The President's News Conference

BUDGET DEFICIT

THE PRESIDENT. I have a number of questions as to whether we are likely to have a deficit in this present fiscal year in the budget. We have deferred giving any final expression to the estimates, that we will need to put up to Congress when it is assembled, until the last moment because we wanted to have the maximum experience with the income, and we have not yet received the figures as to the amount which we will ask for special expedition of public works and other matters. We may overrun our income by some comparatively small percentage, but as we have had surpluses over many years, we probably can stand a little deficit over 1 year without disarranging the stability of the Government.

WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILD HEALTH AND PROTECTION

We have next week here the Conference on Child Health and Protection. The Governors have appointed their delegates, and the mayors the delegates from municipalities, and various associations interested--so that over 2,500 delegates have been appointed.

You will recollect that some 16 months ago I announced the convening of this Conference, and a number of committees were appointed for research and investigation. Those committees were built up until they embrace over 1,200 members, covering every phase and field of child problems. The committees will be able to lay before this Conference the most complete survey that has ever been placed before this country of all questions relating to children's health and protection, covering all the problems of deficient children and handicapped children and normal children and all the varieties of children.

The Conference is for the purpose of coming to conclusions on that material. Those conclusions will have a very important effect in the country in guiding State, municipal, and other activities in these problems. I know that there never has been so exhaustive an investigation and presentation on the subject as will be made next week at that Conference.

And that is all I have got today.