AMERICAN BUDGET

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16210, 7 December 1926, Page 5

AMERICAN BUDGET

INCREASED ARMY VOTE BUT LESS FOR NAVY BIG AVIATION PROGRAMME. (Elec. Tel. Copyright— United Press Aeen.) (Australian nml N.Z. Cable Association.) WASHINGTON, December 6. President Coolidge in his Budget speech asked Congress for move than four billion dollars to run the Government for the fiscal year ending 1927. Ho declared he wanted the preparedness expenses kept down in peace time, and announced lie would refrain from asking for appropriations 'or th.'ee cruisers authorised for constructwn. He also sought only part of .'he rmrey authorised for construction. Ho also sought only part of the money authorised for starting the Government's five year aviation construction programme. Taxation questions occupied most of the speech. The President estimated this year's surplus as 383,079,095 dollars, and the 1928 surplus as 200,703.863 dollars, but he claimed that the 1928 sur- :

plus would not have too large an operating margin. Mr. Coolidge recommended Congress to reduce taxes for the first six months in 1927, and urged that the amount of relief should depend upon the surplus it was desired to divert from debt reduction to tax reduction. He asked for

jan appropriation of 680,'507,642 dollars for national defence, saying the coun- : try is now engaged in negotiations to broaden the existing treaties- with (he great Powers which deal with the elimination of competition in naval armaments. The President asked for 366,722.141 dollars for the War Department, which is an increase of 12.000.000 dollars, and 313,815,500 dollars for the navy, a decrease of nearly 12,000,000 dollars, and 82,500.000 dollars for the promotion of aviation for national defence and comjinerce. Of the last-named sum 73,477,1 380 dollars is to be allotted to Army and | Navy aviation, embracing 20,600,000 dolI lars for new planes, and 2,400,000 for ; the construction of aviation barracks. j The President recommended that the construction of an airship of 6,000,C00 j cubic feet capacity included in the programme approved by Congress be delayed until tests are made on-the 3.000,000 dollars all-metal airship authorised. Other votes asked for ranged from 50,000 dollars to 2,500,000 dollars for a postal air mail service, operations of coastguard, a seaplane fleet, forestry I patrol planes, and weather observation planes. The President also requested a vote of 30.000,000 dollars for prohibition enforcement.