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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1957)
Ashland Man Presents One Point On View of Federal Budget Size Editor's note: The suthnr nf the following article, C. L. Williams of Ashland, Is a former employee of the Pott Office department in Wash ington. D.C, where be assisted In preparation of Port Office budget estimates. From 1954 to 1356, he aerved as secretary of a national organization of retired civil em ployees. His article presents one point of view on the size of the fed eral budget, and of what citizens can do to keep check on it.) By C. L. WILLIAMS Why doesnt Congress put a stop to governmental waste and extravagance? .We all know it isn't doing so, and if we want confirmation the best obtainable we can get it from a 1952 report of one of the most powerful of all Con gressional standing committees, the House Committee on Rules That report says in part: "The Congress under the pres ent set-up is virtually at the mercy of the executive branch and its various bureaus." "The result is that many mil lions of dollars have been appro priated in excess of the amounts actually nejded properly to car ry on the functions of the Fed eral Government." Imbalance Cittd While the second-quoted para graph mentions "the Federal Government," the first one leav es no doubt that the executive branch is the target. Still more Impressive evidence of the exist ing imbalance among the three branches of government can be found in the President's 1958 Budget Message. It reveals that of all appropriated funds ex pended in 1956, the executive branch spent almost 99.8 per cent. The legislative and judicial branches together shared the re maining .2 of 1 per cent. Nor can the difficulties of those in Congress who have to pass on requests for funds be adequately told by figures alone. To the increased size of such re quests has been added a greatly enlarged complexity created by the expansion of the executive branch into a bewildering vari ety of technological fields. This expansion has brought to the government payrolls technical and professional experts by the thousands; and, inevitably, the requests for funds of these ex perts are couched in the techni cal terms of their particular spe cialties, in language with which the layman is all too often un familiar. The result is that the Congressman on an appropria tions committee is not infrequ ently placed in the unhappy po sition of having to pass on the , need for funds to initiate or maintain a project beyond the cope of his knowledge, argued for in terms he does not fully comprehend. The dilemna of the appropria tions committee members is well expressed in the House Rules Committee report, previously referred to: "... the various Federal agen cies are staffed with literally thousands of technical and fiscal experts. In contrast the Appro priations Committees (of the House and Senate) . . . are staff ed with a mere handful of peo ple, most of whom are necessari ly limited to the performance of clerical duties." "The Federal Government has grown so rapidly and has become so enormous and complex that it is impossible for the Congress, particularly in the field of appro priations, to operate efficiently with the same machinery that was set up at the beginning of the Republic ... It is impossible for the Congress to operate in the atomic age with ox-cart ma chinery." What To Do? Faced with the prospect of a continued waste of his dollars, what then can the taxpayer do? He can, of course, always insist that his national legislators shar pen up the Congressional paring knives and lop off the fat from appropriation requests. But, in the light of what has been said, can he be sure that the Congress will always be able to distin guish the fat from the lean? Across-the-board percentage cuts have been tried, also, but they don't work well, either. To quote again from the Rules Committee report: "Flat percentage cuts improp erly affect in the same degree two entirely different kinds of agencies: (a) those whose offic ials are conducting constructive and useful activities in efficient, economical fashion, as against (b) those who are making no ef fort to do a good job." It seems, then, quite useless to hope that the problem can ,be solved with a Congressional meataxe. "Real Source" Isn't it about time some thought was given to attacking the real source of the difficulty? Why not bring some pressure to bear up on the waster himself? He has to render an accounting for the money he spends, an accounting that is spread upon the public records for all to read who care to do so. It is a curious fact that we Americans seem little dis posed to hold the head of an ex ecutive department (or indepen dent agency) directly responsible for unwise spending. Instead, we prefer to lay the blame upon our Senators and Represenatives. The truth is that most of us know very little about how our tax money is being spent. Once we have met the tax collector's demands, we're glad to forget the whole unpleasant business. And what could be sweeter for the waster? There is not need for us to re main in ignorance of Federal government spending and oper ations. Government bulletins, manuals, treatises, reports, pam phlets and documents of all kinds flow from the presses of the Government Printing Office in an unending stream; and there are few aspects, indeed, of the national government that they do not tell about in great detail. If we'd spend on these docu ments a small share of the time we devote to the sports pages of our favorite newspaper, we could pinpoint the waster and blast him from office. Anybody got a better idea? Partial Eclipse Will Be Visible in Area April 29 Bt FAY BONTLEY The continued cloudiness of recent weeks has been more than a bit disappointing. I had hoped so much for clear skies during Mercury's sojourn in the western heavens but though the day might be sunny, by early evening, clouds invariably shrouded the location of the "winged messenger." Through breaks in the sky's dark covering, Mercury was vis ible on three different evenings and although I've observed it many times in the past, this was the brightest appearance it has been my privilege to enjoy. Having the smallest and the largest planet, in the sky at the same time proved an interesting feature. Though Mercury was obscured there would sometimes be a clear or nearly clear patch of sky in the southeast and Jupi ter, mightiest of all the planets, would shine with a non-twinkling, steady light. Too Near Sun Mercury is now too near the sun for observation, but Jupiter jvill be visible (given clear skies) during the weeks of spring and summer. By 8 p.m., it is high in the southeastern heavens, but is gradually moving westward. By the first of June it will be high in the southwest at 8 p.m. and by July 1, darkness will reveal the "king of planets" to be in the southwest about midway be head point On the celestial agenda for April in addition to stars, plan ets, and a comet, there is an eclipse of the sun. On April 29, the earth's nearest neighbor in the havens reaches the new moon phase or "dark of the moon" as it is sometimes called, and will travel directly between the earth and the sun producing a solar eclipse. Partial Eclipso However, only a p ar t i a 1 eclipse will be visible in north western North America. Ap proximately one-tenth of the sun's area is all that will be darkened by the moon's shadow, even at mid-eclipse. But, even so, this will prove interesting to many observers. The black "bite" will begin to show at 5:15 p.m. (PST) when the shadow of the moon starts encroaching on the face of the sun, and will continue to grow until 5:43 p.m. when it will have attained maximum size, cover ing about one-tenth of the sun's disc. From that moment the shadow will begin to recede as the moon moves on its orbit. The "bite" will grow smaller and smaller, disappearing entirely about 6:10 p.m. Serious Injury Looking directly into the sun may result in serious injury to the eyes and great caution snoum arways be exercised in Sunday, April 28, 1957 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE ELEVEN negatives may be used to sub due the sun's glare. A shade over a window with a western exposure may be pierced with a small hole caus ing a pinhole image of the sun to be shown on the wall opposite the window. The dark shadow or "bite" can be observed in the reflection on the wall. If a white screen is placed behind the eyepiece of a tele scope fixed on the sun, the solar image will appear on the screen, thus enabling a number of peo ple to observe the phenomenon at the same time. During the year of 1957 there will be four eclipses; two of the moon and two of the sun. Dis appointing enough, only the par tial solar eclipse of April 29, and the beginning of the lunar eclipse listed for the early morn ing of Nov. 7, 1957, will be vis ible from this part of the world. NEEDS A LIFT Atlanta (U.P.) Fifteen min utes late for an appointment, city elevator inspector Nelson T. Yancey explained he had been trapped in a stalled, self-service elevator. SCENE NOT HEARD Pittsburgh U.PJ Five-year-old Ruth Ann Fuchs slipped out of the house for a stroll Friday without a stitch of clothing. Ruth Ann lives on Plainview Street. , The University of South Da kota now has 17 third genera tion students. The Family Council Editor's not: The Family Council consists of a Judge, a psychiatrist, three clergymen, a newspaper editor, a women's editor and two writers. Each article Is a summary of an actual report. The Family ConncU does not give advice; It merely reports on problems that have been dealt with by responsible agencies ana counselors. MONEY At Crater Finance you may borrow for any worthwhile purpose on your FURNITURE - AUTO SALARY and repay in monthly install ments. You may choose the terms most suitable to you up to 24 months. Loans may be paid in ad vance or in full at any time. Crater Finance CORPORATION 135 Pine St. Central Point Phono NO 4-1273 Frank Wilkinson, Mgr. Convenient Parking Patricia D. I am investing in our lifetime home Clifford D. She is trying to keep up with her rich sister. Patricia D. My husband and I are both in our mid-20s and have been married three years, We have no children yet. When we were first married. we had very little money and started out in a furnished apart ment. We could just about man age our food and rent bills. Since then, we've both been quite lucky in going on to bet ter jobs and are making good pay. There is every reason to believe that our income will greatly Increase in the next ten years. .. I have been buying some good clothes and fine things for our home. I never had these things a a child, but I have good taste and I like expensive things. My nusband says I am splurging and wants me "to go easy on the money." He thinks we ought to save, but I feel I am invest ing in our lifetime home. We have had very bitter arguments ebout the whole thing and I am beginning to think we just don't share the same values. Clifford D. We used to be so much happier before we had any money. The only recreation we could afford was walking and tlking together and that was fun. Now I never really see Pat. She is always busy shopping and all she ever talks about is clothes and what she is going to buy next. I feel that Pat is trying to keep up with her rich sister. After every visit to her sister's home, she comes back depressed and brooding. Then she goes out : and buys a fantastically expen sive lamp or piece oi silver. We'll never have the kind of money her sister and brother-in-law have because they are in business and we only have our jobs to depend on. When we have children, Pat's job will be gone and there will only be my salary. Pat thinks I'm just a boor and don't appreciate the finer things in life, but I don't see any sense (easy) WATERLESS SHAMPOO FOR PETS ("b on A new all weather shampoo for dogs. No , fuss ... no muss. You simply rub Dry Bath on t your pet and towel off. If s economical too... costs just Q a few cents a bath. CLEANS DEODORIZES KILLS FLEAS DRY BATH v5v in training your eyes to be big ger than your pocketbook. e The Council: Nobody can tell Pat and Clifford how much they ought to spend on clothes and home furnishings. Only they can judge the potentialities of their income and only they can de cide what things are most im portant to them. Pat's expensive lamp may bring her more hap piness than a vacation trip, but she should realize that her hus band is right about the fact that a salaried person must impose limitations on himself, and she will have to make sacrifices for her "good taste." Pat should also realize that good taste does not always require a high financial outlay. With effort and imagina tion it is possible to indulge in good taste without emptying the cupboard. From Clifford's ac count, it would appear that Pat has made the common mistake of seeing beauty in only the ex pensive. There is no end to this "conspicuous consumption" and if Pat continues to use her sis ter's buying as her guide, she cooms herself to frustration. Pat should also depend less on material things for her hap piness. It may be that it is she, rather than Clifford, who lacks appreciation for "the finer things in life." On the other hand, Clifford should realize things that may seem extravagant to a man may be almost a necessity to a wom an. A woman s clothes and her home are usually the main ex pressions of her personality and he should not impose more re strictions on her than necessary. (Copyright 1957, General Feature Corp.) 4 CLUB NEWS Eagle Point Outdoor Living, Cooking Club The meeting of the Eagle Point Outdoor Living and Cook ing club was held April 20 at the home of James Wert. Pres ident Ann Higday took charge of the meeting. The club s April 26 pie social was the discussion topic. George Barr of Alber's Feed and Seed was suggested as auctioneer for the event. Jim Ackerman, Acting Reporter. A LENGTHY 'VISIT' Chicago (U.R) Anthony Mc Gauley, 55, is convinced his wife is never coming back. McGauley sued for divorce Thursday on the ground that he has waited long enough for the return of his bride who never came back from a "visit" to Scotland 29 years ago. Daily's U-Drive Medford Airport tween the horizon and the over- this matter, bark glasses or old Buy At Builders Supply QUALITY BLOCKS Bricks, Flues, Drain Tile 727 W. McAndrews Ph. SP 2-4107 n OSCAR OH I SAYS . . . "Beautify Your Home With PABCO ASBESTOS SHAKES Durable, Fireproof Lifetime Guarantee VARIETY of LOVELY COLORS ALL TYPES of ROOFING FREE ESTIMATES GIVEN at YOUR CONVENIENCE (at No Obligation for You) NO DOWN PAYMENT! 36 MONTHS TO PAY! Check our Prices Before You Buy EKERSON'S PAINT & ROOF STORE 22 Years in Business 619 E. Jackson Phone SP-3-3631 X t It tt. . . - t i unca upon a time, mere was a w ,man who bought a great, big. dinosaur. That's what he called it. Actually, it was a great, big :.e automobile. It was so hTcr it wouldn't fit into his garage; J JSo he had to rebuild the garage so the car would fit 'When the man drove the car on the road, it guzzled gas like an intercontinental bomber. He ' was known as the gas station's best friend. And when his wife went to the grocery store, or the drug store, or the beauty parlor, she spent half her time trying to park that big, Jong juggernaut of a car. ii; II ks m - m t-i 1 Finally, the man and his wife flipped their lids. "We've had enough of " this nonsense" they said. "Let'jv get an economical European car."' So they looked at one but it ' wouldn't hold all their family M i - jibii j ii s.iiiwB'ps'ijji; W'twymm wgww,"'f 'f wmrrfT''-m Mf mtmv!9kmiMP'W-i j'wi niiwu i miminwu i-m mint 1 t:J Recent V. the man and his wife , M Thpv fnnnrl thpir Ramhler hart rnst wmf TM - t XI !ir l i TM 1 t,. at,... I..I..J .1 1L- I.. ? 4 ou wen mey luureu ai we umy car JPW mat nas Dig-car roominess and comfort, f plus European-car maneuverability, and economy. It was a Rambler. It was as pretty as a speckled pup. It fitted in their garage and left i room for them to go in aijd out, too. When they loaded up the family, 'there was room for five kids and three dogs, and them, too. And ' they had more fun on trips, with beds to cap te Juds" And when they drove up to the gas station, their old friend the manager gave them sour looks. "You're k only usin' half as much gas," he groused. "What are you gettm', 30 miles to the gallon?" ... , & Recently, the man and his wife , decided to trade their '56 Rambler in on the new 1957 Economy 6 ' model. They found that Rambler has the highest trade-in valueof all low-priced cars. So they started figuring... "" 1 They found their Rambler had cost less than half as much to own as their old "dinosaur". Now they , could afford to own two Ramblers. Were they happy! So they bought a new 1957 Rambler 6 and a new .Rambler V-8, too. Hhey got lowest-priced All-Season' Air Conditioning that adds so much to resale value it may repay its full cost when you trade again. And they got Airliner Reclining Seats that make Twin Travel Beds, ';. .' mil .11 aagLi'v'iiMsl'Miiiirsw If I fT 1 If you're tired of feeding a dinosaur, try Rambler. Prove to yourself you can own two smarter new Ramblers for the cost of one big gas-guzzler. And Rambler's lots more fun to drive. Pi 1 "I ebTHfairyTnvite you're come in and road test Ramble? V8 or G America's loWSIt priced, smartest car. See for yourself why this car wiTl fif your motoring needs bVtfer than any car built today" Paul Lea HUDSON TT T"D A lUTmnTPmTTDCsJ metropolitan RAMBLER IJUIIlI 1VU W JUL WllQCV REBEL 5th at Bartlett Medford, Oregon Phone SP 2-6185 PARTS AND SERVICE ON ALL AMERICAN MOTOR CARS HUDSON RAMBLER NASH METROPOLITAN REBEL "fcSjSW
