Evening star., 1932-03-30

nearly billion dollars only S116,000,000
goes for medical and hospital service.
PENSIONS run quarter Of million dol
lars. Military and Navy compensation
takes $356,000,000 and the adjusted
service certificate funds approximately
$3.50 100000. The total of these items
for the 1888 budget is about 81 900 000,-
600. In this is included about $65 ,000,-
600 which has no relationship to war
or veterans. Thus S30,000,00 go for
the care of Indians. 500 1000 for pub
lie health, and $14,000,000 for voca-
tlonal education. So veterans expenses
absorb all but S65,000,000 of this item
of billion dollars.
Iaklng the item of general admins
trat1on which amounts to about $229,-
100000, nearly half of this sum is spent
in public building service, public build
ing construction and District of Colum-
bia expenses. Another S72 100000 is
spent in the collection of taxes and
administration of the fiscal side of gov
ernment.
Some Erroneous Impressions.
Perhaps the least expenditures of the
whole Federal Government are to be
1ound In this general administration
olvSlon. All the independent establish
ments, with the exception of the Vet
erans Bureau, do not cost the Govern
ment in excess of $50 0,000,000 And out
OF this $50,000,000, 100000 goes for
vocational education and $9,000,000 to
administer the Interstate Commerce
Commission. Most of the so-called lux
urleS OF the Government, the independ-
ent bureaus and establishments are the
least expensive of all. They may be
superfuous but an entirely exaggerated
IDEA mas been spread to the amounts of
money they spend For instance, the
Feoeral Trade Commission, about which
tnere Is a good deal of discussion from
tlme TO time, spends little more than
Sl,OU0,OOO year. The Federal Reserve
Board, which is one of the most i'm
portant agencies of the country, costs
only about 81, 800, 900 a year. The Fed
eral Farm Board, which in past years
spent good deal of money for sta
olllzatlon purposes. is in the new budget
Tor less than S1.000,000. The Shipping
boaro taxes only $500,000 in the new
budget.
There are SO Independents establish
ments in all. And if we eliminate the
three most expensive. namely, the Vet
Grams Administration, the Interstate
commerce Commission and the Federal
Board for Vocational Education. and
tne temporary commissions having to
DO with construction, we find that the
permanent commissions of the Govern
ment do not spend more than about
$4,000, 900.
Nor is the item of law enforcement
costing billions" as is popularity sup
posed. Fffty-six million dollars covers
all the prosecution and judicial costs of
criminal and civil cases in the Federal
Jurisdiction. Repeal of prohibition
would save the Government only about
$ll 100000 in enforcement costs and it
is estimated that about $7,O00,000 are
now received from fines and confisca-
ton so the net cost is a relatively small
item to offset the expected savings in
abolishing prohibition bureaus.
The really big items are these: First.
debt payments and interest; second,
the veterans expenses; third. the cost
OF economic development, which in
cludes business and agriculture and.
fourth, the national defense. How to
reduce the last three items is a matter
dependent on the influence of groups
in the electorate.
(Copyright, 1922
tom ort;cIo JaoI. ,,,;4I.