* 



i 



t \ 



i 



The President's official budget called 

 for 361 million dollars (1361,000,000.- 

 00), an increase of 140 per cent for the 

 Department of the Interior (J. A. 

 Krug, Secretary). The official budget 

 called for 184 million dollars ($184,- 

 000,000.00), an increase of 820 per cent 

 for the Department of Commerce (H. 

 A. Wallace, Secretary). The Depart- 

 ment of Labor (Lewis B. Schwellen- 

 bach, Secretary) has a 1946-47 budget 

 of 128 million dollars (|1 28,000,000.- 

 00) or 433 per cent over 1938-39. The 

 President asked Congress for 1 billion, 

 594 million dollars ($1,594,000,000) for 

 the department of agriculture, Clinton 

 P. Anderson, secretary. This is $409,- 

 000,000.00 over pre-war appropriations. 



In addition to appropriations for the 



riavy and War Departments and the 



interest on the public debt, the Presi 



dent's budget calls for expenditures of 

 more than I7I/2 billion dollars ($17,- 

 500,000,000.00). This is about three 

 times as much as was spent for all such 

 purposes before the war. This 17^4 

 billion dollars for "ordinary" expenses 

 of the Federal Government is almost as 

 much as was spent for all federal pur- 

 poses during the peak of expenditures 

 during World War I. It is equal to 

 more than the entirp national debt in 

 1930 (161/^ billion dollars). The sum 

 of 1714 billion dollars is equal to the 

 combined value of all farm production 

 in the United States in 1939 and 1940. 

 It is equal to 15 times the value of all 

 farm products produced in Illinois in 

 1945. 



In addition to the maintenance of 

 War and Navy Departments and for 

 the payment of interest on the national 



debt, the principal uses for federal 

 funds are to pay contractors to purchase 

 materials and to pay salaries and wages. 

 At the latest available report (May, 

 1946) there were 2,848,000 civilians on 

 federal pay rolls. This is an increase 

 of approximately 180 per cent over 

 1940. As compared with 1930, the 

 number of federal employes has in- 

 creased by 500 per cent. 



It is difficult to measure the produc- 

 tivity of 2,848,000 federal employes. A 

 few contribute services, the value of 

 which is beyond measure. A substantial 

 number provide services more or less 

 equal to the amount p>aid them in wages 

 and salary. A great many, however, 

 contribute little or nothing of use or 

 value to farmers or other citizens. 



(Continued on page 21) 



SHE HAD SO MANY 

 CHILDREN, PAPA DIDN'T 

 KNOW WHAT TO DO . . . 



By L. H. SIMERl 



lAA Director, Research and Taxation 



iM- 



>RD 



lULY- AUGUST. 1946 



