Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-26
BUDGET ESTIMATE
TIME IS EXTENDED
Departmental Chiefs Will
Have Until September ! to
Submit 1888 Needs.

The Bureau of the Budget today ex-
tended the time for all Government de-
partmentS and establishments to sub
nit their estimates Of appropriations for
the fiscal year 1888 to September J.,
two and a half months later than here
tofore. At the same time the bureau
eliminated definitely the preliminary
estimates.
July IS formerly had been the date
for receiving estimates.
Departmental chiefs were surprised to
receive the call for estimates so early,
but were gratified to note that they
had been given more time to prepare
their figures.
This vital change in the budget for
1888 will put additional pressure on the
Bureau of the Budget, which must have
the budget ready for President Hoover
to submit to the new Congress at the
opening Of its session December z.
No Preliminary Estimates.
In the call for estimates this year,
J. Ciawson Roop, director of the Bureau
of the Budget has eliminated prelini-
nary estimates. The preliminary esti-
mates were also omitted last year, but
the final estimates were called for July
Is, the same time as the former pre-
liminary estimates had been called.
Owing to the fact that Congress did
not adjourn until July Of last year,
passing the Brookhart bill, and other
important legislation in the last few
days necessitating many changes in the
budget estimates Of departments, there
was an enormous load of work thrown
upon the departments In the FIRST half
of July.
This pressure Of last year on the de-
partments not only will be entirely
missing this year, but there is o total
of about. i've and half months, unin-
terrupted by new legislation from Con-
gress, in which TO prepare the figures.
The department chiefs will have more
time after the close Of the fiscal year,
June 80, in which to get more complete
figures on their own operations for the
entire year, and draw estimates for the
future.
The financial plight in which the
Federal Government now finds itself, as
1t draws to q close of this fiscal year
with a prospective deficit estimated at
about 500, 100000 is very conspicuous
for its entire absence from mention in
the call Of the. Bureau Of the Budget
for 1888 estimates.
In the l4-page booklet Of the call for
estimates there appears no word Of
warning, or caution that the President
expects Government budgetary officers
to hold down on their estimates for
1888, on account Of the big deficit this
year.
One Of the reasons for the deficit Is
attributed TO the soldiers bonus, which
both the President and his Secretary
of the Treasury, Andrew w. Mellon,
stoutly opposed.
Two Hearings Planned.
On account Of the July is date last
year, when final estimates were to be In,
Col Roop, director Of the budget, was
able to arrange hearing schedules so
that he personally sat in on the hear
ings on every department and eStab-
lishment Of the Government from July
81, when they opened, until the last of
October.
This gave the director much detailed
insight into the whole governmental
establishment But the early date of
submission of the estimates proved
somewhat Of a hardship on the DEPART
ments, so the time this year was ex-
tended. This will mean that Col. Roop
himself viii be unable to attend all Of
the hearings.
1t is planned TO hold two hearings at
the same time. One will be headed by
Col. Roop, and the other by r. o.
Kloeber. assistant director of the Bureau
of the Budget. There will be two hear
tngs on six mornings and four after
moons Of the week, and officials will be
obliged to come back and work at nights
for much of the hearing period from
late in July until the end of october,
when hearings viii close.