The Washington times., 1906-01-22
The First Fruit.


for the Keep Commission and the
broad opportunity which lies before
II, is afforded by its first report on
general departmental methOds-that
published today on public pr-nting-
The findings have already borne fruit
in the form of explicit instructions
from the President TO all the depart
ments; and if those instructions are
fulfilled, as last year similar dtrec-
tions from the Secretary Of Commerce
and Labor We're fulfilled, the annual
saving can hardly be less than $780,
600, which is surely a sufficient war
rant for the organization of this
body and an equally sufficient proof
of the need for further work by it.
What the President proposes Is,
briefly, a business-like editing of de-
partmental reports. The need for
that editing is we'll known, and the
opportunity for reform has already
been accepted by a few officials.
Thus. the Third Assistant Post
master General has condensed to the
form of a handbook Of thirty or forty
pages, a whole volume of instructions
to patrons of the postal service; and
the Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral has followed suit by presenting
the substance which once iilled more
than 300 pages in less than sixteen.
But the greatest progress in this di
rection was made by Mr.. Metcalf
and his aides, of the Department OF
Commerce and Labor They found
it possible TO reduce their annual
estimate for printing and binding TO
$3.50, 900, which is $4,000 less than
the amount allowed and spent the
preceding year. This saving, vast
as it is. was accomplished by the
simple methods recommended by the
COMMISSIONERS, by finding out
what it was necessary, not permis-
sible, to print: second, by printing
only what is necessary and by edit
ing that before it goes TO the printer,
not afterward.
If one department can save $140,-
900 out of $500,O0O the others can
reasonably be expected o do as well
proportionately. Some of them can
do decidedly more. But, as the com
mission says, the saving need not
stop there.
The Government Printing Office, ac-
cording 10 competent printers who
have worked there, has been run with
a careless disregard of opportunities
10 save labor and shave expense. In
stead of the nOn-GOvernmental
printers task of running an Office 50
economically that it can be made TO
yield a living profit. the Public Print
er has been required merely 10 get
out printing. Looseness is revealed
by the commission at all points.
Without any supervision or control,
the Public Printer has spent every
year S6,000000 Annual leave has
been paid for when not taken. Not
even the most primitive system OF
ost-keeping has been instituted.
There has been a lack of system in
accounting for supplies. One of the
administrative officers OF the institu-
ton gave it as his opinion a few
months ago that more than s., ,000, ,00C
of the s6.000,o00 now allowed could
be saved without decreasing the out
put of the office
Everyone who lives here must have
noted the waste of public documents
when printed and the corresponding
opening for economy in lessening the
number printed. There is not a lega-
tion in the American Capital which
is not flooded with reports it does
not want. There is not a department
IN the executive service which has
not rooms piled high with reports
II cannot use. There is not an Of
fetal, in Congress or out, who does
not receive in the course of every
year, not dozen reports he does not
WduL anu CuiIOL uoNs Jul CiOIt1 Ol
them. The Times has alrea ly sug-
gested as a means of avoiding this
waste the making of a nomina
charge for Government documents, a.
is the practice in England and mos
other countries.
Finally. the commission suggest,
with a reserve which would b.
laughable if it were not ineseapable
that some unnecessary printing
originates in Congress. Here is
chance to save. with a vengeance
Whole books have been printed a
campaign documents. Memorial
have been published for every Organi
cation under the sun. The duplicat
printing of tables and document
alone would save the Government
hundreds of thousands Of dollar
every year.
So much the Keep Commission ha
accomplished at It's first real con