The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-07

the properties. the lranCnlSc uhu 'hN
privilege of building the canal, in-
crease the cost 10y S75.i35,OO0 To n
total of S3T5. 900. The Increase In
the cost Of engineering and construc-
ton Is due 10 substantial enlarge
mcnt of the plan of construction by
widening the canal 100 feet In the Gu
Zebra cut and by increasing the di-
mansions Of the locks. TO the under
estimate Of the quantity OF the work
to be done under the original plan and
IL an underestimate OF the cost OF Ia
Dor and materials. both. OF which have
greatly enhanced in price since the
original estimate was made.
Government Economy.
In order TO avoid n deficit for the
ensuing fiscal year ] directed the
heads of departments In the prepare
ton OF their estimates TO make them
us low as possible consistent with I'M
perative governmental necessity. The
result has been. as l am advised by
the secretary of the treasury, that the
estimates of the expenses of the gov
eminent for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1011-that is, for the next
fiscal year-are less by $55,663,OOO
than the total of appropriations for
the current fiscal year and less by
S94, 100000 than the estimates for that
year. So far as the secretary of the
treasury is able to form a Judgment as
20 future income, there will be no
deficit in the year ending June 80, 1911,
but small surplus of $712,000.
In the present estimates the needs
of the departments and of the gov
ernmcnc 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 a plan for the permanent reduction
OIL the cost of governmental admins
tl'ation 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 ana in the avoidance of
duplication, but also in the treatment
of the individual employee.
Under the present system IL constant
ly happens that two employees receive
the same salary when the work of one
is far more difficult and important and
nVoatinev fhan fhat nf tha nthAr Sr-
perior ability is not rewarded or en-
couraged.
Civil Pensions.
AS the degree of efficiency I'm 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 inn
possible To make such provision unless
there is adopted a plan of civil pen
siOns. We cannot. in view of the adj
vancing prices of living. hope to save
money by reduction In the standard
of salaries paid. Indeed. If any change
is made in that regard an increase
rather than n decrease will be neces-
sary, and the only means of economy
will be in reducing the number OF
employees and in obtaining n greater
average of efficiency from those re-
tanned I'm the service.
Frauds In the Collection of Customs.
I 10 tOfar 10 fha foot Of ha
discovery of extensive frauds i'm the
collection of the customs revenue at
New York city, in which number of
the subordinate employees i'm the
weighing and other departments were
concerned and in which the
beneficiaries were the American Sugar
Refining company and others. The
frauds consisted In the payment Of du-
ty on underweights of sugar. The gov
eminent has recovered from the Amer
lean Sugar Refining company all that
1t is shown to have been defrauded Of.
The sum was received in full Of the
amount due 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-
ceedlng against number Of the gov
eminent 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
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
it is necessary that the executive shall
find on the part of that country not
only determinations in its laws or the