Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26
Uncle Sam. Spender.

President Hoover and his cabinet
have been wrestling with Government
expenditures, seeking, it Is intimated,
to keep those expenditures down In the
face Of the $soo,ooo,000 deficit now
facing the Treasury at the close Of
the present fiscal year. Already the
White House has issued a warning that
Congress, when 1t meets next, must
cut to the quick all appropriations and
that 1t must not exceed the budget
submitted by the President and the
Budget Bureau. A tabulation Of gov
ernmental expenditures covering three
fiscal years, 1880, 1891 and 1892, was
laid before the cabinet at its meeting
with the President on Friday and later
given to the press. This tabulation
showed that for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1890, the governmental ex-
penditures had been $3,994, 152, 487; that
for the fiscal year about to close the
estimated expenditures will be $4,435,-
029, 1872, and that the total expenditures
for the next fiscal year, ending June
80, 1882, are estimated at $4,119, $780,
649. This shows an apparent reduction
Of $4,000, 900 in the governmental ex-
penditures in the coming fiscal year
when compared to the fiscal year which
ends June 80 next.
However, deficiency appropriations
and unexpected requirements for the
Government may swell the total .jr the
next fiscal year. It is against this
swelling process that Mr.. Hoover and
his cabinet have set their faces. It Is
the plan Of the administration to pare
down expenditures wherever it is found
possible to do so. The proposal is made
that savings be effected in the War
Department, the Post once Department
and several others.
The tables made public by the Presi-
dent give to the country new view Of
Uncle Sam as q spender. For example,
it is shown that the expenditures for
past wars. for the veterans Of those wars
and for present national defense needs
total in each Of these three years more
than $2,500,000, 900. The total ex-
penditures average around $4,000 900 900.
1t is obvious that with $4,000, 0o0, 900
going for past wars and national de-
tense, only about $500, ooo, 900 Is left
for all other expenditures Of the Gov
eminent. The President has arranged
the governmental expenditures in four
groups, three In addition to those for
past wars and national defense. The
second group covers the expenditures of
the Government for purely civil admin
istration. including the legislative and
judicial branches as well as the
executive. The third group covers what
may be termed the welfare" ex-
penditures OF the Government the
expenditures for public health, educa-
ton, agricultural aids, aids to labor,
conservation Of national resources, ETC.,
and the fourth group includes the odds
and ends Of governmental expenditures
such as refunds, trust funds, etc. The
fourth group Of expenditures Is smaller
than any Of the others. The welfare
group comes next to the war group, with
totals running from $715.Ooo,ooo to
81. 057, oo0, 900.
The tables presented do not include
the outlay for the payment Of the SOL
diers' bonus loans to the World War
veterans. except $4,000, 900. 1t is
estimated that when these loans are
covered in, the total expenditures for
the present fiscal year viii reach beyond
5000, 100000. Here again the ex-
penditureS for wars will get another
huge boost.
1t Is quite clear from the tabulation
that the Government has enormously
increased its expenditures for public
works Of sll kinds since the depression
set in. Also the aids to agriculture
have jumped hundreds Of millions of
dollars. IN a measure the presentation
Of tables Of expenditures Is an answer
to the charge Of those that the admin
istration and the Congress have Jagged
in the matter Of providing work to aid
the unemployed and in providing aid
for the American farmers.