Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-08-28
shaking UP IS DUE
CONGRESS MAY INVESTIGATE
METHODS OF THE GENERAL
LAND OFFICE.
NEW SYSTEM HAS
CAUSED MUCH CONFUSION
incidentally, New Methods Arc Said
to Have Cost the Government Fully
$4,000 = Homesteaders and Others
Unable to Get Quick Action-lnside
Story Of Eat" Job.
Especial Correspondence


Washington, Aug. 2s.-These are
strenuous times for the inteslor depart
ment and the general land office. Not
only has President Taft called on the
interior department officials for an ex-
PLANTATION of the facts in the Cunning
ham coal cases in Alaska, as a con-
sequence of the Pinchot-Ballinge row,
but there are strong protests going up
from various quarters as to conditions
in the general land office itself.
Indications are that shaking up is
close at hand in the general land Of
fee, due to the conditions in that office.
quite apart from any matters that may
arise in connection with the Alaska
coal cases. Talk even is heard that
when congress meets an inquiry may
be set afoot for the purpose of bring
ing to light the inwardness of the sit
uation there.
New System confuses.
1t is charged freely that the business
OF the general land office is running
behind and that it is far in arrears. 1t
is alleged that the effect of this is to
work hardship to homesteaders and
others to whom the quick dispatch of
business in this part of the interior de-
partment is important.
Since the new land commissioner,
Fred bennett, took charge of the office,
a new system of business methods has
been adopted. Reliable information Is
to the effect that this new method is
working in two directions: first, 1t is
increasing largely the cost of running
the office; second, it Is not operating
to facilitate the handling Of the cases
before the general land office, but has
tended to throw things into confusion.
Instead OF bringing order out Of
chaos, it appears the new system thus
far has worked chiefly to eat hole
into Uncle Sans pocket. It Is said to
have cost the government from 5000
to $4,000 to put into operation and
some estimates put the cost much be-
yond that figure. The new system is
before the land Office by a system Of
sterilization, instead Of by the system
of card indexing. based on numerals
and on names which was formerly in
effect.
Work One Year Behind.
Attorneys doing business before the
land office are besieged with letters
from clients, making urgent requests
that their claims receive early action.
When the general land office officials
are asked about such cases the attor-
neys are told that the work of the
office is largely in arrears on account
Of the new business methods. Before
the new system was installed. the gen.
eral land office was practically cur
rent to all the needs of the public and
there was reasonably early adiudica-
ton of claims.
There is good authority for saying
the office is in arrears as much as
one year and going back every day;
further, 1t is not uncommon for de-
cision to be made today and month
later to receive a letter saying that
in view of added evidence that the
former decision is thereby revoked. The
explanation is that the record was not
complete when received by the division
which adjudicates. 1t is declared that
cases are decided without the record
of the party at interest, ever forming
a part of the case.
"Mum" is the Word.
Strict orders have been issued to the
clerks in the general land office to say
nothing to outsiders about the condi-
ton of things in the office. Good
ground exists for believing that the
employees are in a disorganized and
demoralized state The new serial
method of filing was installed by the
representatives of New York filing
concern. 1t was inaugurated under the
excuse that the office was in need Of
more up to-date business methods
The same system was installed in the
patent office. So far as can be learned,
1T has worked we'll there but the de-
nlands in the two offices are not the
same. The general land office, thru a
series of years, had built and estab-
lished a chain of records which run
into the hundreds of thousands and to
which the office had a complete record
Now, it is charged that attorneys are
finding it takes hours to find cases
which had the misfortune to get into
the mill of specialization.
Clerks Refuse to Work Nights.
One of the troubles In the general
land Office has arisen from an effort
to get clerks to work nights. In the
effort to get the new system straight
ened out, a number of the clerks are
working nights. Others have been
asked to do SO and have refused
AS an indication of the increased ex-
! rense of the new system. it appears the
number of clerks in what is known as
division D." which has charge Of the
mails and files, has increased from
! about twenty-five to eighty This is
one source Of increased expense. An
other source is an elaborate system of
filing cases.
It is charged that 1t has been found
necessary for clerks frequently to be
sent from the Washington office to the
local land offices to straighten them
out with respect to the new system.
The Story Of Fat Job.
Interesting, in connection with the
reports Of the troubles Of the general
land Office is the tale Of Mr.. Jack Bal
linger. An early official act. when Mr.
Ballinger was appointed commissioner
of the land office, was to dismiss some
of the old clerks and then to have The
president suspend the civil service
rules and appoint his nephew, Jack, as
private secretary. He at first received
$1,000, and was later promoted to
/ "a 4