Evening star., 1951-04-06
3.4 Billion Increase
For Military Buying
Requested by Truman
By John A. Giles

President Truman has asked
Congress to increase the armed
services buying authority for the
current fiscal year by another
$6,422 100000.
The third supplemental request
for military spending authority
for military spending authority.
issued yesterday, would raise the
total outlay for the fiscal period
ending next June 80 to $48.2 bill
lion.
The request was more than $3.5
billion less than Mr.. Truman had
estimated in January would be
needed additionally during the
period. It is designed to cover
fiscal deficiencies which have de-
veloped in the expansion of the
armed forces toward a goal Of
$4,000 officers and men by
June 80.
Army Would Get Biggest Share.
More than half of the requested
outlay would go for major pro-
curement and facilities-$1.1 bill
lion for aircraft, generally for
tooling up of plants; $2.3 billion
for ordnance, signal and other
equipment. and $139 million for
ship building.
The Army, which intends to
have the greatest manpower ex-
pansicn and will be beyond its
planned strength of around 1.5
million men by June 80, would
get the biggest share-$2.8 billion.
The Air Force is next with $1.9
billion and the Navy. including
the Marines, $1.6 billion.
There also were indications that
the defense budget for the 1852
fiscal year-which is to be sub
mitted late this month under pres
ent plans-will run from $50 bill
lion to $63 billion. The initial,
unscreened departmental requests
for the period totalled more than
500 billion.
New Works Bill Expected.
The President also is expected
to send up new public works au-
thorization bill within a month.
A Defense Department fiscal ex-
pert said the initial public works
total submitted before screening
within the service departments
would have scared you and in
cluded everything anybody wanted
for some time to come"
But he added that non-essen-
tial projects now were being de-
leted.
The actual expenditures-money
paid out-probably will be be-
tween $19 billion and $40 billion
for the current fiscal year, the
fiscal authority told reporters.
Checks written thus far total $12
billion.
This official doubted that an
nual military spending, barring
an all-out war, would reach al
$50 billion level predicted in some |
quarters. He thought that spend
ing might climb to $48 billion by
fiscal 1853 and substantially level
off for an average annual rate of
$35 billion. He made the predic-
ton on the basis Of material
prices remaining on present levels.
The third supplemental request
included $1.6 billion for pay and
allowances, etc., needed for the
buildup in military strength over
the 1851 second supplemental re-
quest. OF this $1.2 billion would
be allotted the Army.
Related expansion of stations
and equipment would take 1852
million-the Air Force getting $713
million.
The request also included 5000
million for Air Force construction
and SIT million for Navy buildings.
With the latest request, this isl
the picture of the buying author
ity granted by Congress to the
military for the fiscal period which
started last July /:
The regular appropriation bill,
which was framed before the start
Of the Korean war, $13, ,272, ,000, 900;
the first supplemental. enacted
September q, $11, ,724, 900 900; Sec
ond supplemental, enacted jan
uary 6, $16,794, ,000,0 and the
third supplemental, 6,422, 900. 900.
Total, $48, 8,222, 900, 900.