Evening star., 1937-04-18
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.

Within a day or so President
Roosevelt will send to Congress mes
sage outlining his relief program for
the next year. He will attach to it
q revised budget expected to cut SUBJ
stantially the public money spent for
this purpose.
Mr.. Roosevelt has been struggling
with this task for some weeks, but
expects to have it finished by tomor-
row, and after spending a day or so
writing his message it should be in
the hands of Congress by Wednesday
This has been no easy matter. The
President knows he must start reduc-
Ing expenditures, especially since an
tlclpated revenues of the Government
are not materializing Then, too, the
President is receiving pressure from
various sources not to make any cuts,
and instead, to increase the spending
for relief.
However, this is not campaign year,
and the President can face the facts
and act accordingly Therefore, it is
expected that he will carry out his
announced attention of months ago,
and start slashing.
OF course Mr.. Roosevelt has no idea
of balancing the budget next year, but
he hopes to reduce the total bill to a
point close to it. Naturally this hope
Is based upon the expectation that
Congress will go along with him and
not, in the meantime put through
some unexpected appropriations of
magnitude. He is hopeful of coming
closer to balancing the budget next
year and to actually have it balanced
the year following
Actually the President hopes, in his
Devised estimates, to be only few hun
~dred million over the balancing line
Possibly it will not be more than two
or three hundred million. At first
glance this sounds like lot of money.
but the way the President looks at it,
the amount is trivial and virtually
budget when it is recalled
that the budget is running into the
billions.
Discussing the matter recently the
President said, in the presence of this
writer, that this Is almost balancing
the budget. At the same time he took
particular pleasure in recalling that
last Fall there were many who pre-
dicted that he would run into deficit
OF at least $700,0000 900. He delights
In disappointing these gloomy FORE
casters.
Big Cut Is Seen.
From hints and indications at the
White House the total amount of the
revised budget figures will range be-
tween 81, ,125 100000 to 81 500, 900, 900
This, in the eyes of the President, will
be considerable of cut. considering
that approximately S2,000,0 100000 is
expected to be spent in this fiscal year
which ends June 80 next.
In arriving at final total figure,
the President must decide in the mean
time just how many people he plans to
take care of next year. If he can see
his way clear to cut the relief roll
down to 1,6000 900 people Mr.. Roosevelt
figures he can get along with only
$l,125,000,0 900. If he finally decides
he needs s1,500,0Oo, 900, it means that
he figures on caring for 100000
people.
Many problems face the President
In arriving at a decision in this
matter. Most important of these is
his determination that there shall be
no human suffering. In addition, he
is faced with extra appropriations Of
substantial size which he had not con-
sidered originally. Among these is the
cost of the recent floods in the Ohio
Valley Much of this latter cost was
borne by the Works Progress Admins
tration, which means that there was a
drain on the moneys available for this
relief agency, which as the current
(See RELIEF, Page A-5)