New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-30
MANY REFORMS PLANNED
INSPIRED BY PRESIDENT.
In proDed Methods IN Treasury and
Other Departments.
rrrox rnr THEME RrREar.l

Washington. oct 29.-President Roosevelt :
announcement. individually and publicly. OF ad-
r,,inistratve Investigations for the correction nj
abuses and Improvement OF methods to say
nothing OF uprooting graft, eNempiihed as IL
has been in the Postoffice Department. the Ind
ian scandals and the public land frauds. is hav-
ing a stimulating effect on the heads of other
departments Of me government. and the annual
reports Just about due viii fairly bristle with
notent suggestions for reform. Congress VIII
receive every one OF these suggestions. il may
be confidently predicted. with the hearty in
,so-ser1ert OF the President. and II 1.-THE OF
Them are favorably acted upon. the INlllth
Congress at its first session viii justly reflect
a norton al least OF the reform spirit and IN
SEPARATION OF the White House.
Some OF the big things in the way Of reform
suggestions are looked for from the Treasury
Department This department is charged with
auditing the accounts OF every other depart
rnent. and. as has been outlined in The Tribune,
a plan is being put forward for complete re-
organization. through an act OF Congress. OF
the auditing force. The suggestion is that the
auditing departments be consolidated in build
ing TO he erected for that purpose, preferably
on q lot owned by the government directly
across the street from the Treasury Depart
ment
Another important exhibit which il is said
Secretary Shaw is to include IN his annual re-
port is the enormous difference in cost OF collect
ing the internal and customs revenue OF the
country. The last annual reports OF these two
services show that to collect S230.oOO,eOO Of IN
sernal revenue cost the government only S4,691,-
COO while the cost Of collecting S2oIooOoeo OF
customs amounted 70 S7.673.OoO. This wide els
crepancy between the expenses OF the two col
lecting services shows not only a great loss TO
-, fs.4 a OF dis
satisfaction, especially in the internal revenue
branch. The salary OF a collector OF internal
revenue is limited 10 $1,000 a year, while deputy
collectors who are charged With the collection
in many cases Of millions OF dollars, are limited
10 So 600. The cost OF collecting 81 Of internal
revenue is only one cent and seven mills, while
the cost OF collecting 81 Of customs duties
ranges all the way from over 500 in some ports
70 one cent in the larger ports For instance,
the deputy collector OF internal revenue at
Peoria III. collects SS4eoOOoO a year, ana re-
ceives for his services 5000, while the collector
of customs at New-orleans gamers s1lllllall ae
something like S60000eo, and the expense OF
maintaining his Office makes total of S','SOeO'
the salary Of the collector being $500 The list
of customs ports where il costs more than II 10
collect 81 numbers forty-three.
This great source OF leakage or unnecessary
expense is declared TO be due IN great measure
TO Congress. A customs port is created by
special act. which fixes the salary OF the col,
lector No uniform practice has been Io4loWeu
by Congress in this matter but the enthusiasm
az the member proposing the new port generally
measures the salary OF the collector. In The IN
terual revenue service. Senator sherman Sc
cured the adoption OF an amendment many
years ago which stipulated that the salary ana
fees OF q collector Of internal revenue should
not he more than 81 600 a year. while deputy
collectors should receive only half that sum as
their maximum pay. Some such limitation as
10 the salaries of collectors II customs IS re
garded perhaps the most eficacious and easy
means OF rnr0edviug the present enormous eN-
,,ense OF collecting the customs revenues Tor the
government. That something along this liIle -
10 he advocated ia the annual report 81 the Sec
retafv Of the Treasury is regarded AS certain.