The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-06-21
GET RID Of RED TAPE
PRESIDENT NAMES COMMITTEE
TO SUGGEST REFORMS.
Present esethe1s OF Dolne Business
In An the Departments to Be
Inquired into 10 See u rsore
cSncsent Service Cannot Be naa,
Some Of the Evils.

"ss~A8S~0S S0AS0 w. NO pxUoAs
dent has appointed . committee Of 1--WE
to report to him on improved methods
Of doing the public business in tho Va.
rious bureaus and departments.
In q letter addressed 10 Charles H.
Keep. assistant secretary Of the treas.
ury. Prssident Roosevelt says:
"You are hereby designated a.
chairman Of committee to consist in
addition to yourself Of the following
four gentlemen: Frank II. Hitchcock,
first assistant postmaster general;
Lawrence o. Murray. assistant score
tary Of commerce and labor; James
R. Garfield, commissioner of corpora
tions, and Clifford Pinchott, forester,
department Of agriculture, who are TO
investigate and find out what changes
are needed to place the conduct Of tho
executive business Of the government
In all it, branches ON the most CO.,
nomical and effective basis in the
light OF the best modern business prac-
tice.
Custom RAY De Improved.
Salaries should be commensurate
with the character and market value
OF the service performed, and uniform
for similar service in all departments.
"The existence Of any method.
standard, custom or practice 10 no
reason for its continuance when q bot.
ter 10 offered.
There should be systematic depart.
ment operation with expert technical
knowledge. The different departments
should be substantially uniform. The
adoption of methods and the perform.
ance Of work, every step Of which 10
not clearly indispensable should be
eliminated.
A resolute effort should be made
to secure brevity on correspondence
and the elimination of useless letter
writing. There 10 q buresucrat who
believes that his entire work and that
the entire work of the government
should be the collecting Of papers in
reference to case, commenting with
eager minuteness on each, and CORE.
spending with other officials in refer
ence thereto. These people really care
nothing for the case, but only for the
documents il the case.
Desires Evils Removed.
"In all branches of the government
there is tendency greatly to increase
unnecessary and largely perfunctory
letter writing. In the army and navy
the increase Of paper work 10 serious
menace to the efficiency Of fighting
officers, who are often required by
bureaucratic to spend time in making
reports which they should spend in
increasing the efficiency Of battleships
or regiments under them.
''As regards this matter you will
please confer with the assistant score
taries of the war department and navy
department. and request them to sub.
init to me scheme for doing away
with the evils referred to.
I'm the civil departments the abuse
of letter writing amounts not merely
to the waste Of time of the government
ser can't responsible for 1t, but also to
tho impeding Of public business.
PLEASE consider also the matter Of
enforcing accountability for prop
erty."
II 10 ofacially pointed out that the
committee WORK 10 not to discover ir.
Irregularities Of business In anv ONCE,
but 70 examine tho business methods
~ outlined.