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Show Relief, Recovery and Defense I By JOHN T. FLYNN : ' congresa for national defense, but ' also many millions which he has allocated from recovery and relief re-lief funds. The amounts are very NEW YORK If any American 1 thinks that this government has been skimping on ths matter of national defense, let him look at the following figures. They represent rep-resent the total expenditures for national defense army and navy for ths years 1S33-34 to ths budget Just disclosed by the president. presi-dent. Here they are: 1933-34 ,..$ MA 3." 000 19S4-3S 709 931.000 1933-3 921.6K4000 1936- 37 933.114.000 1937- 3 1.027 Ml 000 1938- 39 1.11910.000 1939- 40 J.68.23,000 Total $6,933,019,000 The last figure, for 1939-40, Is. of course, the president's sstimate and includea 1500.000.000 which he has already asked congress to appropriate. Glance at the column of figures and see how each year ths amount has increased. In 1937-3 it was twice what was spent ln the first year of the administration. Now in 1939-40 the sum proposed is three times what was spent in 1933-34. Tbe whole total la a huge sum nearly seven billion dollars. Relief and Recovery Allocations In arriving at these figures, which are taken from the treasury reports. I have Included tha sums which have been spent from tha recovery and relief funds. Each year ths president has spent not merely tbe sums appropriated by great Hare they are by years: 1933- 34 $ 60.W3.O00 1934- 33 17.S3S,000 1939-3 147.248.000 1934-37 79.004.000 1937-3 o3.735.000 193-39 77,604.000 1939-40 5O,72.O00 Total $645,313,000 About these allocations two very significant features appear. First of all, these are sums not appropriated appro-priated by congress, but eppro-prlatsd eppro-prlatsd by the president himself. Thus In 1939 congreee appropriated appropriat-ed $533,596,000 for national defense. de-fense. But congresa baa been turning over to the president billions bil-lions each year to spend as he likes. And in 193 he appropriated another $176.000.000' for national defense. Much Money Borrowed Second, ths money appropriated by congresa ln each year was apent out of tax moneys. But the money appropriated by the president presi-dent was spent out of borrowed funds. So we have actually In the last seven year apent $645,-000,000 $645,-000,000 on national defense which waa never collected In taxes and which we still owe. The practice of using borrowed funds from ths relief appropriations appropria-tions for army and navy purposes ought to bs stopped. Whatever we epend on national defense ought to be paid for ln cash on the line as we go. Copyright 1M9, for The Telegram. |