Evening star., 1925-06-23
Constructive Budget Economy.

Constructive Budget Economy.
The proof of the pudding is in the
eating The Federal budget system,
coupled with the economy program
OF President Coolidge, has resulted in
tremendous reduction of govern
mental expenditures. 1t has re.
suited likewise in a reduction OF
taxes, and now gives promise of still
further tightening the tax burden i'm
posed on the people.
President Coolidge and Gen. Lord,
director of the Budget Bureau, in
their addresses TO the business or
ganizAtion of the Government. last
night laid bare the details of this re-
markable record-made during the
four years Of the operation OF the
budget system. In those years the
annual expenditures were reduced
S2,0s1 ,00o, 900 and the public debt was
decreased $3,426 100000 During the
fiscal year 1921 the expenditures, ex-
elusive Of moneys applied to the re-
duction Of the public debt and the
operations Of the postal service,
amounted to $5,116, 100000. The pub
lie debt then amounted to $23,77,-
100000 The expenditures for the
fiscal year 1925, now drawing to a
close, will amount to approximately
33,035, ,0oo. .006. and the public debt
will stand at s20.551 100000. All of
this has been accomplished while at
the same time lowering the taxes inn
posed.
The President anr.unced formally
that "the way has bsen prepared for
further tax reducties. This l will
recommend to the Congress in the
next budget message" This tax re-
duction will be possible because at
the close of this fiscal year there will
be surplus of $500, 900, 900 on hand,
and because the surplus for the next
fiscal year, according to careful es-
Inmates, will reach 10000 900.
The reductions in expenditures and
in the public debt, the saving of mil
lions of dollars here and there, have
not been accomplished without real
labor and devotion to the public serv.
ice. The President and Gen. Lord
gave full credit to the loyalty and
ability of the officials of the Govern
ment, who have had to deal with the
matter of saving, and to Congress,
which has acted with the Executive
in support of the budget system
which it created
The budget system has now and
then been criticized and denounced.
But the criticism has been leveled at
1t largely by those who have desired
to dip their arms deep in the Federal
Treasury, and not by those who have
economical and efficient Government
administration at heart. The atti.
tude of the President has been how
much can we save?" while too often
the attitude of his critics and the
critics of the budget system has been
how much can we spend?" There
is vast difference between the two.
and that difference measures the
amount of tax relief extended to the
people.
Saving money does not generally
lend itself to colorful and inspiring
eulogies. But the story told by the
President and Gen. Lord is not with
out its thrill to the men and women
OF America who have been compelled
to pay heavy taxes and are still pay
ing them. Economy is not practiced
by the Government, the President
said, merely for economys sake; ''the
nhioCf ;e
down Of public expenditures. This is
only the means. Tax reduction is
the end" 1t Is an end which Is to be
devoutly hoped for. The President
and Gen. Lord declared, however, that
the practice Of economy is not without
it's virtue, too. Without economy,
efficiency goes a-Slmmering. Efficient
government, with waste and extrava-
gance on every hand, is an impossi-
bility.
With the introduction of the budget
system, the old haphazard plan by
which the individual departments and
agencies of government sought to OBJ
tain as much money as they could,
irrespective of what other depart
ments had to expend, has largely dis
appeared. The coat Of government is
cut according to the cloth, which is
the amount of money that may be
available in the Federal Treasury for
expenditures. But even such a sys-
tenn must be wisely administered if
the best results are to be obtained,
and the efforts of President Coolidge
and his subordinates toward economy
have been an important factor in the
results accomplished.