Evening star., 1941-05-21
Footing the Bill


retary of the Treasury Morgenthau's
suggestion to Congress that one bill
lion dollars be cut from non-defense
expenditures, President Roosevelt's
recommendation for a reduction of
s1O9 100000 in the original budget
estimate for work relief in the next
fiscal year suggests at least some
effort toward retrenchment in what
have come to be considered normal"
expenses.
1t is doubtful however, that this
recommended reduction properly can
be viewed as one of the sacrifices
which the President repeatedly has
said are necessary. And until the
contrary is shown it also may be
doubted whether this scaling down
of one prospective outlay will lead to
any net reduction in non-defense
appropriations.
The lowered request for work relief
Is based on the wholly reasonable
in private industry as result of de-
fense spending will curtail the de-
mand for w. P A. jobs. Thus, 1t
would seem that the cut in work re-
lief spending is not to involve sac
rifce on the part of any present
benefciaries but is merely in the
nature of an adjustment to new job
opportunities created by other Fed
eral spending.
And when the requested cut in the
W. P. A. appropriation is viewed
against the entire background of the
attitude of Congress and the admin
istration toward non-defense out
lays, it we'll may prove to be wholly
insignificant.
At the present time, Mr.. Roosevelt
has before him bill which raises the
crop loan rate from Is to IS per cent.
Although this increase, made by
Congress, is purely political in ma
ture and devoid of any economic
justification, Secretary of Agrieul-
ture Wickard assured farmers that
the President would sign the meas
ure. If he does sign it, and he
probably will, for the bill passed by
votes of rs to 2 and 275 to 63 in the
Senate and House, the resulting
added cost to the Treasury certainly
will do far more than wipe out the
w. P. A. saving. If the farmer is to
be called upon for any sacrifice, 1t
Is not to be found in anything that
Congress or the administration has
done to this date.
Much the same attitude prevails
with respect to organized labor, an
other politically important element.
without the slightest discourage
ment from the administration, Or
ganized labor has demanded and has
obtained substantial wage increases
in. virtually every important indus
try. These increases will 60 to meet
the higher living costs which will be
certain to follow approval OF the
farm bill, but ultimately they will be
paid in large part by the taxpayers
through increased cost to the Gov
ernment of it's defense commodities.
And to what taxpayers is the Gov
ernment looking for the necessary
revenues? All of the people will pay
something through the so-called
hidden taxes, but the great burden
the real sacrifice-apparently is 60
ing to fall on corporations and per-
sons in the middle and upper income
brackets. Although the persons in
these categories are actually a small
minority of the total population,
they, of course, should pay their
proportionate share of the defense
and non-defense bill. That they will
do this, and more, cannot be doubted,
but it is equally certain that they
would make their contribution more
willingly if there were evidence
of a determination to dispense with
special favors and require real sacri-
fees from all rather than a minority
Of the people.