Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1932-05-05

Washington, D. C., May The move
for economy in governmental expenses
seems to have become really serious.
To be sure, everything that has been
done in that direction so far is COM
plicated by efforts to gain political adj
vantage, but congress at last has be-
fore it a definite program prepared
by one of its own committees which
would result if put into effect, in very
materially reducing the cost of run
ming the United States.
There is no likelihood that the COM
mittee's economy bill will be adopted
by both Houses in the form in which
it was introduced The Presidents
friends, especially in the Senate, will
fight hard for the substitution of Mr..
Hoover's plan of laying off govern
ment workers one month in each year
instead of reducing their salaries. II
is regarded as probable, however, that
the rest of the Presidents principal
recommendations, which are embodied
in the bill, will be adopted. The most
important of these is the authority
given to the President to consolidate
bureaus and shift personnel from one
department to another. The commerce
department, for example, may have
fifty per cert more employees than
are needed to do the work, while the
interior department may be working
small staff overtime in some of the
| bureaus.
In any kind of a business organiza-
ton surplus employees III one depart
ment would be shifted temporarily TO
any department that was short-handed
but not so in government work. The
clerk appointed to a position with the
department Of commerce stays with the
department of commerce, and II the
| department of interiod is shorthanded
they've Just got to go out and put
some more people OF the payroll.
1t is quite probable that one of the
biggest fights on the economy program
! will occur over the proposal to con-
solidate the army and navy into the
department OF national defense. This
will be opposed by both army and navy
men, and the chance of its adoption is
| regarded as doubtful.
In view of the protests by business
men, manufacturers and financiers
against many of the proposals in the
tax bill as adopted by the House and
/ changed by the Senate committee, II
| begins to look as if the, new tax law
would be a COED deal more satisfactory
to everybody who has to pay taxes
than had been feared. The immediate
result Of the publication of the terms
4 Of the House tax bill was to scare
/ everybody who has a dollar that might
be taxed. There are signs that the
soak the rich" idea which took pos
session Of the House for a while is mo-
so popular as It was.
Whether credits and currency can 81
expanded on the present gold basl.
to a point which will bring about ;
worldwide rise In commodity price
is doubted by the House committee oi
coinage, weights and measures, which
has been conducting an investigation
into the relation Of the decentralization
Of silver, which has been going on al
over the world, to the price of com
modities. As result OF this investl
CATION, the committee has introduce
resolution asking the President I
call An international conference o
commodity prices with special refer
ence to silver, in the hope that thu
NAV result in a restoration of silver
! the position it occupied in the man
systems of the world before the wal
Some surprising facts were brough
out in this silver investigation. Fey
people realize that every Europea
country has reduced the amount {
silver in its subsidiary coinage, SO tha
the silver money of England, France
Germany, Italy and practically all tn
rest OF Europe, does not now represer
anything like its face value. That an
the establishment of the money {
India on a gold bullion basis, by tn
action of the British government, ha
resulted in cutting the value OF tn
silver coins Of India, China and Mex
co which include about half OF tn
! population of the world, squarely
half. That has reduced the power
these countries to buy goods fror
abroad, the prices Of which are meas
ured by the gold yardstick, with tn
result that either international trad
, has ~ come to a standstill, or price
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avg, !. f,,,ors, hayra n l.