The Wilmington morning star., 1940-01-16
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
By PRESTON GROVER

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-Understanding the
budget is easy and you should not become be-
wildered about anything you see or read, eth
er in the magazines, the newspapers or even
that source of all worldly wisdom, the Congress
sional Record.
The budget is always in balance. To begin
with, you add up everything congress is going
to spend. That will be a lot Of money. Usually
it is a half billion or SO more than the Presi-
dent suggests. That is the spending side.
To balance 1t, you simply add together the
amount Of money that will come from taxes,
which will be about two-thirds or three-quar-
tiers of the amount spent. Then add to that the
deficit. 1t always comes out even that way
and after all, Uncle Sam has lots Of money.
Three Types
The budget itself Genes in three sizes. There
is the pamphlet edition which contains the
Presidents message, only not quite all. It also
contains the tables, only not quite all, either.
The middle weight edition, in a forest-green
color, is approximately two times the size Of
the pamphlet edition. 1t is about a halfinch
thick, a good full pound Of earnest reading. 1t
contains everything in the pamphlet edition
and much more.
In it are all the tabulations, and many OF
the ttemized expenditures. From it you can
learn that the personal funds of inmates of
narcotic FARMS" amounts to s50,451.
The middle-weight edition tells you that
Funds contributed for sewerage system, Fort
Monroe, Va," amounted to $1S,500.
How to Look
Then comes the master edition. It Is a daisy
1t is a little larger than the telephone book
for Cleveland but not quite so large as the
one for the Manhattan district Of New York
city. In it you really get down to brass tacks
Take the navy appropriation, for instance
1t begins on Page A65 and the outstanding
item there is $50, $50 for care Of Lepers Is
land of GUAM Last year they were down
for $37, 900.
Two pages farther along you come to Total
navy department." Read that, but don't be
convinced. Total expenditures for 1941 are
listed there at 1881, Isl, $50. Now that is sup
posed to be all that the navy will spend In
the year beginning next July /, but 1t isn't al
that congress will give them. Over in another
column is "Total appropriated" That Is $so4,'
54o,oS7. But there is "a footnote to that wnlch
reads: Together with appropriations OF 49,
OIL, 900 in 1889 and contract authorizations Of
$40. ooo,o 900 in 1871; $22,o7o,ooo in 1910 ano
SIS, 900, 900 in 1882"
Are you following? -
But total appropriations is misleading. II
is the total, only not quite. Turn to page ASe
under the heading Of public Works." Follow
half way down the page and you find Navy
Department" Isn't that cute? A sort OF Urea
sure hunt. That item is for 0,00o,0 600. 1t also
has a footnote which reads:
Together with unexpended balances fron
prior years." -
Even that isn't the total. Already this year
with the new congress just at the teethlng'
ring stage, there is a request before IT Ior an
appropriation for the navy-and otner depart
ments. You add the amount In that 10 LII
unexpended naval balances, appropriations. ex'
penditures and public works allotments ther
divide the total by the square root OF thurs
day. The answer is 81, 224. 521,sss That IS the
amount the navy will receive TINS year.