Evening star., 1923-01-29
PRESIDENT LAUDS
j. s. BUDGET STAFF:
FOR THRIFTY WORK
Government Receipts for
Year Will Exceed Expenses
by s12O, 900, 900, He Says.
DIRECTOR LORD REVIEWS
PLANS FOR SAVING FUNDS
Methods of Disbursing Money
Have Been Revolutionized,
He Declares.

| sage from President Harding, ex-
pressing his appreciation of the sacri-
! fees made by all employees Of the
government in helping to so reduce
the government expenditures that the
estimated receipts of the government
| for the fiscal year 1924 will exceed
the estimated expenditures by $780,
| 100000 Congress has made a record
| is passing appropriation bills, said the
| President, and government officials
will have plenty of time to so plan
| their expenditures so as to avoid
| deficiencies in their funds
| Brig. Gen. Herbert NJ. Lord director
! OF the bureau of the budget and really
the general manager of the corpora ton
| or which the President is the head, re-
| viewed in detail the history of the work.
ing OF the budget law since 1t went into
| erect and gave number OF concrete
/ instances where savings had been ef-
| fected as a result of the work Of vari-
Gus boards which had grown up under
| the budget system as a check watch on
| government expenditures.
The budget and accounting act, he
| said, after nineteen months of opera
ton. has brought about a much needed
1 revolution of the methods of expendi-
| ture of government funds by haphazard
appropriation and spending without re-
gard as to the source of the money.
! Text OF Message.
The text Of President Hardings
message follows:
| Members of the governments busi-
ness organization: This is the fourth
regular meeting of the business or
ganization of the government We
| nave met to review the work of the
/ hrst six months and to consider the
| task which confronts US for the re-
= m n Ir1V MI 1t
1923, along the lines of coordination,
economy and eff1ciency-three insep-
| arabic factors to successful govern
| ment. There can be no economy OF
operation without coordination, and
efficiency without economy is impos-
/ sible.
"The first meeting of the business
organization of the government was
held June 20, 1921. less than one
month after the enactment of the
budget and accounting act. We faced
then the problem of inaugurating a
budget system, and growing out of
this the further problem of reform
ing the unco-ordinated routine busi-
ness ness of the government Probably
there never was a time in our coun-
try's history when a revision Of it's
! financial procedures was SO urgent
! and necessary. The habit of large ex-
penditures, of almost unlimited OBJ
legation of the public credit, acquired
during the world war, seemed diffi-
| cult to restrain. while the continuing
demand upon the national Treasury
gave little indication of abatement.
THE budget and accounting act
ecutive responsibility for checking
the flood of expenditure. This task
called for the help of the government
officers and employees. as the solution
of the problem lay in coordination
of the governments business, requir-
| ing cooperation of it's personnel and
| their commitment to continuing
! constructive policy of economy. From
| this determination-that the solution
of the financial problems of the gov
ernment could be achieved only by
! teamwork-came the call for that
| first meeting of those officials and
| employees in the government service
who have to do with its routine busi-
| ness.
THE campaign then begun with
such high hopes and courageous de-
| fiance of the obstacles to be over
come is continuing today, and with
no little pride and satisfaction we
point to continuing policy of econ
| omy with efficiency evidenced by the
progressive and material reductions
made in expenditures. This has been
accomplished not only without i'm
pairment of the effective operation
establishments. but with an increase
of efficiency resulting from a closer
study Of methods and cost of opera
tion.
Budget Work Praised.
| This achievement, your achieve
ment, is a matter Of great satisfaction
Ito the chief executive, who takes this
| opportunity to express appreciation
| to all who have participated in this
only those charged with the admins
! tration of government funds and who
| control large and important activities,
but as well those devoted government
| people who have applied principles of
| economy, to their daily work in vari-
/ GUS smaller ways through the con-
servation of government supplies and
time. When the spirit of real econ
and file of the public service and the
use of time and supplies Is regarded
| as a public trust, many Of our prob
! lens will be solved.
"At our last meeting on. July IL.
1922, we had just entered upon a
over a threatened discrepancy of
large proportions between estimated
receipts and estimated expenditures.
The executive departments estimated
that they would call upon the Treas
ury during the twelve months OF the
year-July 1, 1922, to June 80, 1923
for s3,771,000, 900, while the estimate
| of ordinary receipts for that period
reached total of only $3,073,000, 600.
This situation indicated Withdrawals
| from the Treasury of $698,000,000
more than it was anticipated would
be received from ordinary sources
i At that time, however, I expressed
confidence that with the budget or
ganization and your cooperation we
| need not be unduly concerned, and
! urged additional concerted effort to
| curtail expenditures in the laudable
endeayor to- keep our expenditures
within our income.
Probable Excess Of Expeaditufes.
The statement OF expected receipts
and proposed and anticipated expsndl-
lures given in the budget for 1924
transmitted to Congress December
last, showed q probable excess Of ex-
penditures over receipts for the fiscal
year 1923 OF $273,o00, 900, a downward
revision Of $425, 100000 in the esti-
mate made in July and a real down
/ ward revision Of $550,000,0o0, as the
budget statement included as an or
binary expenditure an item Of $685.
100000 for discount, accruals on war
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