
erences to their estimates, there
must have been in the depart
ments concerned a spirit Of sacri-
flee and cooperation to make this
real achievement possible. Treas
ury conditions, however, demand
ed such cooperation and sacrifice.
General Lord stated that the gov
ernment is spending about $1O,OOO,OOO
a day, emphasizing how absolutely
necessary it is that the government be
run in a true business way when such
a tremendous amount of money is be-
ing spent.
"What we all need to do is to think
of our country as a whole and not to
become selfish upon some little thing
in which we are interested. This is
true of those at Washington and OF
citizens everywhere. Great progress
has been made and let us all remem-
ber that u. S. stands not for us but
for the United States!"