Evening star., 1924-03-13
CAN YOUR TAXES BE CUT?
Series of Articles ON the Cost of Government;
Where the Money Goes. and Why.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR,
Author OF ''Can Europe Hold Together -

The Panama canal cost $500 900 to
maintain for the fiscal year 1923, but
sns sSens tsSs IN by men ens
this is really an asset and not
liability. This item Of expense 10 In
creased In tho budget estimates for
1894 by approximately &S.00o,ooO.
s4ey0Oo.0e0 for "Pork Barrel"
The increase Of military pay in the
War Department added $7.s72.ooe
more to the 1923 costs. This item ia
cut BY about 100000 for 1924.
Then comes the last big spending
bureau Of the department-that of
public works In this bureau rivers
and harbors expenditures within the
United States cost the taxpayers a
total Of $4s,049,0Oo for 1923. This Is
what is known as the pork barrel
A little over $6.0OO,000 in the appro-
priations for 1924 is expected to be
The balance Of the expenditures Of
the department consists Of expenses
OF the numerous bureaus and divisions
not directly Connected with the ac-
tivities enume 'ated above.
A word about the receipts OF this
department. not raised In taxes. A
total OF STA 900 came into the
, War Department during the fiscal
year 1923. OF this amount $751;
226,000 came from the sales Of gov
ernment property left over from the
this item Of sales down to $47,2SS.0 900
and to s25.419,000 for 1925.
The Panama canal is the other big
revenue item: S1T.S6s 600 was taken
mated receipts for 1924 increase this
by about 81 900 900
What about the future of the War
Department? In the plan already
submitted by the bureau which Is
studying the reorganization of the
executive departments the War and
Navy departments are again merged
into one, as they were in the days
OF Washington, to be presided over
by a single cabinet officer. 1t would
be called the Department OF Defense.
Three undersecretaries are provided,
fo- the Army. for the Navy and for
national resources.
Would Take Out Engineering.
The non-military engineering ac-
tivities Of the. War Department. in
Guiding the board Of engineers for
rivers and harbors. the district and
division engineers offices. the Missis-
sippi river and California commits
sioners for Alaska and the office Of
buildings and grounds District OF
Columbia) are transferred from the
War to tho Department OF the In
terror.
The marine activities Of the War
Department, including the lake sur
vey office, the Inland and coastwise
, waterways service and the super
visor of New York harbor. are trans
ferred to the Department OF Com
merce, while the bureau OF 1nsular
affairs is transferred to the Depart
ment of State.
1t is an excellent suggestion. 1t
will take away all non military ac-
tivities from the War Department.
1t will put the spotlight on war ex-
penses so the American people will
tagged by the good deeds of the nom
military activities of the department.
The plan should be adopted by Con-
gress.
TO sum up, this great spending De-
partment of War Is managed by a
cabinet officer, who, as. Secretary of
War. receives $4,000 O. year salary.
He Is surrounded by a CHIEF of staff.
fiye major generals. who each draw
brigadier generals. at $4,000. He
directs the military activity Of S71,170
officers and men: oonstituting the
! This Army is larger by 1898 men
than it was ten years ago. The ex-
penses of this department have in
the same period Increased by approx
imately $l58.000.600 annually.
For every $1,000 which the United
States spent in 1929 for all purposes
the War Department proper spent
about $100 of 1t. 1t is big spending
bureau.
S7ss out Of $1,000 fer war..
For the year ending June 80. 1924.
the bureau OF the budget estimates
that out of every $1,000 to be re-
ceived by the federal government in
revenue s3sS Of it will go to military
functions and $4eS more of 1t will go
to paying the public debt charges
Together, $7s6 out Of very $1,000 re-
ceived by the federal government
/, will go to. pay for past or present
war activity. This is the Official es-
innate OF the most responsible finance
bureau Of the government
1t would seem as though the time
had arrived when the whole military
policy of the government should be
given thorough investigation by
the American people from at leas,
ducing the increasingly terrific and
continuous expenses involved in war
preparation by having more of a
j.skeleton army than at present, and
(2) still further joining hands with
the rest of mankind in finally solv-
ing the riddle Of the will to peace
instead Of the will to war.
Along this line lies not only relief
from federal tax burdens in America
but the only hope Of q war-weary and
debt-burdened civilization.
tCopyright. 1924. In the United sases and
Great Britain By North American Nevrna
per Alliance. All rights reserved.)