The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1892-09-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, August 26.-There i
nothing more farcical in the Govern
ment service than the committees that
are from time to time appointed by the
heads of the several departments to de-
wise ways and means of reducing the
expenses of some particular bureau and
increasing the efficiency of its work.
These committees, composed usually of
the class of employees to whom any radi-
Cal change in the time. hOnored red.tape
departmental customs would appear sac
rilege, waste a few weeks time in pre-
pairing a report recommending the cut
ting off of some trifling item of expense,
and the work of retrenchment is con-
sidered done, until another Secretary
comes in and appoints another commit
tee, composed in all probability of the
same men, TO 60 through the same farce.
One of these committees was recently
appointed by the Secretary of the Treas
ury for the purpose of revising the roll
of employees of the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing, and recommending an ad-
justment of compensation and reclassi-
fication of the force, and this week it
submitted its report, a synopsis of which
appeared in the local papers under the
head, "cutting down expenses" A
careful reading of the long and most
carefully prepared report shows that the
recommendation of the committee, which
have been approved by the Secretary
and put into effect, will result in an APP
parent annual saving of the enormous
sum of sos. 1t is dollars to last years
birds nests that the savings of five years
under this retrenchment will not be
as much as the expenses attendant upon
the sittings of that committee. 1t is
only when one thinks of the millions
spent each year by the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing that the full abb
surdity of committee solemnly recon-
mending an annual reduction il its ex-
penses of S26s becomes apparent.
No man who knows anything about
the methods of doing business in the
Government departments will deny that
reforms are needed, and that the bust.
ness of the country could be more eff.
GENTLY conducted and for a great deal
less money than is now spent, but these
reforms will never be brought about by
the appointment of committees, every
member of which Is deeply interested in
maintaining the present status. 1t is my
firm belief that If non-partisan COM
mittee If practical business men were
given the authority to go into all of the
Government departments, investigate the
present cumbersome methods and sub
stitute therefor those in vogue in pro-
gressive private business establishments,
that at least one-fourth of the present
clerical force might be dispensed with
and the general efficiency of the service
largely increased; but these business
men would have To be taken from cities
entirely removed from Washington infiu-
ences, which are always in favor of add
ing to the number of Government EN-
ployes.
The International Monetary Confer
ence has received another set back. This
time il is the prevalence of cholera in
European cities, which adds to the diff
Guilty of selecting place for the meeting
of the conference Nothing is yet known
here about what the Gladstone govern
ment of Great Britain proposes doing in
relation TO the conference. 1t is now
thought that il will be late in October
and possibly November before the con.
ference meets, instead of in September
as at first supposed.
MIR. Herbert, the British Charge d. AZ