Evening star., 1932-04-27
INTERIOR FORCES
TO FIGHT EXPENSES
Bureaus to Have Struggle
Holding Within S45,398,-
672 Appropriation.

VI & Fkpi Opi ioliObs
The Interior Department is expected
to function after July l like a low
powered motor in high-class automo-
bile according to officials engaged today
in the task Of making ends meet at the
close of this fiscal year on an appropri-
alton of $45, 1898, ,672, total of $30,281,
926 less than the operation costs for the
current year.
1T is going to be an extremely hard
struggle to meet the demands of the
public with a depleted force of workers.
but we'll carry on the best we can" said
one in authority. The reduced ap-
preparations in the six bureaus of the
department call for the laying off Of
4,o93 permanent and temporary en-
ployes, besides cutting the activity of
each of the bureaus to minimum.
This official pointed to the plight the
Geological Survey is facing at the start
of the new fiscal year. OF the total
of 800 employees in the bureau
and the field, 1876 of them are highly
trained geologistS and technical men,
who on entering the Survey deliberately
selected scientific instead Of business
careers.
Many of these men now are scattered
throughout the Nation searching for
invisible wealth of this Government
hidden away in the dark recesSes of the
earth. In informing Secretary of
Interior Wilbur a few days ago that it
would be necessary to let these valuable
workers go, Director w. c. Mendenhall
reminded the head of the department
that they had entered the service of the
Government knowing that they were
thus abandoning hope of financial
independence but with the expectation
that they were entering upon reason
ably stable scientific careers whose
chief reward would be the satisfaction
of useful public service, and the oppor-
tunity to make contributions to human
knowledge and to the Nations welfare
and advancement"
Economy Demands Met
With the department operating on
appropriations for this fiscal year of
S75, $50, ,598, Secretary Wilbur complied
with President Hoover's rigid economy
demands for the 1888 fiscal year by
slashing his budget estimate to $56,705,
352. When it came up for vote in the
House, it was reduced an additional
S6,258,920. Then the Senate imposed
straight 10 ger cent reduction, which
also was voted on favorably by the
House. Thus when the bill reached the
White House it was $50, ,28l 1926 less than
the sum the department operated on
during the current year.
To operate a department under such
circumstances and SO close to the
beginning Of the next fiscal year, caused
orders to be issued for immediate
retrenchment reports from each of the
six bureaus-the main item being the
plan to throw reluctantly into the ranks
of this country's unemployed 4,093 men
and women.
There remains ray of hope, officials
pointed out, should Congress approve
the proposed amendments in the
omnibus bill now awaiting debate in the
House, calling for forced furloughS
instead of an IL per cent salary cut and
allowing interchanging of appropri-
ations in departments or agencies up
to Is per cent Should the inter-
changing amendment meet favorable
action, the Interior Department could
adjust its funds and keep many of the
employees now slated for dismissal on
a part-time basis, it was said.
1t was pointed out that it is extremely
doubtful whether any of the S1,500,000
appropriated to the National Park
Service to build roads and mountain
trails during the coming year could be
used to avert these wholesale dismisSals.
This amount would pay the salaries of
those slated for unemployment and still
leave sufficient funds to build many
trails in the national parks for tourists
to use for short period each year.
Work for Many Needy.
From a congressional viewpoint,
however, this appropriation will supply
work for many now out of jobs regard
less of Secretary WilburS expression
in letter to Speaker Garner that it
emphasizes local desires instead of good
administration. Commenting further
on this fund, Mr.. Wilbur said Congress
has viewed this appropriation as being
more important than the welfare of
hundreds of well trained men and
women doing needed Government
service. Certainly it seems reasonable
to wait for the improvement of a few
miles Of open road rather than to turn
men and women into the streets"
Just how the Geological Survey and
the other five bureaus of the department
will operate under the curtailment plan
has been submitted briefly to MI Wilbur
by the chief of each division. The
Survey, which performs important
functions as a unit of the interior
conservation organization, has been
crippled with an appropriation of
S9607 TAO less than the current appropri-
alton of $3,l41, TAO. each item in support
of its work being reduced
This bureau must maintain a highly
trained technical staff because of its
recognition as the Federal authority on
facts about available water supply, both
surface and underground, essential to
any well-planned development, but
becoming more widely recognized as
necessary in the settlement of the
country and the growth of the cities.
1t also classifies the public lands from
the mineral and agricultural point of
view, and supplies the engineering and
technical service necessary in admins
tering the leasing laws affecting the
publicly owned deposits of such minerals
as coal, oil, gas, potash and phosphate.
The reduction from $685., 900 to $780,
600 in the appropriation of the Office of
Education for salaries will mean,
according to Commissioner William
John Cooper the elimination of IL
specialists in important fields of edu-
cation. The reduction of $50. 900 from
the funds allotted for the investigation
of teacher training will render impos-
sible the commissioner said, the print
ing of a considerable portion of the
results of the study, making it
unavailable to school officers through
out the country.
Previous Work Wasted.
Elimination of funds for the invest
igation of school finance will result in
the dropping on June 80 of % employees