Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-14

PARIS. October f. 1906
TT is rather odd coincidence that on
either side of the English channel at
present an iron-handed masterful man
- Is earning the admiration of taxpayers
and mourning the enmity of oficialdom
by his efforts to introduce efficiency into
a great government department which. I'M
til the advent of the strong one had been
conducted in fashion more suggestive of
rest cure than important branch of
the public service.
The man on the English side of the "sil-
Yer streak is. of course. John Burns, the
mechanic and fiery socialist orator of other
days, who is now president of the local
government board and the hardest work
Ing member of the British cabinet The
man on the French side is GEORGES Clemen-
ceau, the Warwick OF French politics and
the maker and breaker of governments,
who now, as minister of the interior is
demonstrating h-s capacity as construct
i've statesman and rigid discplinarian.
Between him and his younger English
prototype there is a strong phys cal as well
as mental resemblance Rather below
than above the middle height. with a
squarely built, strong. but elastic, figure a
fine head and capaCious forehead with
coal-black eyes of almost dazzling bril-
Hancy. Georges Clemenceau. with his close
cropped hair. is veritably French edition
OF John Burns.
How John Burns set to work to reform
his department of the British government
service is well known on the other side of
the Atlantic. Something has been said too
In recent cable messages about the drastic
methods employed by NJ Clemenceau in his
effort to regenerate the French ministry of
the interior and of the amazing instances
OF official Incidence which his probings into
this departmental chaos have brought to
the light of day. Little more than an idea
however. has thus been given of the 90
,,f
discipline which were the order of the day
In the ministry of the interior when Glenn
enceau took office and which still holds
sway In other departments of the public
service here. Nor is the tale of them now
complete for hardly day passes without
some fresh discovery OF official Sinking
being brought to light by the 'terr BILE
minister, vino has said he will not rest UNI
til he has ousted at least goodly proper
ton of the drones and parasites who now
fatten on the public exchequer.
Quite recently, for instance. on getting
back from his cure at Carlsbad, NJ Glenn
enceau found a surprisingly large number
OF Junior clerks away on sick leave" and
ne promptly demanded doctors certificates
None were forthcoming. Then he asked to
see the two physicians who are attached to
the Interior department. Both proved to
be or shooting somewhere! Then M Glenn
enceaus iron hand descended. The junior
got lHe uTeSSlnB-uOWn or Ineir lives.
The two doctors are medical attendants OF
the department no more. their pleasant
billets have been abolished. In reality
however. the cases just mentioned are ones
OF efficiency and conscientiousness itself
compared with other snaps and gratis
which have been unmasked by the alert
and relentless minister
Nj. Clemenceau had been installed in Office
only a few days when the staff of the min
istry OF the interior in the Place Beaurau
We're thrown into state of CONSERVATION
by the following circular signed by their
chief himself:
The offices of the ministry Of the in
terror are open from am. to noon and
from pm. to Z pm.
"An functionaries belonging to the CEN
trail administration must be at their posts
at the opening of the offices and must re-
main until closing time"
The order went on to state that no excep-