The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-07-10
TALK GOVERNMENT
and BUSINESS
CONGRESSMAN FRENCH AND DON
AID X. DAVID SPEAK BEFORE
MOSCOW ROTARIANS

MOSCOW Rotary club was of specia
interest, with addresses by Congress
man Burton l.. French, a member Of
the club, who was present for the
first time since before congress con-
vened last December, and Donald K
David, assistant dean of the school
of business administration at Har-
ward university, who was a guest OF
the club. The club also heard an
interesting report from R. B. Ward
delegate to the International Rotary
convention, at st. Louis.
Herman N. Wilson, president of the
club, first introduced Congressman
French
The Business of Government
Mr.. French spoke of the finances of
the United States and the effort that
is being put forth by the government
to apply business methods to the
handling of the nations affairs
Prior to the World war the annual
expenditure of government had been
approximately one billion dollars
But when the war came to an end
the expenses for the first year of
peace ending June 80, 1920, were in
excess of six billion five hundred
million dollars. The speaker re-
minded his hearers that the peak of
national Indebtedness, attained in Au-
gust of 1919, reached the enormous
amount of $26,596, 900, 100000, and that
interest on the public debt and other
stated expenses occasioned by the war
aggregate about two billion dol
lars shall have been provided
for we then have the problem
of running our government with
higher prices everywhere than before
the war;
AS business men you are inter-
ested in what your government has
done. Well, we have provided a bud
get bureau that is directly respons-
ible to the president to aid the presi-
dent in formulating the estimates of
what it will cost to run the different
departments and branches of govern
ment service for the coming year.
More than that, we have concentrated
the work of shaping appropriation
bills in the house in one committee,
the committee on appropriations, in
stead of letting this work be handled /
by some eight different committees as
formerly. Both of these changes I
have been in the interest of good ad-
ministration and economy, and the
results that have been attained speak
volumes for this plan of shaping the
budget.
Largely through this method of
preparing appropriation bills we have
cut the annual expenditure of govern
ment from $6,500,O00, 100000 as it was
in 1920, to $3,7O5, ,OO0,000OO for the
year ending June 80 last. We have
reduced the national debt by more
than $4,000, 100000 so that today it is
slightly in excess of $22 10000 900,
and the per capita cost of running our
government per year has been re-
duced from $537S as it was in 1920,
to $2629 as it is today"
The speaker referred to the inten- !
sive study that the subcommittee
of the committee on appropriations !
are making of the various activities !
Of the government, and the effort that
is being put forth to eliminate waste, !
and to postpone the taking up of !,
projects that may be desirable but not
necessary until a more favorable =
time. !
Defends Administration c
Mr.. French defended the admins r
tration in putting through the re-
funding agreement with Great Bri- f
ain under which Great Britain un- +
lertakes to. make payment on her t
more than four million dollars in 4
to the United States with 6
interest at three per cent for the first f
en- years and at 81 per cent for 81 h
years thereafter He said this pro- q
gram had been criticised by some who f
,aid it would tangle us up with Euro t
,ean affairs for many years. But. Z
Iaid Mr. French, What do the cri- a
les propose? The money is now f.
,wed to us. We are already tangled a
O that extent They say Collect the
money! But they do not tell us how. O
n fact as I see it they would daily h
long with the Indebtedness until in b
he long run it's payment would be a
trung out over a longer period OF d
ears in fair likelihood, and maybe Ii
With no payment whatever, from some +,
f the European powers. There may a
e some that will not pay under any V
Ian, but as / see it our best chance G.
f collecting is through the method
dopted. Recently the little country b
f Finland has followed the lead OF IL
4reat Britain and agreed to make W
ayment on her Indebtedness which T
ggregates more than S8,O0O,O ,OO0.OO. ot
is my opinion that other nations bi
Ill do the same" h,
Field of the Business School pl
Mr.. David acquainted his hearers tt
18th the work and the purposes OF
le graduate school of business ad- til
at Harvard university dc
( which he is assistant dean, CIV tn
lg interesting information on a sub ~
ct with which people as rule are m
ot familiar. He said in part: &C
" Collegiate business education has to
rown rapidly until today there are tn
yer 300 colleges and universities IN tn
lis country giving instruction In
lsiness. The bureau of education al
st year estimated that over 100000 N
llege men and women were studying e1
lsinesS. nc
This education is given at tre- on
endous cost, both in money and in tn
me and it is only proper that bust II
,ss men ask the question as to XII
neither this is worth while. The an