Evening star., 1924-03-02
CAN YOUR TAXES BE CUT?
Series of Articles the Cost of Government:
Where the Money Goes, and Why.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.
uthor of Can Europe Hold Together,"

ment, is: How much does all this cost
l. FOR the fiscal year ending June 80.
| 1928, the expenditures of the home
once OF the Department of State were
sd,vss.ss4; @ g. The diplomatic service
cost S2,3sO.4 469 and the consular sery-
ice Has S4,o7S,2OS.04. The g1oss ex-
penses Of the Department of State
LOT the year ending June 80, 1929, was
Here is a department of govern
ment whose activities cover fiftv
seven countries with Offices in 40 cit
les And its gross cost last year was
| less than we paid out for the handling
OF the Interior. Its gross expenses
Tor the year are less than those of the
pension office for two weeks.
BUT this is not all. If one will
TAKE the trouble to look carefully
into the report of the Secretary Of
I the Treasury for the year ending June
~, 1923: tucked away very modestly
| under the heading OF 'Receipt-from
| that the receipts Of the Department
OF state for the same period were az
/ follows:
from the consular service. .s6,So551a
from passport fees. 1,144,e 900
from miscellaneous fees... $1,000
Total NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. .$7,S90.57s
| If we subtract this total of receipts
from the total expenditures we find
! the surprise of the year.
Net Cost Only s4s3.ooo.
| The Department of State cost the
people of the United States, net, s433,-
| 9S4. The Department Of State is far
| and away the cheapest Of the large
departments of the government. For
every dollar of the peoples money
spent last year by the great Depart
| ment of State, the veterans bureau
| spent $1,000,
1t has, however. a few weaknesses
| First. Its activities are nearly al
! ways concealed. 1t deals with quiet
subjects 1t attracts little attention.
| It seeks little publicity. Secretary
! this could be changed. Perhaps-in
years to come-this attitude will
change. Secret diplomacy is not very
popular with the great masses of the
people. They want to know more
about what each department. is doing
The old school of secret diplomacy has
been disastrous in Europe. 1t has
revealed itself lately in all its weak
ness. The people there now want 10
| know more about what goes on be-
hind closed doors. For their owr
lives have oftentimes been sacrificed
by their nations to satisfy the vanity
Of their all-powerful rulers. The!
want to know whether their man
ture to protect property outside their
nations. which may be owned by bur
handful of their people. They pay
the piper and they expect to select
the music. This is especially impor-
tant now that America has become
the greatest investment country in
| the world. Many citizens believe that
] the United States must redefine its
foreign policy with regard to just
how much protection should be given
to the investments of American citi-
zens in foreign lands.
Second. Politics in the big diplo-
matte appointments has undoubtedly
hurt the reputation Of the depart
| ment with the average man. This.
and the fact that no poor man can
afford TO accept some OF the larger
posts, has not made the department
of recent years any more popular with
the people.
British Ambassador Gets $9., 900.
There has recently been introduced
| into Congress bill by Representative
]. ]. Rogers of Massachusetts for
the reorganization and improvement
Of the foreign service. 1t has four
main provisions:
I. The amalgamation of the diplo
matte consular services into foreign
service, with interchange of per
sonnel.
9 The adoption of a single salary
schedule applicable to both branches.
3. The granting of representative
| allowances.
4. The granting of retirement al
France pays her ambassadors to
this country, including representation
allowances. from $4,000 to $4,000
owned by the French government
Great Britain gives her, ambassador
here free embassy and salary and
| allowance of over $4,000 per annum.
The United States. on the other
| hand, pays to our ambassadors to
Great Britain and TO Fraace S17,500
year each and no free houses. John
Great Britain. declared before a com
mittee Of the House of Representa-
tives that it cost him $4,000 a year
to live in London as ambassador OF
\ this country, toward which his salary
| contributed only $17,500.
Obviously only rich man can
| afford to accept such posts. The eS-
| penses of the State Department, even
| less than one-tenth of l per cent OF
| the cost of our federal government.
Surely the American people are will
| ing to spend for our great Depart
as is spent on the United States Army
| every day in the year.
From the standpoint of low costs
no one can criticise the Department
! of State. Out of every s1,700 collect
ed from the people in taxes in 1929
| the Department Of State received
$3.50 gross and net 46 cents. Obvi
ously it is not in the Department of
State that America can materially
reduce expenses.
| Copyright, 1924 IN United States and Gres'
! Britain by North American Newspaper Al
! lance. All rights reseryed.l
Tomorrow-"CouldT They Cut Down
I on the Department of Commerce.