The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-17
Roosevelt Wants Government A.
fairs Placed on More Bus
iness Like Basis
Is & .dITTEE is NAMED
; To MAKE INVESTIGATION
Calls Special Attention to Endless
Amount of Letter Writing In
All Branches of the
Government.

1oVernment.
Washington. June 1s-The President has
appointed a committee OF nve to report to
him on improved methods of doing the
public business in the various bureaus and
departments.
The scope and character of the work
expected of the committe Is indicated
in the following letter addressed to
Charles H. Keep, assistant secretary of
the treasury, by President Roosevelt:
You are hereby designated as chair
man of a committee to consist, In addi-
tion to yourself, of the following four
gentlemen: Frank II. Hitchcock, first as
sistant postmaster general; Lawrence o.
Murray, assistant secretary of commerce
and labor; James r. Garfield, commission
er of corporations. and Griffin Pinchart
forester department of agriculture. who
are to investigate and to find out what
changes are needed to place the con-
duct of the executive business of the
government in all its branches on the
most economical and effective basis in
the light of the best modern business
practices. In making this investigation l
would like you to have in view the Sc
curing of an Improvement in business
methods, particularly among the follow
ing:
I'm the preparation of decisions for
ministerial approval, expert knowledge
Of actual conditions affecting or af-
fected by such decisions should govern as
distinguished from knowledge of the rec
ord alone.
Salaries Should Be Regulated.
Salaries should be commemorate with
the character and market value of the
service performed and uniform for SINH
lar service in all departments.
Government supplies except such as
are required to meet emergencies or for
immediate use in the field should be
standardized and purchased through a
central purchasing office. 1t is the duty
of the accounting and auditing officers to
facilitate executive work. Fiscal restric-
tions or regulations should not interfere
with executive discretion, should be uni
form and should be as few and simple as
consistent with accuracy and safety
Systems of bookkeeping and accounting
should conform to the most approved
modern business methods.
me existence of any method. stand
ard custom or practice is no reason for
it's continuance when a better one is Of
fered.
THE comparative cost of all work for
which cost keeping Is possible should be
ascertaned as between officers and de-
ne ~ ac haf 40
ment and private enterprise. and should
be followed By the adoption of standards
of cost.
Departments Should Work Together.
There should be systematic inter-de-
partmental cooperation In the use of ex-
pert or technical knowledge. The busi-
ness methods of the different departments
should be substantially uniform In the
adoption of methods and the performance
of work every step which is not clearly in
dispensble should be eliminated.
LAS between the adoption of uniform
standard and the actual efficiency OF
any office the former must yield.
mo recommendation for change should
be made until after full consultation with
all executive officers affected.
There should be published an official
gazette to contain all executive orders.
statements of changes in organization or
personnel, reports of important work be-
gan. in progress. or compiled by any de-
partment, advertisements of all govern
ment contracts, all legal notices not re-
quired to be published locally notices of
coming civil service examinations. etc.
Correspondence Should Be Brief.
"a resoIute effort should be made to
secure brevity in correspondence and
the elimination of useless letter writing.
In all branches of the government there
is a tendency to unnecessary and large
ly perfunctory letter writing. In the
army and navy the increase of paper
work is a serious menace to the efficiency
of fighting officers who are often re-
quested by beaurocrats to spend time in
making reports which they should spend
in increasing the efficiency of the bat
tleships or regiments under them. As
regards this matter you will please con-
fer with the assistant secretaries of the
war and navy departments and request
them. to submit to me a scheme for doing
away with the evils referred to. In civil
departments the abuse OF letter writing
amounts not merely to the waste of time
of the government servant responsible for
it but also to the impeding of public
business.
please consider also the matter OF
enforcing accountability for property"
Not to Discover Irregularities.
It is officially pointed out that the
committees work is not to discover ir-
regulariues or to criticise the business
of any office or individual but to ex-
anime business methods as outlined
In connection with the prospective work
of the sommittee Secretary Shaw today
announced two quite radical changes in
methods of making disbursements. Dis
bursting officers are required to make
requisitions for the amount Of money Ia
cover monthly payments. In practice they
nearly always ask an amount somewhat
in excess but the secretary has directed
the treasurer hereafter to require the
pay rolls 10 be presented and to regulate
payments whenevr the check calls fol
an amount in excess of the payroll
He also has ordered all salary, payments
in the Treasury Department and the De-
partment Of Commerce and Labor, ex.
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