The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-09
LORD PLANS BUDGET CUT TO3BILLION Expenses For Year Be ginning July 1 To Be
 Cut $500, 100000 ALL DEPARTMENTS FEEL BLUE PENCIL Anticipated Appropria- tions For 1926 Placed
 At $2,9SO, 100000 PUBLIC DEBT CALLS
 FOR $S30, ,OOO,O 900 e4OO,OOO, 1000 To Be Cared For By Payments From Euro
 pean Nations
ALL DEPARTMENTS
 FEEL BLUE PENCIL
PUBLIC DEBT CALLS
 FOR $S3O, 100000
tBy Associated Press,

WASHINGTON, Nov. S.--- The cost of running the fed. eral governnent in the fiscal year beginning next July l may fall below three billion dollars, or a half billion dol lars less than the estimated expenditures for the current fiscal year.
 On the baeis of estimates prepared by the budget bureau, on which its. con ference wth the spending departments of the government practically have been eompleted. the anticipated appropria' lions for the year beginning next July I. stood tonight at $2,8S0, ,0O0, exclusive of the post office department, the re eeiptB of which are expected to balance the expenses.
 Officials of the budget still have work to do on the budget of 1925 which viii be submitted by the President ta fhe forthcoming short session of con. s kress. But they have gone 80 thorough ly into every estimate, great and small, slbmitted by the several branches ot the government that they feel any changes to be made hereafter will be in the nature of thousands rather than millions of dollars,
 Lack Final Touch
 Brig. Gen. H. M. Lord, director oi the budget, will go over the figures and tabulations with President Coolidge some time next week and after that, 1t is expected, the government estimates will be ready for the public printer as the next stage in transmission to the President and to congress.
 On the basis of the figures as they stood tonight, the ordinary expenditures are expected to fall below $1,700,O ,OOO,- 900, exclusive of those by the post of. flee department. This contemplates retention of the present basis of in come, and few in the government anti cipate that congress will have time to do anything on tax reduction, since President Coolidge has indicated ne VIII not call the new congress, just elected into an extraordinary session.
 Public Debt Cut
 The great reduction in the public debt accomplished by the treasury ID the past few years, has begun 10 snow it's effects on expenditures, ana TOT Ins fiscal year 1926 the interest is caicli' lated not to exceed $830, 900, 900. This item alone in the current year will run about a billion dollars. Operations of the sinking fund, which work to the retirement of the great war debt, VIII require about $450, ,000 actual appro' priation in addition to the payments by foreign nations in liquidation or tneit debts to the United States.
 Budeet figures at this time, therefore show less than $3,0O0,0 900, but at tention was called that congress may launch new politicies which may call for additional funds to be made i'm mediately available. z
 eS, ,,5OO, ,OOO, ,OO0 This Year
 Expenditures in the current year probably will run about $3,5OO, ,0O0, 900. This figure takes at face value the appropriations already made, the known public debt requirements and a small deficit in the postoffice depart- ment. the amount of which cannot at this time be known definitely. It may he reduced, however, through the con stant striving of the budget bureau to curtail unnecessary expenses and com pel saving wherever possible.
 Present estimates for the fiscal year 1928 present the following comparison with those of the last few years 1925 (estimated) $S.bO0, 100000; 1924 s, SOC, 900 900; 1923, $3,697, 900. 900 1922, &, ,795, ,000, 900 and 1921, $5,53S,' OO0,0OO.
 To place the figure below three bill, lion dollars, the budget bureau is said to have employed the blue pencil to 3 greater extent than ever before. In few of the estimates have the totals re- mained as submitted by those who are to spend the money. The budget bureau however, insisted that it had cut funds nowhere that appeared likely to damage or handicap government operation ol the efficiency of its management.