Evening star., 1934-08-13
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

The Government emergency
agencies" have been given, in round
figures, u billion dollars Of Govern
ment funds. They have expended
billion and they have unexpended
balances of the remaining billion.
These are official figures, not esti-
mates, from the compilation which is
now a new feature of the daily state
ment of the United States Treasury.
The publication, in readily intelligible
form of the exact financial status of
all the various outside-the-bu budget
agencies. is an innovation for which
the taxpayers may thank Secretary of
the Treasury Morgenthau. Whatever
camouflage may be applied elsewhere
regarding Government finances, the
Treasury figures are devoid of hocus-
pocus. The sources of funds of the
various agencies have been in part
specific appropriation by Congress
and in part statutory and executive
allotments from the $4,000, 900, 900
public works fund last year and the
emergency appropriation act Of the
present year-$1 ,426, 900, 900. A third
source of funds has been loans and
advances from the r. F. c. to its
brother and sister agencies. The ex-
act total, as of August l, of the funds
appropriated or allotted to all the
emergency agencies was $l2,670, ,468,-
900. The agencies had expended in
July, $261, IT'S, 900, and during the ifs
cal year of 1884, which ended June 80
(and prior years., a total of $6,452,-
846, 1000. Their unexpended balances
on August / totaled $685., ,844, 900.
In addition to these huge sums the
President had funds at his disposal,
not yet allocated, amounting to 400
million, and the P. w. A. unallocated
funds of "a million.
A Sunday press conference is q
brand new stunt which was pulled on
the Washington newspaper corps this
past week end. Well advertised in
advance, with warning that important
news was to be vouchsafed, Donald
Richberg, whose new title is executive
director of the National Emergency
Council, and James A. Moffett, the
new Federal housing administrator
met the Washington correspondents
the middle of Sunday afternoon. The
place of the interview was not any
Government Office, but the cool and
commodious lounge of the National
Press Club. 1t is supposed to be a
trade secret of the Capital newsmen
that, other things being equal, Mon
day morning offers the best chance in
the week to break into print. That
| is upon the supposition that Sunday
| is a slim day for news, especially
Washington news, hence the Monday
papers are less crowded, and the COM
petition for space and for head
lines less keen. Propagandists and
politicians are alive to this idea and
are prone to pick Monday morning
to release" their statements, calculat-
ing thereby to enhance their chances
of being printed and perhaps making
| the first page. Customarily these
ready-made news dispatches are dis
tributed couple of days in advance,
thus tightening the Sunday labors of
the reporters. The putting over" of
a Monday morning story via Sunday
press conference is new frill.
x X
Pertinent to present discussion of
constitutional age limits for public
Office is the case Of the famed John
Randolph of Virginia. Randolph was
born in 1773 and elected to Congress
in 1899. AS he marched up to be
sworn in, the Clerk of the House
said, How old are you, Mr.. Ran
dolph?" ASK my constituents" was
the laconic reply. Another instance
In the Theodore Roosevelt Republican
tidal wave of 1904, an Illinois dis
trict elected an obscure congressional
candidate who was much below ths