Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-12-05
EXECUTIVE ANTICIPATES
SURPLUS OF 90, MILLIONS
Warns Against Any Great Additional
Expenditures During Fiscal Year.
French Debt Stressed.

| enlarged, but rapidly increasing. Post
! war reconstruction demands, an eXtraor-
binary debt and crushing taxes fur
| ther deferred remedial action in the
matter Of governmental building re-
QuirementS. Reduction in expenditures
and resulting reduction in taxes war
ranted in the year 1926 enactment of
! a national public building act, which
| launched a building program of $780,
600 900 in the District of Columbia,
where need of new and suitable accom-
modationS was most urgent, and con-
struction programs for the rest of the
country totaling Sis, 100000. In 1928
the Congress amended this act by IN
creasing the total by 500, 100000, MAX
ing a grand total of $265, 100000 for
public buildings for the civil purposes
of the Government. In 1928 a subSe-
quent act authorized an expenditure OF
$25 900 900 for the procurement OF add
tional land within the so-called triangle
in the District of Columbia, needed Tor
building purposes, thereby increasing
the total provision for these general
building purposes to $290,O00,000. There
has already been appropriated under
these acts S63,6l7, 083.56, and $28,O4O.-
600 is carried in the estimates for 1881.
Contracts have been let for II projects,
totaling $19,881, 152, of which 80 nave
been completed and So are under con-
struction, to cost S14,635,9o2. re
foregoing figures are exclusive OF So
OOO, 900 for the appraisers stores bulld-
ing in New York City, the full amount
of which has been appropriated
Program for Army.
"The Army has we'll under way
bnilding program, exclusive of air SerV-
ice hangers and like structures, OF
$4,000. 00O There has already been
appropriated for this purpose S2O,foi'-
400 and $15,041 $50 is carried IN tne
estimates for 1880. with $3,000,OOO ad-
ditional authorized for obligation ny
contract. The estimates for 1880 also
carry for technical and other buildings
for the air services of the Army ana
NAVY a total in round numbers OF $4,-
100000.
Additional hospital facilities for the
Veterans Bureau to the extent OF S12,-
100000 have also been authorized Dy
Congress, of which $7,000,0OO mas
been appropriated. The budget estl,
mates for 1880 provide $6,000,OOO and
in addition an authorization for obi
CATION bv contract of 100000.
1.-The act of May Z, 1926, authorized
an expenditure of 100000 for houses
and offices for our foreign representa-
tives. The program is flve-year pro-
iect, appropriations being limited to
$1,000. 900 a year. There has been ap-
propriated for these purposes $2,435,.--
600. while the estimates for 1880 call
for 81, 100000 additional.
''These figures show program, ex-
elusive of technical buildings for air
activities, which involves for its COM
pletion some $4,000, 000."
That the expenditures for national
defense during the coming fiscal year
will probably be nearly $20,OOO,OOO
more than the budget estimates is
called to the attention of Congress by
the President, who explains that this
that surplus supplies left over from
the war have been depleted, and it IS
now necessary to increase the cash
provision to replace reserves. He says:
annie provision is made IN these
estimates for national defense, the esti-
mates for 1880 calling for $648, 5l1 300
for the Army and Navy. This amount
is reached after excluding from Army
and Navy estimates all non-military
items, so that the figure given is the
amount provided for purely military
purposes. The actual expenditure for
1927 was $3.50. 004, 447; for 1928 it was
1896, 500,89 the estimated expendi-
ture for 1929 is $672, 844, 288; while the
estimated expenditure, as distinguished
from appropriation estimates, is $685.
277,712 for 1890 In submitting the
annual budget for 1926 the Chief Elk
ecutive stated that the amount carried
in that budget for national defense was
S549, 100000, and that in his opinion
we could have adequate national de-
Tense with a more modest outlay OF the
taxpayers money. Nevertheless our
defense estimates have steadily climbed
until the cash requirements have adj
vanced for 1880 by approximately $780,
100000 more than was estimated for
1926. This increase, however, is more
apparent than real, for in these prior
years the defense establishments have
had the use of surplus supplies LETT
over from the war AS these reserves
have become depleted it has become
necessary to increase the cash provi-
sion to take their place"
Demands Adequately Met.
Expressing his satisfaction that the
air interests of the Government ARE
developing in a most satisfactory man
ner," the President says that the de-
mands of this service while large, have
been adequately met. He summarizes
the support given by the Federal Gov
eminent in aviation as follows:
THE five-year program for the Army
and Navy is approaching completion.
Provision is made in these estimates for
the third-year increment of the Army
and the fourth-year increment of ~the
Navy, and it is a fair assumption that
at the end of 1891 the Navy will have
a well-balanced fleet of 1000 airplanes,
while at the end of 1882 the Army will
be in possession of 800 planes in prop
er proportion as to types The neces-
sary housing and other construction
for the Army and Navy air forces are
also provided for. The expansion OF
air activities, however, is by no means
confined to the Army and Navy. The
Department of Commerce, the Coast
Guard, and the Department of Agricul-
ture are playing their parts in the
developing air program as is the Ma
tional Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics. While the Post Office Depart
ment definitely retired from the bust
ness of carrying mails in 1928, there
is provided for 1880 for contract air
mail service in the United States the
sum of $14,300,000 and $4,000000 adj
ditional for foreign air mail. While
this is not Government-operate Serv-
ice, it is Government-Supported and can
properly be cited as contributing
materially to air service development
These estimates carry $6,427,260 for
the Department of Commerce to carry
on its important task in connection
with commercial aviation This esti-
mate contemplates, among other items,
the construction of 1000 additional
miles of lighted airways. There is pro-
vision in these estimates of $582, 500
Tor the n3rtmpnf, of Agriculture fO-s
obtaining weather predictions, fighting
the boil weevil, and for forest patrol.
The total contemplated for all these
| purposes, direct and indirect, in 1880
; is $140,63l 1924
Achievements Praised.
| "The rapid and legitimate expansion
| of our air service, military and CONNER
cial is an achievement in which urn