The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-01-22
Washington DIG,
Bureau Of Budget Assumes
New Legislative importance
Director Harold D. Smith Responsible Only to
President; Real Value Lies in Counsel
Given to Nations Lawmakers.
By BAUKHAGE
Nesvs Analyst and Commentator.

WNU Service, 1343 II Street, NV,
Washington, d. C.
A budget that bites.
That is what the United States gov
eminent will have If Harold Dewey
Smith, director of the bureau Of the
budget since April, 1889, when Amer
lea started its astronomical spend
ing, has his way.
He is not concerned with the size
Of Uncle Sans bill alone-his job
is to see that the dollars appropriat-
ed by the congress 60 to work, that
no dollars are appropriated which
aren't needed to do the job the con-
gress wants done, that no two dol
lars are doing the same job.
I thought 1t would be interesting
to take look at the man who had
just given his okeh to the biggest
budget in American history while
the ink on the report was still damp.
So wendell my way up the curling
staircase of the solemn old State De-
partment building to his office (sec-
ond-foor 'front.' and was ushered into
the presence Of Mr.. Smith, bland
faced gentleman from Kansas with
a middlewestern accent like the one
which echoes through my natal corn
fields. The last conversations be-
tween Mr.. Smith and the President
were taking place just before the
1913 budget message was complet-
ed. Mr.. Smith, who budgets his own
time as well as the governments
money, gave me some fiscal philos-
ophy between pipe-puffs.
"a budget should be an admins
trative TOOL" he told me quietly,
speaking with a happy combination
of the poker-faced accountant and
the old-shoe cornerstone crony.
Budgeting for governments-mu-
nicipal, state, nation-were the re-
suit of the efforts of the reformers,
he explained. But, as usual, when
the reformers had the laws passed
they ran off and left them to adj
minister themselves. The result was
that budgeting dried up into book
keeping routine.
81 have a new concept of budget
ing" he said with fortnight mod
esty that characterizes his remarks
about his work, "any clerk can add
up figures" The real job of the
budget bureau is to examine the
programs of the administrative
agencies for which the cash is to be
spent, to weigh their significance in
terms of economic service-not just
publish a report every year as big
as a dictionary that serves to con-
fuse the public.
The year before Smith came into
office the bureau Of the budget had
an appropriation of 1877 thousand dol
lars-30 thousand of that went into
the publication of the bound report.
In other words, the agency which
bottlenecks the spending of billions
had $50 thousand to spend on itself.
Separate Entity
The bureau by law is a separate
entity which is under no department.
The director is responsible to the
President. The bureau reports to
congress.
at is staff agency" Smith point
ed out, detached, objective, crit
ical."
Today in Washington there is no
doubt that this detached and objec-
tive criticism has become a powerful
element in the writing Of laws of the
land. Before bill Is passed it goes
under the microscope Of the budg-
eteers. Smith, it is generally admit
ted, has as much influence on the
President, when it comes to the for
nation of policy which is frozen into
law, as any man in Washington. He
reviews every bill which is passed
and advises whether the President
should sign it or veto it.
But the real, constructive value of
the bureau of the budget which has
been given a dynamic force under
Smiths direction, is the advice and
counsel it can render in advance Of
the passage of legislation.
Proponents of a bill ask the budget
bureaus advice before they present
their testimony to the committees
which pass life or death sentences
on a measure. And it is Smiths
idea to make this an increasingly
positive function; to compile fire.
quent important technical reports on
proposed programs for the guidance
of the committees.
The budget bureau has always con-
suited with the departments and
agencies and the common practice
of department head is to ask for
more than he expects in the hope he
won't get much less than he wants.
Smiths idea is to provide active CO..