Evening star., 1951-03-16
House Unit Cuts
Treasury and
Postal Budgets
$2,958,125,00 Asked,
$36,525, 900 Slice
Is Recommended

The House Appropriations Com
mlttee today recommended a $685.
$4,000 cut in next years budget
of the Treasury and Post Office
Departments.
That represents reduction of
about 1.3 per cent under the
amount President Truman asked
for the two departments for the
fiscal year starting July /.
The committee asked the House
to cut that much from the ST.
958, 900 requested, applying
$11 ISL 900 of the reduction to the
Treasury's request for $597 PSI 900
and $25. 5.374,000 to the $780,
874,000 sought for the Post Office
Department.
There were no substantial re-
ductions recommended for any
of the subordinate bureaus and
agencies which make up the two
departments.
Debate Scheduled Tuesday.
The bill will be debated by the
House next Tuesday. 1t is the
: first of the departmental budget
bills to be presented to the House
this year. The Appropriations
Committee abandoned last years
system of Jumping the entire Fed
eral budget into a single measure,
Compared with this years ap-
preparations for the two depart
ments, the bills total represents
a cut of $88,021, 300.
In addition to the cash in the
, bill, there is provided for the
Treasury Department approx
mately $11.5 billion in so-called
, permanent appropriations and
trust funds, the largest of which
is $5.8 billion for interest on the
> national debt.
! Other items in this group in
a clude such things as receipts for
the old-age and survivors insur-
ance trust fund and the unem-
! ployment trust fund which are
appropriated to the Treasury and
4 paid out by that agency. They
n vary in size from year to year and
I many of them are not charges
against general revenue.
n Supply of 81 Bills Low.
t The committee approved the
full $15,834,134 requested for
printing of new currency. 1t
noted that the supply of 81 bills
has reached dangerous low.
To enable the Bureau of Gus
toms to carry on a drive against
smuggling and other illegal ac-
tivltles, the committee approved
funds to continue for another
year the employment of 2O7 new
positions created recently.
The committee cut $3.5 million
from funds requested for the In
ternal Revenue Bureau, leaving it
$252. 2.008, 900.
1t provided no funds for new
personnel and chided the bureau
for having deferred the employ
ment of new personnel for which
funds were provided in the pres
ent year. 1t said it found no ap-
, parent need for additional help
now.
Funds wefe approved for 80
t additional Bureau of Narcotics Of
J flcers to fight the illicit drug
: traffic. The committee voiced con-
: Germ over increased drug addic-
, ton, especially among younger age
groups.
;; White House Police Fund Approved.
The full $647,000 requested by
the Secret Service for the White
House police force was approved.
The committee noted that esti-
mated postal revenues of $1,83e,-
100000 would leave the depart
ment a 1852 deficit of approxi-
Y mately $500 million. Part of this
l ueIlclI, Che committee said, may
: be cut by proposed postal rate in
| creases.
The money taken in by the Post
Office Department goes to the
Treasury. The requested appro-
priations are intended to cover the
D departments total operations ex-
e penseS and thus take care of the
deficit.
The committee turned down the
departments request for money
to hire 200 additional postal in
spectors and 35 postal clerks, but
'' said it does not object to employ
ment of additional inspectors if
, the department can finance the
program from available funds.
1t added that the department
is dragging it's feet when it comes
to the installation of modern me-
.chanical equipment" in it's large
city offices.