Evening star., 1925-10-23
S3,7Q0,0l|0,OlD= UNIT
TOBUDGET IS SEEN
Pairing by Lord Expected to
Cut Amount to What Con-
qress Will Give.
RY DAVID LAWRENCE.

II begins 10 look as If the budget
required to run the United States
Government for the next fiscal year
will he less than $4,000 900 300. Final
figures will moi he available till the
latter part Of November. when Presi-
dent Coolidge prepares his MESA &c TO
Congress. but every day now there
are meetings Of various boa rds in
every department and independent of
the Government. that some APP
proximate idea OF what is forthcom-
ing can be gained.
The Budget Bureau. directed by Gen.
Lord. is the scene OF daily hearings.
unprecedented. OF course, before the
bud2let law was passed. Now instead
OF going before committees OF Con-
Sress with estimates transmitted by the
Secretary of the Treasury on behalf
Of other departments, and with no
recommendations to increase or de-
cftase, the various departments are
asked to appear before the director OF
The budget and pare down their es-
Inmates.
StaH Examines Estimates.
Only 80 persons are on the stafY Of
the Budget Bureau and Gen Lord
be increa sed yet this STAFF not only
supervises every estimate submitted to
the President by bureaus in the execu.
tive branch OF the government, includ-
ing Independent establishments. but
special Investigators are detailed 70
spend all their time in the latter bu-
reaus actually examining books and
watching the ways by which money is
spent throughout the year. Some Of
the budget experts know as much
about the fiscal affairs of tn. vari-
Gus bureaus Of the Government as do
the chiefs and subordinate oficiaIs
thereof
Perhaps the most significa MT happen
ing in Connection with the present hear
ings is the renewed determine lion Of
President Coolidge. carried out by
Gen. Lord, to consider, the ma tiona
defense budget as unit and not as
separate Army and Navy affair.
Strictly speaking, the reform suy-
Sested in the proposed reorga MIA ton
Of Government departments whereby
the War and Navy Departments were
10 be consolidated into a single depart.
propriating money.
$l8.0NA ,08a for Airplanes.
Gen. Lord is authorized by the Presi-
dent to go over the Army and Navy
estimates, not with view to pairing
down what the Army needs or what
the Navy might require. but simply
on the basis OF what sum the Govern
ment can afford TO spend in entirety
for national defense
Thus in one wear II might he con.
sidered wiser 10 spend more on ship
construction ano less on ammunition
or personnel for the Army. while in
another more money might be appro-
priated for military rather than naval
aviation.
incidentally, in the matter OF avia-
ton. a single sum-probabiv about
$40 900 .000-wili be suggested for the
construction Of new airplanes Just
how much of this sum shall go to
the Army and how much to the Navy
will be agreed upon in advance and
VIII depend TO some extent on expert.
ments already under way or plans to
be formulated
Change In Methods.
There is unquestionabi bly, remark.
able change in the method Of estimat .
ing needed funds for the Government
under the budget system. Prelimi.
nary estimates were required last
Summer and Autumn. and estims les
have again been requested. so that in
the next few weeks the Budget Ru-
reau will give it's final approval to the
amounts needed
When ii is considered that Congress
accepted last years budget of S3.726.-
100000 and authorized just few mil
hon dollars less than WAS asked il is
apparent how effective the pairing
process has become al the executive
end of the Government.
Copyright. 1926