The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1905-06-22
FOR OFFICIAL REFORMS
The President Urges Sweeping Changes
in Methods.
PAY IN PROPORTION TO THE WORK.
100 Much Time Vested 10 Perfunctory Letter
"rting-OificiaI Gazette. Uniform Stah4.
ards Central Purchasing Office for Supplies.
and Business Methods Iu Bookkeeping Urged
Paper Work" a Menace IN Army and Navy.


ana Business Methods 10 Bookkeeping Urged
"PsPer Work" Menace In Army and Navy.
Washington (SpeciaD. - The Presi-
dent has appointed a commission of FIVE
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 committee is indicated
IN the following letter, addressed to
Charles II. Keep, assistant secretary of
the treasury, by President Roosevelt:
You are hereby designated as chair
/ man OF committee, to consist, in addi-
non 10 yourself, of the following four
gentlemen: Frank II. Hitchcock, first
assistant postmaster general; Lawrence
" Murray, assistant secretary of COM
merce and labor; James r. Garfield.
commissioner of corporations, and Gif-
ford PlnchOt, forester, Department Of
agriculture, who are to investigate and
Ind out what changes are needed to
place the conduct Of the executive bust
ness OF the government III all it, branches
on the most economical and effective
basis in the light of the best modern
| business practice. In making this inves-
tigation | would like you to have in view
securing an Improvement in business
methods, particularly among the follow
ing:
In preparation of decisions for min
isterial approval, expert knowledge Of
I SscStitSl Sctit+tsSll conditions affecting or affected
by such DECISIONS should govern, as dis
tinguished from knowledge of the rec
ord alone.
Salaries should be commensurate with
| the character and market value of the
service performed and uniform for simi-
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 restrictions or regulations
should not interfere with executive dis
cretion, should be uniform and should
be as few and simple as is consistent
with accuracy and safety. Systems of
bookkeeping and accounting should con-
form TO the most approved modern bust
ness methods
The existence of any method, stand
ard, custom or practice is no reason for
Its continuance when 4 better is offered
lhe comparative cost of all work for
which cost keeping is possible should be
aScertained as between offices and depart
mcntS and as between the government
and private enterprise, and should be
followed by the adoption of standards OF
maximum cost.
There should be systematic interde-
partmental cooperation in the use of
expert or technical knowledge The
business methods of the different depart
mentS should be substantially uniform.
In the adoption of methods and the per-
tormance of work every step which is
not clearly indispensable should be elm
mated
As between the adoption of uniform
standard and the actual efficiency of
any office, the former must Yield
No recommendation for change should
| be made until after full consultation
with all executive officers affected.
There should be published an official
gazette 10 contain all executive orders.
statements of changes in organizations
or personnel, reports of important work
]
department, advertisements Of all GOV
ernmcnt contracts all legal notices not
required TO be published locally. notices
of coming civil service examinations. etc.
\ reSolute effort should be made to
secure breviy in correspondence and the
elimination OF useless letter-writinC
There is a type of bureaucral who be
heve 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 mi
nuteneSS on each and corresponding with
other officials III reference thereto These
people really care nothing for the case
but only for the documents in the case
In all branches of the government there
Is tendency greatly TO increase un-
necessary and largely pcrfunctory letter
writing. In the Army and Navy the
increase of paper work is a serious men
ace to the efficiency of fighting officers.
who are often required by bureaucratS to
spend time in making reports which they
should spend in increasing the cficien-
cy of the battlcShipS or regiments under
them. As regards his matter YOU will
please confer with the assistant Sccre-
tarieS of the War and Navy Depart
mentS and request them TO submit to me
a scheme for doing away with the evils
referred to. In the civil departments
the abuse of letter-writing amounts not
merely to the waste Of time of the gov
ernmcnt servant responsible for it. but
also to the impeding of public business.
please consider also the matter of en-
| forcing accountability for property"
Five tiundred Dead 10 Mine.
Ekaterinoslav (By Cable)-A fright