Penny Wise

Congress, in its attempts to slash the President's record Budget, is cutting some impractical corners. Since the legislators find it difficult to pare down the large items, they are trying to whittle away lesser expenditures. These cuts seriously impair the functions of the agencies concerned. While the Post Office won its battle, the Weather Bureau now finds itself in danger. Its request for funds should not be sacrificed to the insignificant savings which would result from such cuts.

The Weather Bureau's budget has been already reduced one million dollars below the last fiscal year, this reduction despite the salary increase ordered last July by the Civil Service Commission. From the present request, the House has now hacked off two and a half million. These funds are vitally needed for increased research, improved reports, better service for aviation, flood warnings, and agriculture data. Professor Brooks, Director of the Blue Hill Observatory, points out rightly that the increased income resulting from these services would more than meet in tax returns the expenditures allotted for them.

The Bureau's requests amount to about twenty-four cents per capita in taxes. The House's cuts would reduce this to twenty-two cents. It is almost ludicrous to sacrifice important strides in weather services for an annual saving of two cents per taxpayer. Professor Brooks notes that, in 1956, there were about 175 million calls requesting weather information. At an average of seven cents per call, the Government netted over one and a half million dollars in taxes from these calls, which more than compensates for the expense of the reporting services.

In its haste to placate a public which, as always, seeks tax reductions, Congress can seriously jeopardize vital services by making cuts which will have little or no revenue significance. The Senate subcommittee now considering the House's reduction of the Weather Bureau's budget should restore the funds, and convince the House to do likewise.