Evening star., 1924-06-10
Member of the Associated Press,
Deficits, Present and Prospective.


One of the fundamental rules of
procedure in the administration of the
fiscal laws of the United States is that
a deficiency must not be created.
A deficiency may develop through
emergencies and the rising Of unex-
pected conditions. but it must not be
deliberately incurred through eXces-
sive expenditures beyond the total of
fund aliotmentS.
Congress has created a deficiency of
District funds for the fiscal year
that begins July l by failing to
provide in the regular appropriation
bill for the pay of the school teachers,
the policemen and the firemen Of the
District for the increases of pay Or
failing them, of the bonus formerly
paid in lieu of such increases. The
acts making such advances in pay
were formally passed by both houses
and signed bt the President. They are
the law today. A provision To meet
these increases failed by the narrow
est margin in Congress al the close Of
the session. upon a point not related
to these local questions. 1t was the
distinct intent of Congress to make
the necessary allotment of funds.
Congress having thus created a de-
ficiency in advance. il Is surely within
the power of the Treasury 10 prevent
the injustice that will be caused by
that deficiency by authorizing the pay
ment Of salary warrants for these
the new scales out of the regular ap-
preparations. That will prospectively
create Il deficiency in those appropria-
tions. to be met by subsequent legisla-
ton. That will, Technically. be con-
trary to the letter of the law.
But a deficiency already exists. in
prospect. The object Of the restriction
against creating deficiency is to
prevent excessive expenditures not
authorized by law. The law actually
authorizes these expenditures. The
funds formally appropriated will not
permit the. pa ayments on the new scale.
1t is as certain as anything congress
sional can be that Immediately upon
reconvening the houses will pass a de-
hciency bill to meet this need. to pay
these three groups on the new scale as
from July /.
Why. then. may not the Treasury
with perfect legality meet acquisitions
for funds to pay the teachers. fremen
nd AZ hn q
from July l, dra wing upon the appro-
priations as provided and relying upon
Congress 10 make good the deficit
when it convenes? Absolutely no harm
would be done. There would be none
to question the. propriety of the pro
cedure. Congress. which passed the
salary laws and failed by a fiuke to
make the necessary fund provision
would be in no position and would
have no disposition to challenge the
Treasury for thus preventing a gross
injustice resulting from its own de-
fault.
In these circumsta noes il remains
for the Commissioners to present the
case to the controller general in terms
of requisition for authority to make
the payments on the salary scales
newly created.
That is the common sense way to
meet the emergency which has arisen.
Other proposals are unnecessary. The
salaries are ordered. the money TO pay
them for the period intervening be
fore Congress meets is actually avaia-
BILE in the Treasury. A deficiency will
be created anyway. Nobody will suffer
in the least if these payments are
made in full. Much suffering will be
caused if they are not. Let the red
tape of strict procedure be cut for the
sake Of right.