Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-09-25
Economy rhieh save. Nothing

The evil effects OF the psrsimony displayed
by the last Congress hate been seen In various
ways since the adjourn OF that body
Heads OF departments and bureaus were called
upon to cut down their est inmates, and in many
cases did 80 under protest, understanding as
they did that such injudicious economy would
result either in retardisg thetrsnsaction of i'm
portant public business, and consequent in
Jury TO the public interests, or else a heavy de-
hclency bill at the next session. All this was
fully set forth, but the reply OF the sppropria-
tiOn committee was, "we cannot stop to argue
this matter; your estimates must be cut down.,
The boast of economy by the politicians is an
available electOneering device, but intelligent
constituents Of candidates desiring reelection
had best wait until the close of the next session
tefOTe attaching credence to this delnsive
clam. The deficiency bills of next session made
unavoidable by the cutting down pro-
cess Of the last ard the aggregate
amount Of appropriations for the next
hseal year will tell the story, and only then can
the ECONOMY" 50 mnch Wanted be properly
estimated. We have just had an illustration of
the effect Of this policy in the Treasury De-
psrtment, where 500 600 worth of work has
been taken from the department and given 10
three New York bank note companies. The
Commissioner of Internal Revenue is directly,
and Congress indirectly, responsible for pol
A(s uAGtCu U UEcak uShu one OF the most
important bureaus of the government, and for
throwing out Of employment just as the winter
il coming on, hundreds of deserving women,
many of whom are the widows and daughters of
men who lost their lives in their country's sar-
vice, ard who have come here from distant
states TO secure honorable If not remunerative
employment. While IL is true that no law of
Congress enjOins upon the Commissioner OF
internal revenue the duty of advertising for
proposals for printing the revenue stamns ha
FELT compelled in self defence to ascertain if
this work could not be done cheaper than
by the government, since the proper committees
of Congress demanded the reduction of his
estimates. IL il questionable, however whether
he was fully justified in taking such action be-
fore be had ascertained the lowest figure at
which the work could have been done by the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 1t is IN
derstOod that that bureau could, by the exer-
else Of rigid economy, involving probably a
reduction Of salaries, have done this work at
least as cheaply as the New York companies;
but this fact was not known to the Internal
Revenue Office, nor were any pains taken to
ASCERTAIN it, until the bids Of the companies had
been opened, and II was too late then to recede.
The result will be that the government will Sc
cure the printing of the stamps in question ont
side OF the department, at a figure seemingly a
few thOasand dollars less ID an under the present
rates Of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
and the New YORK company with which thu
work Is divided, which rates, as before stated
might have been reduced even to the mini
mum ct the successful bank note companies.
We say seemingly less, because, when the
greater Iisk of lOss to the government is taken
into the account, it may turn out that II ia
saving at tie spigot and wasting at the bung
Here, with an almost perfect system of checks
and balances. auv loss o
mistake or fraud is hardly among the possibll-
titles. In New York, with the responsibility
widely scattered, this risk il much greater and
TO this must be added the further risks besides
the cost Of transportation. That the govern
ment may lose and not gain by the change ia
not only possible but probable. The question
is frequently asked, "Why cannot the poysrn
ment successfully compete with private corpo-
ratiOEs in the cost of engraving AMI
printing its own notes, bonds, stamps, &c?,
The two principal reasons are, first, be-
cause the government pays its employees
better wages, and second the government is less |
exseting than private corporations as regards
the hours OF labor. And yet the government |
can hardly be ACCUSED OF extravaganza in fixing
the compensation Of the class Of employees re-
Tered 10, for IL i confessed by in the case of
f6malts, scarcely sufficient to meet the neees-
sary wants Of even the most economical 1t ia
net pleasant to contemplate the fact that four
hundred needy women with no means of sup-
Port are about to be thrown cut of employment
IN this city and the possible evil consequences
which may ensue. Il is TO be hoped that Con-
gress will finally see the propriety OF sustaining
instead Of treating with indifference a branch
OF the gOTernmeut so useful aud 80 successful
in fits results as the bureau of engraving AMI
printing.