Evening star., 1932-03-13
Mcclellan Seeks 10 Per Cent
Slash in All Appropria-
ton Bills.
CALCULATES REDUCTION
WOULD BE 235 MILLl0 IONS
Tennessean Believes Saving Could
Be Accomplished Without
Lowering Salaries.

Discussion as to how and to what
extent Government expenses should be
curtailed as a means of balancing the
budget is expected to continue at the
Senate end Of the Capitol this week,
with Senator Mcclellan, Democrat, of
Tennessee, seeking to cut all appro-
priation bills by 10 per cent.
McKellar already has an amendment
pending to accomplish this in the In
terror Department bill now before the
Senate, and late yesterday he intro
duced joint resolution broad enough
to make similar slash in all the
other appropriations.
His amendment to the Interior bill
may be voted on tomorrow but his
general resolution was referred to the
Appropriations Committee for study.
There were indications last night of
considerable opposition to this method
OF holding down appropriations by fiat
percentage cut.
S250.0O0,000 Cut Estimated.
Senator McKellar estimates his reso-
luton, If applied to all appropriation
bills, would result in an aggregate re-
duction of between $235, 900, 900 and
$3.50, ,000, 900. He said, however, he be-
lieves this 10 per cent saving could be
accomplished in each department with
out cutting salaries, presumably by
curtailing other expenses. He said his
fear Of cutting Government salaries is
that such step might lead to general
pay reductions outside the Government
service.
Although the McKellar resolution
does not mention specifically the Dis
trict appropriation bill, its terms are
broad enough to affect all appropria-
tions in the budget, except interest on
the public debt and sums actually to
be paid to ex-service men and pension
claimants.
No decision is likely for a week or
more on the points Of difference be-
tween the two houses over the question
of normal promotions for Government
employees and the policy to be followed
IN filling vacancies. These questions
VIII be settled in the conference on
the agricultural appropriation bill, in
all probability. but these conferees have
not been appointed.
House Reverses Stand.
The House must appoint its conferees
first and then send the papers to the
Senate. The House placed a restriction
in the agricultural bill against salary
promotions and prohibiting filing Of
vacancies except where the President
declares it essential. The Senate struck
them out without prejudice" Later
the House reversed its stand by failing
to prohibit promotions in the Treasury
Post Office bill. Although the confer
ence may result in some compromise,
some Senators believe the limitations
will be left out entirely on the theory
heads of departments already are
economizing as much as possible in
these directions.
When the Interior bill is taken up
again tomorrow, Senator Costigan,
Democrat of Colorado, will move to re-
store some of the money for Howard
University, which was recommended by
the Budget Bureau, but cut out by the
House.
Senator McKellars proposed cut in
appropriations IS one of several propo-
sitions which he has worked into pro-
gram of Government retrenchment, by
which, he contends, the sales tax could
be avoided in the revenue bill. The
Senator is addressing letter to Secre-
tary of the Treasury Mills asking for
and comment on his program,
which includes suSpending tax refunds
on wartime taxes.