Evening star., 1932-10-31
INTERIOR OFFICIALS
FEEL BUDGET CUT.
Science and Education Suffer
in Loss of S19,OOO,0O0
of Appropriations.

THIS is TIE last Of q series Of qrticles
duced BUDGET IN the Government DEPART
7Ic1-tS.
Science. education and the public suf-
fered at the expense of economy when
Congress slashed Sl90O00O0 from the
Interior Departments 1888 budget, in
tie virtually unanimous opinion of Of
ficials of that Government establish
ment
Although reticent to talk for quota
ton" practically every official. from the
occupants Of Secretary Wilbur's lux
uri0us suite to the lowest division chief,
agreed that III cutting the departments
budget to the bone, the House and
Senate sacrifice many of the most I'M
pOrtant research activities conducted
By the various bureaus of the depart
ment
And, they pointed out, it was only
BY exercising the greatest ingenuity,
coupled with the deXtrOus juggling of
the Scant appropriations they did OBJ
rain, that wholesale lay-offs or fur
loughing Of employees thus far has been
prevented.
Reduction in appropriation, together
with passage Of the economy bill at
the last session. brought Interior Of
ficialS face to face with the necessity
of choosing between q continuation on
the regular scale of the scientific.
educational and public service activities
OF the department and the dismissal or
furI0ughiug Of old faithful employees.
After a long and dIligent study of
the act and the accompanying appro-
priati0n bills, they decided upon plan
which would permit the continuation, on
a rigldly limited scale, of the work OF
the Geological Survey, Office Of Educa-
ton, General Land Office and many
other bureaus which make up the great
Department of the Interior, and at the
same time retain a large majority of
the men and women who had devoted
their lives to the service.
Funds Transferred.
That section Of the economy act
which gave to the executive heads of
the departments the authority to trans
fer appropriations at their discretion
from Cre bureau to another was all
that saved the az from falling on
many employees heads. BY reallOCating
a portion Of the appropriation autho-
rized for National Park Service and
Indian Office, $50 Jobs were saved,
WhIle fUrlOUglS and dISmisSalS were kept
to minimum
Only 90 employees were "Separated'
from the service and 1l3 furlOughed by
reduction OF the interior Department
personnel. Some 500 vacancies were not
nllcd, however, SO Of which were in the
department here and 42l in the field.
But the tightening up Of the Treasury
purse strings squeezed 400 temporary,
nOn-ciy!I service employees out of Jobs
they usually received during the Sum
mer. Deficiency appropriations saved
! 500 others from a similar fate and re-
suited in the employment of 100 addi-
tiCnal employees who otherwise would
not have received Jobs. Employees in 1913
positions which were abolished We're
transferred to vacancies in what officials
call essential positions elsewhere in
tn department.
These reductions have been made
possible BY deferring essential work such
as surveying Of public lands, geological
survey and research, water resources in
veStigatiOns. and educational surveys"
1t was explained in statement issued
by Secretary Wilbur'S office.
That the brunt of the economy pro-
gram eventually Will be borne by the
public is inevitable, IN the opinion OF
high department officials Already the
public is being kept waiting for impor-
tant reports from the Geological Survey,
which may never be Forthcoming due
q the drastic cut in operating expenses