Evening star., 1939-12-31

Upper, Representative Sam Ray-
burn Ieft) and Senator Alben w.
Bdrkley (riqht), 1cho 1pill be the
legislative field n1drShdlS OF Presi-
dent Roosevelt at the ne1D session
of Congress.-Photos by Under
Uood, A. P. and Horydcsak.
ton in Congress, although Senators and
Representatives may want large say as
to how the money shall be spent. If the
President asks for $4,000, 900 900, as has
been intimated In some circles, there will
be insistent demands that the figure be
reduced. Only few members Of Con-
gress will publicly argue that present de-
fense expenditures should be cut.
Spending Cuts Seen Likely.
How will the increased expenditures be
met? There is every indication that the
forthcoming budget estimates will show
astonishingly large decreases in the rec
concentrations for other departments OF
the Government. with sharp curtail-
ment of services, subsidies and relief
payments.
Budgetary estimates are secret until
made public in the Presidents volum-
inous report to Congress. His forth
coming message will be sent to the Cap
itol Thursday or Friday and, if the walls
of departmental heads are well founded,
1t will ask for less than the $4,000 000, 900
he originally requested last year.
The first session of the Seventy sixth
Congress set an all-time high by appro-
priating $1334s, 600, ,OOO but this included
amounts for reserve accounts of old-age,
railroad, civil service retirement and 9TH
er special funds. When these are de-
Quoted, the actual cash outlays for the
current year will approximate $10,000,-
100000. So, while asking Congress to in
crease national defense costs by $500 ,000,-
0G0, the President will insist that ether
appropriations be cut to the bone unless
additional revenues are provided or the
$45, ,000, ,000,0O debt limit is raised.
This maneuver will put the RESPONSE
bility on Congress for increasing next
years deficit over the expected $3000,-
100000. The President wants to avoid the
blame if Congress repeats its perform
ance of giving an additional subsidy Of
$376, 900 900 to farmers without imposing
taxes to cover the increase As under
stood now, the President will propose cuts
in the regular appropriations of the Ag-
riculture Department, the Civilian Con-
servation Corps, the Reclamation Serv-
ice and hundred other bureaus and
agencies. It is possible that the budget
message will carry uncertain figures for
the 1s4l relief appropriation, together
with promise that exact figures will be
transmitted in the spring after business
trends have been studied. The current
relief appropriation is $1,477, ,000, 900 and
Work Relief Administrator Harrington
has said that If business continues at its
present rate this sum will be sufficient to
last until June 80.
In an effort to reduce the prospective
deficit, Mr.. Roosevelt has abandoned,
temporarily at least, such grandiose and
costly plans as the national health pro-
gram of Senator Robert F. Wagner Of
New York, and there has been virtually
no talk of reviving the administrations
spending lending" bill, which passed the
Senate, authorizing total loans of ST.
| 615, 100000. The House pigeon-holed
this measure, but it could be called up
| for consideration if the administration
should exert pressure. AS approved by
| the Senate, the bill authorized the fol-
| lowing loans: Public Works Administra-
| ton, $3.50, 900 900; Rural Electrihcation