Evening star., 1950-12-27
Mr.. Byrds Wise Counsel

Ayt3 W. S0Nu9CE
In letter to President Truman. Senator
Byrd has set forth powerful arguments for i'm
mediate action to reduce military Federal
spending by total of between ST and So billion
year. His main point is hardly open to dis
pute: Such action, along with further tax in
creases is vitally needed to keep our Nation
fiscally intact at time when it must be as
strong as possible in every particular in order
to cope with "the most perilous of all threats
to our freedom"
Written in response to the Presidents De-
cember Is statement that the Budget Director
has been INSTRUCTED to reduce non-military ex-
pendltureS to the minimum required to give
effective support to the defense effort" Mr.
Byrd's letter is in effect an appeal to Mr. Truman
to exercise vigorous leadership and work closely
with Congress for the attainment of that objec-
tive. Mere token economies will not be enough;
they must be drastic if the country's security is
to be properly served.
There is self-evident need for heavy cuts
AS Mr.. Byrd has said in his letter, the Federal
debt was little more than 81 billion when we
started to prepare for the First World War, and
little more than $40 billion when we began to
do the same for the Second World War But
now it exceeds a quarter of a trillion dollars
having fattened steadily on diet of deficits in
that the latest tax increases voted by Congress
may raise the Governments revenues to a total
OF around $51 billion in the current fiscal wear.
there are strong indications that military re-
qulrements will boost our outays to about s75
billion in fiscal 1852, which begins next July l.
This means, in Mr.. Byrds words, that within
the next twelve months-even without a full
scale War-the Nation will be operating on an
annual deficit of $25 billion "unless we reduce
expenditures and raise taxes still further" In
the circumStances-Since the continuation of
such red-ink financing could lead to an internal
economic setback gravely affecting both our pre-
paredness effort and our free enterprise system
1T is imperative, as Mr.. Byrd has declared that
the President and Congress, wholly apart from
what they may do in the field of higher taxa
ton, cooperate on program of sharp retrench-
ment in non-essential spending in the budget
to be put into effect for the new fiscal year.
In saying all this, Mr. Byrd has not given
voice to mere pious generality His economy
proposals are specific. Presented in itemized
fashion, they urge, among other things: % The
saving OF $500 million by ending the "extravagant
use OF civilian manpower" by our armed forces
which now employ about l civilian for each 2
men in uniform-aS compared to a 1-to-5 ratio
during the Second World War CO A reduction
OF $35 billion in foreign economic help much
ol WHICH is now being OVerlapped by military
assistance to our allies And 90 slash of s36
billion in non-defense domestic spending incud-
ing the postal deficit, n-essential public works
housing, State-aid programs agricultural price
supports, social welfare ETC.
All told, if adopted by the President and
Congress, Mr. Byrds proposals would add up to
saving of $7.6 billion. In his opinion, however,
that sum should be considered only starting
point for additional economizing and he be-
heves that even when and if his suggested cuts
are substantially exceeded, "a third tax increase
will be in immediate prospect" OF course, it
may be possible to argue with details of his pro-
gram, but in principle there can be no denying
that something like it will have to be put into
erect for the safety of the Nation
Actually, as far as our domestic civilian
outlays are concerned, the reductions advocated
by Mr.. Byrd would still leave those outlaws at
level about IS per cent higher than in fiscal
ls46. Accordingly, there seems no good reason
why sharp retrenchment cannot be made
Certainly, in critical times like these. the Gov
ernment should feel urgently impelled to end it's
lnefflclency, get rid of deadwood and cut down
on non-essential spending. Any other course is
an invitation to trouble of the worst kind. Mr.
Byrd has offered wise counsel on that score