Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-12-07

dent of the United States with such
information respecting the business
for which he is responsible. For the
| first time in the history OF the gov
| eminent, congress in the last session
| supplied this need and made an ap-
preparation to enable the president
| to inquire into the economy and ef-
nciency of the executive departments,
and I am now assembling an orEanl-
| zation for the purpose
| At the outset ] find comparison DC
| tween departments and bureaus I'M
| possible for the reason that In no two
| departments are the estimates and en-
| penditures displayed and CLASSIFIED
| alike The first step is TO reduce all
to a common standard for classified
| ton and Judgment and this work is
now being done When 1t il COM
| nleted. the foundation will be laid for
| n business-lke national budget, and
for such a Just comparison of the
| economy and efficiency with which
| the several bureaus and divisions are
| conducted as will enable the presi-
1 dent and the heads OF departments 10
| detect waste, eliminate duplication
| encourage the intelligent and effee-
| tive civil servants whose efforts 100
| often 20 unnoticed, and secure the
| public service at the lowest possible
! cost
Economy and Efficiency.
The committees on appropriations
| of congress have diligently worked TO
\ reduce the expenses of government
and have found their efforts often
| blocked by lack of accurate informa-
| ton containing proper analysis oil
ACCOMPLISHMENTS and OF actual anu
reasonable costs. The result OF thls
inouiry should enable the executive in
\ his communications 10 congress 10
| give information to which congress Is
| entitled and which will enable IL 10
| promote economy
| | have requested the head OF eacn
dppartment to appoint committees on
economy and efficiency in order 10
secure fun cooperation in the move
| ment bv the employees of the govern
| ment themselves,
| urge the continuance OF the APP
| propriatien of 100000 requested Ior
| the fiscal year 1912.
| NV experience leads me to belleVe
| that while government methods are
much criticised, the bad resuits---ii
we do have bad resultS--are not uHe
to d lack of zeal or Willingness on
the part of the civil servants On
the contrary. | believe that .. Tine
spirit of Willingness to work exists IN
the personnel, which, if properly en-,
couraged. will produce results equai
Ia those secured in the best managed
private enterprises. In handing gov.
| ernment expenditure the aim IS nor
| profit--the aim is the maximum OF
public service at the minimum OF
| cost. We wish to reduce the eXpehdl-
| lures of the government, and we wlsh
to save money to enable the govern
ment to go into some OF the pehe-
l xt.,11 nv ~
| from taking up now because we
ought not TO increase our eXpendi-
lures.
| At later date | shall send TO con-
gress a special message on this gen
eral subject.
Civil Service Retirement.
| II is impossible to proceed far in
such an investigation without perceiV-
ing the need of a suitable means OF
| eliminating from the service the
| superannuated This can be done in
one of two ways. either by stralSht
civil pension or by some form OF con-
ltributory plan.
| Careful study of experiments maue
tby, foreign governments shows ina,
three serious objections to the cfVii
Ipension payable out OF tue puoite !,
treasury may be brought against II
bv the taxpayer, the administrative
| officer. and the civil employe. re-
| anectiyeiv A civil pension Is bound
ito become an enormous, continuous
and Increasing tax on the pupiA'
| oxcheduer. II is demoralizing 10 'he
service since il makes dhficut tne
dismissal of Incompetent emploSesAi AZ
ter. they have partly earned their
pension: and II is disadvantageous 10
The main body of employees them =
selves since it is always taken into
iaccount in fixing salaries ana only
the few who survive and remain III
the service until pensionable age re-
| ceive the value of their deferred pay.
FOR this reason, after nan century
of experience under a most 1perai
pension system, the civil servants OF
England succeeded, about year ago
in having the system so modified as
| To make II virtually contributory
plan with provision Tor relnhu oi
their theoretical contributions.
| The experience of England ana
| other countries sows that neither can
| a contributory plan be successful na-
man nature being what II is, WhlcH
ldoes not make provision Tor the. re-
Turn of contributions. with interest,"
In case of death or resignation before
pensonable age. Followed TO its log
IicaI conclusion this means that the
| sim DipSt and most independent Splu-
ltion of the problem for both employe
land the government is a compulsory
savings arrangement. the employe 70
set aside from his salary sum sns-
ficient. with the help of a liberal rate
% interest from the government, 10
purchase an adequate annuity for him
on retirement this accumulation 10
be inalienably his and claimable II
he leaves the service before reaching
the retirement age or by his heirs IN
case OF his death, This Is the prih-
ciple upon which the Gtliett blli no"
pending is drawn.
The Gillett bill. however. goes lur-
4 ther and provides that the govern
ment shall contribute to the pension
mnd of those employees who are now
SO advanced in age that their per
sonal contributions will not be sufii-
| cient 10 create their annuities Defofe
| reaching the retirement age. IN my
| Judgment this provision shouiu pe
amended so that the annuities Of those
| emploves shall be paid out OF the
| salaries appropriated for the post
| lions vacated by retirement. ana that
tha difference between the annuitles
| thus granted and the salaries may pe
used for the employment OF etticient
| clerks at the lower grades. II the
bill can be thus amended l reeom-
mend its passage. as it will initiate a
N,aluahle system and ultimately result