The Washington times., 1905-10-29
A Significant Saving.

The departmental estimates for the
hscal year ending June 80. 1907,
promise to have an unparalleled in
terest. Those already announced re-
veal an annual saving of more than
10000, 900, of which perhaps 81 ,0oO, ,O00
promises TO be continuous. as due to
the elimination of unnecessary items
of expense from the regular accounts
of the service.
Secretary Taft's budget discloses the
greatest cut On the maintenance of
the army and the Academy at West
Point he saves sG39.73O. This reduc-
tion may very reasonably become
permanent. A greater single saving
is accomplished in the estimates Tor
army constructions-sea coast forfi-
fications, military posts. and the i'm
proyement of rivers and harbors-
wherein sS,ST6,415 is taken rom the
sum allowed for similar work this
year.
So much Of this saving concerns
army posts outside of Washington.
or engineering constructions which
have only slight connection with
the departmental service, that il does
not touch the Capital closely. Neither
does the single move announced by
Secretary Hitchcock, who. by the
adjustment of a single commission
expects to save S25G,000 annually.
The most significant reduction in ex-
penses Is that announced by Secre
tary Metcalf, who has reduced the
yearly allowance required for the
operation of his department by over
100000. This is distinctly a reform
In the civil service, and ii is worth
the careful attention of Washington
lana
How the Secretary OF department
like that of Commerce and Labor. a
department for the most part made
up of old bureaus. conducted for
years with economy and caution
without any single dead-wood com
missions costing s250.OOO, and with
out the opportunity of reducing its
force merely by cutting down the
held OF its operations-how the head
OF such department could reduce his
annual estimates by nearly a quarter
or a million dollars !; q question
close to the best interests of the
whole civil service The means have
been explained unoficialIy.
There was some consolidation of
divisions-although not nearly 90
much as could be accomplished ware
the department under one roof. as n
should be-but the larger items of
saving consisted Of money appro-
prfated and not spent When a va
cancy arose on the roll Of clerks
there was the business mans in
quiry TO find out II the work could
not be done without filing II. AS
result the saving on salaries alone
amounts to several thousand dollars
Where two or more divisions seemed
TO be doing similar work for the
subordinate bureaus of the DEPART
ment there was the business mans
inquiry again-this time to see If the
divisions could not be consolidate,
The result is a plan for abolishing
several bureaus outright as soon as
the department can be brought to-
gether in one building, and one bn-
reau Is TO be abolished at once. Lump
sums allowed either for specific work
AS the enforcement of the Chinese
exclusion actor for nse In the dis
cretion of the Secretary-as in the
general contingent fund-were ex-
pended in an attitude of Let us see
how much is actually needed for the
work we have III hand" and not, as
has beer too often the case. IT'S a
bad policy to turn anything back.
The result was a saving of nearly
100000 out Of the fund for enforc-