Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-04-21
Interior Fund Is Cut
47%byHouse Group;
5000 Face Release
Holf Of Slash Taken
From Appropriation
For Reclamation


An unprecedented At per cent
budget cut was recommended for
the Interior Department today
by the House Appropriations
Committee.
Slashing vigorously in it's prom
lsed meat AK drive to chop S6,OOO,-
100000 from President Humans
$37 500 100000 Federal budget for
1948, the committee sent to the
House floor Sl56 ,538,513 bill to OPP
crate the Interior Department for
the IL months starting July /.
This is sl3S 1881 GOT below the
Presidents budget estimates. s101.-
362,l73 under current appropria-
tions, but $26,860.053 above the
departments last prewar fund in
1898.
/ With single exception-the Fine
Arts Commission which received
the full $4,000 it requested, every
one Of the departments far-fung
activities felt the committees AK.
If Congress follows the commit
tees recommendation, the Division
of Power and the Division of Geog-
raphy will be abolished, the Oil
and Gas Division will be cut down
to hot oil'' act enforcement activ-
tiles, and thousands of Interior De-
partment empoyes will be looking
for jobs.
Reclamation Bureau Hard Hit.
And such multimillion dollar agen-
cies as the Reclamation Bureau, :
the Bonneville (Oreg.) Power Ad-
ministration, the Bureau of Indian
! Affairs. the Geological Survey, the
Bureau of Mines, the Fish and Wild
life Service and the National Park
Service, will be required to get along
on sharply trimmed budgets.
/ The committee approved $3.50.
900 for road work in Alaska-a cut
! of S603 000-after hearing Army Of
f1cials stress the Importance of high
ways to support military bases in
the northern territory.
| Well over half of the entire re-
duction in the bill was applied to
the Reclamation Bureau. A battle
/ to restore some of the funds will
| be fought out on the House floor
when the measure comes up for de-
bate beginning Thursday.
! The bureau asked for Sl45 ,952 200.
The committee gave it $62. 7l7,600,
cut of 83,234600 However, with
money left over as a result of a
1947 presidential freeze order on
construction, the bureau will have
Sal ,085 1867 available to it next year.
the committee said.
Reductions Not Arbitrary"
Here's a thumbnail summary OF
what the committee recommended
for other departmental activities:
Secretary's Office, 1924 900, a re-
duction of $2,862, 500; Bonneville
Power Administration, $6,907 800, a
$l3, &c, 200 cut; Southwestern Power
Administration, $1,37l 900, slash of
81, 554 900; Bureau of Land Manage
ment, S3,618,500, down $1,388, 800:
Indian Affairs Bureau, S33 ,122,1 1873,
a reduction of $11 ,387,3 1877 Geologi-
cal Survey, S9,113,230, a cut of So
991 $40; Bureau of Mines, $40 1888, 875,
reduced $4,250845 from the budget
estimate; National Park Service.
s10,304,655, down $4.250,845; Fish
and Wildlife Service, $500 800, a
s4.377, $50 slash: government of the
territories, $4,000, 400, reduced by
s6l4,3O0.
/ The committee acted on the
recommendation of a subcommittee
headed by Representative Jones.
Republican, of Ohio, which con-
Quoted long hearings. In printed
form, the testimony filled three
volumes totalling approximately A.
900 pages and weighing more than
10 pounds.
I'VE gave the departments esti-
mates most thorough consideration.
Mr.. Jones told reporters None OF
the reductions was arbitrary; all are
within reason. No essential activity
will be crippled"
Construction Referred.
The cuts recommended, Mr.. Jones'
committee said in its formal report,
represent only a beginning in re-
ducing appropriations to a sound
level"
/ The recommended reductions in
! this bill do not mean that your
committee is unsympathetic to or
is unaware of the economic values
OF irrigation, reclamation, and the
sound use OF hydroelectric power
(See INTERIOR, Page A-4D