Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-07-09 | Page 6 | Needs of Budget

NEED OF BUDGET. The national budget committee, headed by John T. Pratt, has opened a campaign to secure the adoption of a national budgetary system by congress. con-gress. Associated with Mr. Pratt in tho organization are Benjamin Strong, governor of the federal reserve bank of New York; Paul M . Warburg, Joseph II. Colton and Henry J,. iStim-son. iStim-son. Committee members assert that with certain amendments tho budget bills now before congress will insure an annual saving to tho government of more than $.300,000,000. Mr. Pratt comments upon the campaign as follows: fol-lows: The need for a budgetary system in the I 'ntted Suites has been apparent for yearn, and old world financiers havo looked in amazement upon the slip-shod methods with which we havo baen paying pay-ing hills and cstlmatinsr costs. Debts of appro inui lely $5,000,000,000 have appreciably lessened the count rv-'g total wealth of $250.000. (X'O.OOO. The time has come for rotrunclmient along1 all lines. Two essential foa tures of this new thrift movement, especially adapted to the postwar reconstruction period, are the preparation of die budget . and its consideration by congress. In Knfrla i id all money bills originate with the crown. In America they should originate with the chief executive, for he, better than anyone else, knows the nation's needs and the ability of its citizens citi-zens to provide for them. A permanent, nonpartisan organization of bankm and business experts "in the office of the president" would have the advantage of departmental advice and oriK'nal investigation in the preparation of requisitions. It would be the duty of this bureau to consider departmental money needs as a whole nnd to balance them with the nation's total income. The budget, once prepared, should be turned over to a single committee of the house instead of being submitted to a dozen or more committees for consideration. consider-ation. House and senate rulings should insure that the president's budget be made the sole object of consideration. No recommendations recom-mendations as to how the nation's rev- emie needs are to be met should be submitted to congress by any other officer. of-ficer. The administration and congress should get together and agree upon some workable plan. The interests of the country would be best served by having a system adopted while the two branches of the government belong to opposing political pa rties.