Evening star., 1932-05-11

CONTINUED From First PageO
protracted and often heated meetings
Of the House Economy Committee.
Asked if a tendency had been ap-
parent on the part of the Democratic
senators present to concur in the plans
discussed, Mills hesitated, smiled and
replied:
1t was a very harmonious meeting" ="
The omnibus economy measure, at
tached to an appropriation bill in the
House, was estimated by the Special
Economy Committee which framed it
there to be capable of saving 42000,-
600 in the piecemeal form in which
the House passed it.
Mr. Hoover re-emphaSiZed today his
belief in the furlough plan Of 'stagger-
ing" Federal employment as opposed to
the House provision for a straight II
per cent cut in Federal salaries above
S2,500. Under his proposition, he be-
lieves 55,000,0 900 would be saved next
year, while positions Of thousands of
workers will be saved.
The Veterans Bureau. with its billion
dollar annual appropriation and the
S48, 1000 economies suggested by the
administration and House leaders, Of
fer one of the greatest opportunities for
savings in the Government budget-but
the House rejected this avenue,
The Treasury deficit approached the
two and a half billion mark today. On
May it had reached S2,497 ,262,96
Meanwhile, at a conference with Sec
retary of War Hurley, Maj. Gen. Lytle
Brown, chief of Army engineers, was
asked to submit a detailed plan for
trimming S10,000000 from flood con-
troll and river and harbor work during
the next year.
The general suggested a tentative fig
ure of $780, 900 for a cut in flood con-
troll and S6,500,000 in rivers and har-
bors
Gen. Brown told the Secretary he felt
that $3,50OO00 of work could be post
poned in the flood control program
without harm to the project and this
would give food control an economy
cut proportionate TO that taken by
ether items.
The general also explained that he
felt $6,5000 900 might be saved by re-
duced costs of materials.
Details Are Expected.
Detailed figures are expected immedi-
ately by the Secretary, who will submit
them to Congress as an alternative TO
the proposed reduction in Army officer
personnel and elimination of citizen
training auXiliaries.
The appropriation bill for the Army
now before the House plans to reduce
the number Of officers from $4,000 to
10000 and suspend Summer training
camps for one year Secretary Hurley
and Gen. Douglas Macarthur, chief of
staff, yesterday went before the House
Military Committee to lay down unal-
terable opposition to these cuts. They
gave their consent to other economies
amounting to about SO, 400, 900 and then
set to drafting the new plan Of savings,
involving, in addition to poStponement
in food control work, further $5,600,-
900 cut in rationS, clothing and the
motorization program OF the Army.
Shouse Scores President.
Jouett Shouse, chairman of the Dem
ocratic National Executive Committee,
took President Hoover to task last
night in the budget balancing contro-
versy.
In a statement from Democratic
headquarters, ShouSe said few people
would take issue with the President in
his arraignment of Congress for delay
in enacting an adequate tax-economy
program, but Mr. Hoover "stultif1es
himself by appealing for non-partIsan
leaders from conferences regarding that
program.
THE present emergency lies mainly
at the Presidents own doorstep" Shouse
added. He has had two and a hall
years since the inevitable decrease in
Government revenues was foreshadowed
and during all that time he not only
refrained from any move to reduce the
expenditures of the various depart
ments, but has permitted the heads of
those departments and his own secre-
tary to lobby at the Capitol against
the reductions the House Ways and
Means Committee wished to put into
effect"
"A question must occur to every
body" he continued, "as to the Presi-
dents title to assail Congress for inde-
Cision and dilatoriness when he himself
has been the conspicuous offender in
both regards for lNno a tirnp