Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1909-12-10

the secretary Of the treasury, that the
estimates Of the expenses Of the gov
eminent for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1911-that Is, for the next
fiscal year-are less by SIS, 663, 600
than the total Of appropriations for
the current fiscal year and less by
So, 100000 than the estimates for that
year. So far as the secretary Of the.
treasury is able to form a judgment as
to future income, there will be no
deficit in the year ending June 80, 1911.
but a small surplus Of $4,000.
In the present estimates the needs
Of the departments and Of the gov
eminent have been cut to the quick.
For the purpose Of securing informa-
ton which may enable the executive
and the legislative branches to unite
in plan for the permanent reduction
OF the cost of governmental admins
hation the treasury department has
instituted an Investigation by one Of
the most skilled expert accountants in
the United States. The object Of the
investigation is to devise means to in
crease the average efficiency of each
employee. There is great room for i'm
provement toward this end, not only
by the reorganization of bureaus and
departments and in the avoidance of
duplication, but also in the treatment
Of the individual employee.
TIr6or ho Drooopk crotov,, II oor Mt
~ happens that two employees receive
the same salary when the work of one
is far more difficult and important and
exacting than that of the other. Su-
perior ability is not rewarded or en-
cOuraged.
-'' Civil Pensions.
AS the degree of efficiency in all the
departments is much lessened by the re-
tention of old employees who have out
lived their energy and usefulness it
is Indispensable to any proper system
Of economy that provision be made SO
that their separation from the service
shall be easy and inevitable. 1t is i'm
possible to make such provision unless
there is adopted plan Of civil pen.
sions. We cannot, in. view Of the ad.
vancing prices Of living, hope to save
money by a reduction in the standard
Of salaries paid. Indeed, ii any change
1s made in that regard an increase
rather than a decrease will be neces.
sary. and the only means of economy
will be in reducing the number Of
employees and in obtaining a greater
average of efficiency from those re.
tained In the service.
Frauds In the Collection Of Customs.
l regret to refer to the fact Of the
discovery Of extensive frauds in the
collection of the customs revenue at
New York city, in which a number oil
the subordinate employees in the
weighing and other departments were
directly concerned and in which the
beneficiaries were the American Sugar
Refining company and others. The
frauds consisted in the payment Of du'
= On unGerweights Of sugar. The gov
rrni:':2t hes recovered from the Amer.
t:tan S:''":' refining company all that
It i Sl:Nn to have been defrauded Of
ri1e <ss!, VS. received in full Of the
amount Cue which might have been
recovered by civil action against the
beneficiary Of the fraud, but there was
an excess reservation in the contract
Of settlement by which the settlement
should not interfere with or prevent
the criminal prosecution Of every one
who was found to be subject to the
same.
Criminal prosecutions are now pro.
ceeding against number of the gov.
erpment officers. The treasury de.
partment and the department Of jus.
tice are exerting every effort to- dis.
cover all the wrongdoers, including the
officers and employees of the compa.
MES who may have been privy to the
fraud. It would seem to me that an
Investigation of the frauds by con.
gress at present, pending the probing
by the treasury department and the
department of Justice, as proposed
might by giving immunity and other.
wise prove an embarrassment in Sc.
curing conviction Of the guilty parties
Maximum and Minimum Clause In
Z Tariff Act.
& Two features Of the new tariff act
call for special reference. In order
that the maximum duty shall be charg-
ed against the imports from country
1t is necessary that the executive shall
find on the part Of that country not
only determinations in it's laws or the
practice under them against the trade
Of the United States, but that the dis
ordinations found shall be undue
that is, without good and fair reason.
No one is seeking tariff war or con-
dition in which the spirit of retaliation
shall be aroused
Tariff Readjustment.
The new tariff law enables me to ap-
point tariff board to assist me in con-
nection with the department Of state in
the administration of the minimum and
maximum clause Of the act and also to
assist officers of the government in the
administration of the entire law. be-
lieve that the work of this board will