The Democratic advocate., 1909-03-05
RUBBER BANDS AND PENCILS.
Wasteful Use Of Them by Government
Clerks AT Washington.

There's only one infallible way to
tell q Government clerk" remarked
philosophising department official
In Washington the other day. And
how's that?" we asked. Why, it's
this way" he went on. "If man
has his vest pockets full Of rubber
bands you may know he works for
Uncle Sam. Rubber bands are as free
as the air you breathe in the Govern
ment departments land much freer
than some of the air) Requisitions
for them by the ton are sent In to
headquarters and the clerk never
stops to think (even IL he knows the
fact) that they cost a dollar a pound
or more. for Uncle Sam and not he
has to foot the bills.
why, have you any idea how many
rubber bands are used, or rather
wasted. by the Government every
year? II runs into big money. / can
assure you. for | ON in a position
where J have inside information about
It. The Pension Office simply eats
up rubber bands faster than a West
ern threshing machine gets away with
grain. Great big bands are needed
TO hold the papers In the thousands
Of cases together, and they cost cent
a piece. A cent Is nothing to worry
over, you'll say, but when the thing
goes on at the rate II does, II makes
an item In the course of the year
that would wreck any private busi-
ness.
You've no Idea how careless and
extrayagant people get when they
know that it's going to come out OF
the Government. Every fellow seems
to be bent on seeing who can run
through with the most. and the rub
ber band graft is the most striking
illustration OF this ! know OF. I've
called attention to this leak over and
over. but the powers that be always
reply that such things as rubber
bands are too small potatoes to sit up
nights over ] don't dare say how
much Uncle Sans total annual bill
for rubber bands Is. but it's up in the
millions. Judging from my data.
Then there's the lead pencil graft
too. Why. President Rooseyeits com
mission that he appointed to look In
10 the departmental leaks actually
found that the Government buys
enough lead pencils 10 give every
clerk new pencil every single work
ing day Of the year Now any sensible
man knows that those clerks can't
use NJ that many pencils. When q
man pays his own hard earned money
for pencil he can keep II for weeks.
but when the Government supplies
him it's different
The Postofiice Department, which
comes the closest of any Of the de-
Dartmenta TO being run on business
basis. years ago discovered that II
couldn't stand for the promlscuous
Use Of rubber bands. So the postal
I clerks have 20 use common string 10
I tie up their bundles of letters. Ex-
[ haustIye efforts have been made 10
discover some method Of punching
them that would b. still cheaper. for
even the string item accounts for a
considerable part OF the postal deficit
/ You can't expect great statesmen "a
Ket down TO figuring on these little
I items. for that would be a cheese
I pairing. and 20 the waste goes merrfiy
on. by the way. here's a dandy pen.
I cil--take II along--new kind they're
/ furnishing our ofice-much better
than the old cheap kind~-and here's
bunch Of rubber bands they'll come
\ IN hRndy--anywRy the children can
Z make some rubber balls out Of them
I you're welcnmc--uncle Sam foots
I The bill you know Come back wheu
I you've used those up. uood.by "--
I From the Pathfinder.