The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-02-26
R 0RN IN.
j. S. PR|N
SHOP | | ] | J
First Steps in Economy in rhi.
Branch to Be
Taken.
q -
AN IMMENSE INCREASE
Shows Wastefulness According to
Committeenan Perkins Of
New York.
AN IMMENSE INCREASE
By n. 6. .snyder.

Wa6ulnSuOu, u ". req. 20
The first step towards real economy
in the expenditure of government
money is likely to be taken in con-
nection with the appropriations for
the public printing. For some months
past commission has been hard at
work enquiring into the expenditures
of the government printing Office and
next week a bill will be introduced in
the house embodying the views of this
commisSion.
The two men who have given the
most thought and attention to this
work of economy are Mr., Landis of
Indiana and Mr.. Perkins of New York.
The latter was asked today to give the
outline Of the proposed changes and
In response he said:
81 have prepared a bill modifying
the present printing laws. This shall
submit to the printing commission.
consisting of Senator German, Mr..
Landis and myself, and I trust we
shall report a bill before long. How
far they will adopt my views, don't
know. but after all our Investigations,
think we should have some leglsla-
ton. l don't like investigating and
then doing nothing and the way to
improve the situation is to make some
reasonable changes.
"Thescost of the government print
ing has increased from two millions.
ten or twelve years ago, to about
seven millions. 1t is unnecessary to
say that this increase is out of pro-
portion and that there has been waste
fulness in every branch.
Much of this waste can be rem
edied by improved administration. and
am glad to say that already, under
]. the impetus given by this investiga-
ton. there have been great improve
ments. Mr.. Stillings, the, new public
printer. is an excellent Sman. He is
intelligent and he IS. not afraid.
"In the departments. the various
subordinates had impressed upon them
the fact that they must get their re-
ports in some sort of shape, condense
them as much as possible, and that the
manuscript must be sent to the print
ing Office in such condition that the
cost of composition won't be doubled
by corrections made in the proof.
These changes soon come to very large
figures. The saving in the report of
the comptroller of the currency for
1905 when compared with his report
for 1904, will be $4,000, and the re-
port for this year will be more SER
viceable than the former ones An,
enormous amount of useless detail has
been cut out. The reports Of the COM
missioner Of education are published
every year at the expense of the gov.
Rernment. containing detailed list of
the attendance of e.ery school in the
country filling almost two great vol
umes with figures that nobody reads.
Such detail is OF no value. There has
grown up in many branches of the
governmental a diseased taste for statis-
,ics, no matter what the cost of collect
ing them and of publishing them and
NO matter how little the practical
value Of. what is collected. 53
If these school statistics furnished
by the commissioner of education were
published once in five years, this would
be ample, and there would he saw
ing Of at least 100000 year on that
item alone.
I'm the BILL. as have drawn It,,
there is a reduction in the number OF
many government publications. When
million volumes have accumulated
in the house and senate folding rooms
and nobody wants them, 1T is perfectly
clear that we are folding away the
peoples money. either by publishing